Essay about Thirty Mile Fire

fires in the first week of October, on Saturday night, October 7, a blaze broke

     The fire spread from the O’Learys’ barn to the yards nearby. Soon it was spreading throughout the neighborhood. William Lee, a neighbor a block away, saw the fire and ran to Bruno Goll’s drugstore to turn in the fire alarm. Bruno Goll refused to turn in the alarm because he said the fire truck had already gone past. So instead of arguing, Lee went home to his family. At the courthouse the lookout on duty saw smoke, but thought nothing of it, thinking it was just Saturday's fire and there was no reason to be alarmed. Then he looked up and noticed it was a different fire and had his assistant strike the Box 342 for the fire department. Soon fire trucks were at the scene and attempted to put out the fire. The fire department’s Chief Marshal, Robert A. Williams got the engines to circle the fire to contain it. They got as close to the fire as they could until their arm hair was being burned and their

One man saw the fire and tried to get someone to use the fire box to get the fire department to send a fire truck. Sadly he had no such luck in notifying them. Fire boxes were boxes located on the street corner for people to use to alert the closest fire department, because telephones were not commonly available at that time. The other man just insisted that a fire truck had probably already been called and was on its way. The fire was so destructive because there were many mistakes and dangerous

At 03:17 am, Engine 2 arrives on location and reports that he has heavy fire showing from the first and second floors, and requests a full first alarm assignment. One minute later he reported that he had fire all the way to the roof in a 6-story building, 60’ x one city block. He then requested a full second alarm assignment and notified the dispatch center to prepare for the third alarm. Around 3:30 am, before most 2nd alarm companies arrived on the fireground. the first of many collapses occurred. A large section of wall collapsed from the upper story on the York Street side and crashed on to the street. By 4:01 am, this fire would grow to a five-alarm response. With the arrival of Engine 2 and other arriving companies, command was established, and the fire scene was divided into four geographic divisions (A, B, C, D) to manage this defensive fire. Command was passed from Engine 2 to the Battalion Commander, then to the Division commander and lastly to the Deputy Commissioner. As the fire intensified, the command structure grew to include an operations section, logistics, safety and an exposure group lead by a Battalion Chief. For over two hours the approximately 45 apparatus and over 150 firefighters and paramedics fought to contain the fire to the original complex and protect the surrounding neighborhood. The weather that night brought 17 mph winds, with gusts over 30 mph. These winds, combined with the heavy fire load

On August 21, 1910, at four pm, a massive wild fire broke out. This Great Fire of 1910, also known as the Big Blowup, spread from Wallace, Idaho to western Montana and into a small amount of Washington. The Great Fire of 1910 lasted for two days and spread because of hurricane winds that shot trees up like flying torpedos ( Quinn ). The cause of the fire was from leftover timber that was heated up from the sparks of the railroad nearby. The timber was from campers, loggers, and homesteaders. The wild fire destroyed over three million acres of forest. Also, 1910 was the driest year and Idaho didn’t get rain since May ( Jamison ). One of the lead firefighters saved all but six of his men while finding safety in an

At 6:34pm Incident Commander number two orders a head count and finds out two firefighters are currently missing which was last contacted via radio on the fourth floor. At 6:41pm the incident commander number two makes an announcement to all fire personal to use extreme caution because the building was dangerous and activated the third alarm and demand to clear radio communication for emergencies due to the missing firefighters stuck on certain floors where they heard emergency transmissions from victims in rescue 1 asking for help and that they were lost and out of air. And at 6:54pm the Incident commander orders the fourth alarm be struck and asked the location of the missing firefighters who were stuck in the building and tells them to activate there PASS alarms at 6:57pm one of the victims stated that their alarms were activated. With the other engines and support showed up for the third alarm they were prepared to do a search and rescue operation for the lost firefighters and while they go in after them they unfortunately could not reach the lost victims and by searching they lost all visibility and ran out of air and was

On June 30, 2013, 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC) of 20 elite firefighters, lost their lives battling the Yarnell Hill Fire near Yarnell, Arizona. An initial investigation conducted by the Arizona State Forestry Division (ASFD) found some communication problems but overall declared the Yarnell Hill Fire a no-fault tragedy, focusing largely on the actions of the Granite Mountain Hotshots who, according to the investigation, made an unknown and last-minute decision to move from a safety zone to an area closer to the wildfire (leading to their deaths).

The fires, which were first recorded in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Nov. 23rd, spread over 15,000 acres and 2,000 structures, burning down single-family homes, Churches and other edifices in its wake as it strode through Sevier County, destroying two of the country’s most tourist-heavy towns and an amusement park. The rapid growth and ferocity of the fires, attributed to the drought in the area at the time, exceeded 80 miles per hour.

Day 1: I have arrived in Gatlinburg, Tennessee to help victims of the tragedies that have occurred during the lethal fires spreading throughout the Great Smokey Mountains. The team and I have brought water supplies to last until our last day, along with food and other snacks. So far, we have not yet discovered what started these fires. Our team has decided to put non injured victims into a hotel until finding them a new shelter. 14,000 residents were evacuated from Gatlinburg around noon. The fires continue to grow and roar at the innocent mountains that several claim home. Winds were up to 70 mph, forcing the fires to continue and spread throughout the forests.

What occurred at Yarnell Hill was a travesty; many brave firefighters lost their lives that day. We must recognize our mistakes and learn from them; that is how we move forward. I am not here to inform you, the executives, on better ways to prevent fires. I am here to educate you on risk management strategies that you can implement into the USFS.

Other initial arriving ALS crews were assigned to triage and treatment, with subsequent ALS units serving as transportation.” (National Transportation, 2016c, p. 11). Upon arrival medical and fire department personnel on scene would be assigned to search and rescue, as well as S.T.A.R.T. triage teams. S.T.A.R.T. triage is “Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment…. system based on four levels of prioritization: Deceased, Minor, Delayed, or Immediate.” (Ventura County, 2014, p.24). Oxnard Fire Department in conjunction with, Gold Coast Ambulance treated and transported the injured passengers to hospitals in the area, “sending 28 of the 50 passengers on board to the hospital with injuries ranging from broken limbs to head trauma.” (NAGE/SEIU, 2015). Shortly after all patients and non-injured passengers were removed from the scene, NTSB and other collaborating agencies began arriving on scene (OFD B61-B, 2015, p. 8-9). As summarized in the Incident Commanders Notes, by 1900 “Fire operations have been completed. OFD transitioning control to NTSB. NTSB delegating responsibility of traffic and scene security to OPD. Clean up to Patriot. Railing repair to

After an evaluation period of the wildfire noting the size and direction of travel the Colorado Springs fire department issued a voluntary evacuation of multiple areas, later that afternoon was called a type three incident management team assumed command of the fire and a 1 IMTeam was ordered (wildfiretoday.com). Later that evening at approximately 1515 hrs. certain areas were mandatorily evacuated due to the fast-moving wildfire. It seems that looking back on this incident that all services involved from the beginning underestimated how quickly this fire would spread to populated areas. Even though hindsight is always 20/20 it seems that professionals who work in this industry and deal with the things on a regular basis would be able to stay ahead of most normal forest fires, or even from an outside perspective on the night of 22 June why were there no nighttime searches. It seems that if there were only a few people out with infrared devices or even better one aircraft equipped with an infrared device that they could have pinpointed the fire at night because of the heat it was

The lands that burned during this fire were mainly comprised of a mixed-conifer forest. The main tree species found before and after the fire are Douglas- fir, grand fir, Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine; PIPO), and Pinus contorta (lodgepole pine; PICO). Other species found include other varieties of spruce, pine, and larch. In some areas of the site a rich understory has formed or still exists; these were dominated by Salix scouleriana (Scouler’s willow; SASC) with a limited variety of forbs present beneath the shrubs. Post-fire management tactics included salvage logging and grass seeding. This seeding of native grasses was spread across burned areas in combination with mulch in the form of agriculture straw as well as shredded wood strips (Robichaud, 2009).

Wild land firefighting is a rapidly spreading fire that acts very quickly and intensely. Captain Moses Harris assumes the command of Yellowstone national parks first wild land fire fighters on August 20, 1886. The cavalry remained for thirty-two years in Yellowstone National Park. The soldiers began fighting the fires throughout Yellowstone national park and were also the first wild land fire fighters to get paid (1). In1910 the “Big Blowup” fire in northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, and western Montana destroyed three million acres of timber and killed over eighty firefighters. In 1911 Congress passed the Weeks Act, which among alternative things, provided help for state forestry organizations that participated in cooperative fire protection work with the federal government. In 1935, Ferdinand Silcox, the Forest Service Chief, introduced the “10AM Policy,” that became afresh universal U.S. Forest Service goal to manage a fire by 10AM the morning following its recognizing. While the amount of forest

It is 2 AM when the radio rings out, “Raymond Fire call, Raymond Fire call, a structure fire with confirmed party trapped.” In an instant men from all walks of life spring into action. The only common thread they share is that of a desire to serve their community. All knowing what they might face, yet none prepared for the task they are about to undertake. For as the first units are making ready and racing towards the scene, the radio again rings out, “Be advised, confirmed structure fire with an 8 year old trapped inside”. Hearts race, motors rev, and vision tunnels as the worst is confirmed. Upon arrival to the scene, the facts somehow change the course of reality. For the house is fully involved and in any other case it would be obvious that no safe entry would be made. Yet this instance calls for something different. Doesn’t it? As the reality sets in that there is nothing to be done and that no possible safe rescue can be made, a silence falls over the men feverishly trying to extinguish the blaze. Nevertheless, while the job is done when the flames are out, the heroic task lay upon the men to recover the boy. Two young men both white, from similar upbringings, that happen to be roommates find the boy and are tasked with baring his remains from the structure. The rest of the crew stands guard in the form of a human wall to block the views of onlookers and news cameras as the two carry the boy from the charred remnants of the home.