Beyond the Numbers
What follows is a different look at some of the statistics from the Safety Gram and the U.S. Fire Administration Fatality reports for events that occurred in the 2007-09 wildland fire seasons.
Aviation. Eight separate aircraft accidents resulted in the deaths of 20 firefighting personnel during the three-year period reviewed:
Two of the accidents involved single-engine air tankers, or SEATs; both were involved in direct fire suppression activities. The pilots killed were 42 and 45 years old. One accident occurred at 18:20 hours, the other at 15:45 hours.
Two fixed-wing air tankers crashed, killing all six pilots and crew members. One A/T was in transit from Montana to the Southwest United States when it crashed at 10:00 hours; the other was taking off fully loaded on a fire mission at 18:10 hours when it crashed, again killing all three crew members. The chief pilots were 61 and 66 years old, with thousands of hours of flight time each.
Three helicopter crashes resulted in the deaths of 11 fire personnel. An S-61 transporting firefighters crashed on take-off, killing the pilot, a U.S. Forest Service inspector and seven firefighters. It occurred on the fireground at 19:30 hours; the pilot was 54 years old. A helicopter conducting a logistical support mission on a fire crashed at 10:15 hours, killing the 61-year-old pilot. Finally, a medevac helicopter carrying an injured firefighter to the hospital was involved in a mid-air collision with another medical helicopter at 15:47 hours, killing the firefighter as well as both flight crews. The pilots' ages are unknown.
A state fixed-wing observer aircraft crashed while flying over a fire at 14:26 hours, killing the 36-year-old pilot.
In addition to these 20 fatalities, a helicopter rappeller died in a fall from a helicopter during proficiency testing (mentioned earlier); this is also considered an aviation-related accident.
The ages of the pilots involved in these accidents ranged from 36 to 66, averaging 52 years old. Without looking at individual flight logs of the pilots involved, one can assume they were experienced aviators, but it is unknown if they had extensive mountain or fire flying. The times of these events ranged from 10:00 hours until 19:30 hours, with three of the accidents occurring after 18:00 hours involving a SEAT, A/T and helicopter. Based on the limited number of events in each aircraft type and the reports of mechanical problems on two of the aircraft, pilot fatigue does not appear to be a causal factor but should always be considered, especially during prolonged fire seasons.
Heart attacks/medical. Ten individuals died from heart attacks or other medical conditions from 2007-09. Their ages ranged from 34 to 74 years old, averaging 54.3 years old (a state inmate who died while exercising did not have an age shown). Five of the deaths occurred on the fire line, one while en route to the fire, two after the fire, and two while taking the pack test or a fitness hike. Six volunteer firefighters died, ranging from 45 to 63 years of age.
Driving/vehicle accidents. Driving and vehicle accidents killed 10 firefighters in seven different events from 2007-09. Four of the accidents occurred on the fire scene, while three occurred while individuals were returning to their stations from training sessions or from a prescribed burn.
One accident killed a firefighter and a deputy sheriff who were directing traffic on the road in heavy smoke; a semi-truck struck them at 05:30 hours. The individual who was returning from a prescribed burn was killed at 20:00 hours; all of the other vehicle accidents occurred between 12:51 and 15:45 hours. Heavy smoke was a factor in five of those fatalities: Two volunteer firefighters died when a bridge burned out and they drove into the ravine it had crossed; another volunteer was killed when he was involved in a head-on crash with another firefighter in heavy smoke; and two county firefighters died when their vehicle went off the road in heavy smoke and down an 800-foot drop.
The drivers' ages ranged from 35 to 61 years old. Two were federal, two were county, one was state and the remainder was volunteer. The vehicles involved in these fatalities were all pickup-sized or light engines rather than larger engines, water tenders, vans or crew carriers.
Looking at the times these accidents occurred, darkness may have been a contributing factor in two of the events but was not relevant in the others. Heavy smoke was an important factor in four of the accidents that resulted in seven fatalities. The accident that killed a firefighter at 20:00 hours after participating in a prescribed fire may have been caused by fatigue and darkness. The ages of the drivers killed would indicate individuals with multiple years of general driving experience, yet not so old to have reduced response times under normal driving conditions. However, the presence of heavy smoke and reduced visibility appears to have caused the accidents.
State of the fire. Of the 49 fatalities that occurred in this three-year period, 32 occurred on the fireground, seven while en route to the fire, two while returning to the station or soon after returning home, and eight in a non-fire environment. Two of those fatalities occurred during training, and two others as individuals were driving home from training.
Geographic bias. In the 2007-09 period, wildfire deaths occurred in 15 different states, with California having the most with 17; this was a result of the helicopter crash that killed nine as well as having the most serious fire situations during those three years. The Southern geographic area had an additional 11 deaths. Only the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and Northern Rockies geographic areas did not suffer any fatalities. When coupled with the 1990-2006 data that showed fatalities in 43 states, the important lesson learned here is that no area of the country is exempt from these tragic events. Agencies and organizations across the country must always train their firefighters to be aware of the multiple risks to their lives.
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