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Wildland Fire Safety & Health Reporting Network

SAFENET Event Information
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SAFENET ID:
20180524-0002
Event Start Date:
05/11/2018 2000
Event Stop Date:
05/17/2018 0800 
Incident Name:
North Eielson
Fire Number:
AK-DNR 7383812046 
State:
Alaska
Jurisdiction:
State
Local Unit:
AK-DNR-DAS
Incident Type:
Wildland
Incident Activity:
Line
Stage of Incident:
Initial Attack, Extended Attack
Position Title:
Crew Superintendent 
Task:
Containment, Mop-up 
Management Level:
3
Resources Involved:
Type 2 IA Crew 
Contributing Factors
Contributing Factors:
Environmental, Human Factors
Human Factors:
Decision Making, Leadership, Risk Assessment, Situational Awareness  
Other Factors:
 
Narrative
Describe in detail what happened including the concern or potential issue, the environment (weather, terrain, fire behavior, etc), and the resulting health issue.
Upon arrival at 2000 on 5/11/18 a fire crew was working to secure the disposal site digging, mopping up, cold trailing, breathing in smoke. This level of exposure persisted two more operational periods when on 5/14 we identified the need for heavy equipment and some miscellaneous metal and barrels that might indicate hazardous materials. The crew passed this up to DIVS and proposed moving the bulk of the crew out with one to two individuals working heat along the perimeter including digging, cold-trailing, and breathing smoke to ensure containment and eventually establishing at the direction of the IC and DIVS; a sprinkler system, which involved a squad of 4-7 individuals. On a daily basis during this period Gannett Glacier communicated concerns with the plan for the pit with proposals for the use of equipment and identifying specific type and history of hazmat. This continued through to the 16th. On the 17th we were informed of the potential for more Hazmat then originally thought and we stopped placing people at the disposal site. We pulled all hose and left sprinklers in place to reduce further exposure. We requested and provided input regarding research into the extent of hazmat and a real plan to deal with what we saw as a significant control issue almost daily from 5/12-5/16. It was not until 5/17 that we received confirmation that there was significant amounts of hazardous materials and that an investigation was being initiated.
Immediate Action Taken
Reporting Individual : please describe actions you took to correct or mitigate the unsafe/unhealthful event.
An investigation has been initiated by local fire managers and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, to identify specific type and quantity of hazardous materials. Working with the DIVS and IC /IC(t) we took steps to control the issue with minimal exposure to additional crew-members including a sprinkler system to "cap" the fire to prevent exterior spotting. All operations involving the crew were ceased at end of shift on 5/16/17. Exposure documentation as assigned by the State of Alaska has been completed for all crew members to the best of our ability with the information available to the crew at this time. At this time the State of Alaska does not have an exposure specific form for documenting exposure but rather follows one set form for all Workers Compensation cases. As overhead within the crew we noted a need to have better Situational Awareness to the presence of past dump sites (it was hard to identify it as being different from surrounding berms/pits typical of the agricultural area we were working in) and be able to make a plan to address critical holding concerns minimizing exposure and even alternate plans that reduce exposure. More than anything we need to make those adjustments sooner in the future. We perceived a lag in the time from request for information and proposed ideas to getting the information we needed from fire managers, this was more than likely a result of filtering through the chain of command typical of a fire organization and the transition from a type 3 organisation to a ICT4/ICT4(t).


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