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SAFENET

Wildland Fire Safety & Health Reporting Network

SAFENET Event Information

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SAFENET ID:

20180601-0001        [Corrective Actions]

Event Start Date:

04/22/2018 1620

Event Stop Date:

04/22/2018 1620 

Incident Name:

Donnelly Training Area East Prescribed Fire (DTAE RX 2018)

Fire Number:

 

State:

Alaska

Jurisdiction:

BLM

Local Unit:

Alaska Fire Service- Military Zone

Incident Type:

Prescribed/Fuels Treatment

Incident Activity:

Line

Stage of Incident:

Other

Position Title:

Firb 

Task:

Rx Fire 

Management Level:

N/A

Resources Involved:

 

Contributing Factors

Contributing Factors:

Other

Human Factors:

Situational Awareness  

Other Factors:

Area known to possibly have UXO's (Unexploded Ordinances)  

Narrative

Describe in detail what happened including the concern or potential issue, the environment (weather, terrain, fire behavior, etc), and the resulting health issue.

During implementation of the Donnelly Training Area East Prescribed Fire Plan at approximately 1620 AKDT on Sunday, 4/22/2018, a loud report was heard in close proximity (<100 feet) of AFS personnel, who had just ignited nearby grass at the southern end of the Infantry Platoon Battle Course (IPBC) Lane 2 on the Battle Area Complex (BAX). Approximate location was 63°55'32.9" N x 145°35'42.1" W (NAD83). We ceased ignitions in the vicinity and allowed the fire to burn until it extinguished naturally. I directed personnel to avoid the area, contacted DTA Range Control and requested the presence of a Range Inspector to investigate the scene, and I notified the AFS Military Zone Duty Officer. No visual indicators of the detonation were witnessed. One worker reported feeling a concussive force in the chest and experienced tinnitus immediately following the detonation. He filed a CA-1 to report the injury. Two weeks later, the individual still complained of persistent discomfort (i.e., itching) in his ears.

Immediate Action Taken

Reporting Individual : please describe actions you took to correct or mitigate the unsafe/unhealthful event.

We did not positively discover the source of the detonation, but the Range Inspector surmised from witness descriptions (i.e., louder than a .50 caliber blank, detonation within 30 seconds of ignition) that a previously fired, unexploded 40mm training round (“918”) was the most likely culprit. The only military munitions discovered in the area were several unfired, small-caliber (<.50 caliber) rounds and a fired 105mm projectile. Pieces of a small, destroyed beverage container were found in the vicinity. Lesson learned and actions taken to mitigate risk have thus far included a redoubling of commitment: - to implement the prescribed fire plan as soon after snowmelt as possible to minimize combustion residence time in vegetative fuels, which should in theory reduce the likelihood of detonation of any undiscovered UXO in proximity, - to ensure effective UXO briefings for all implementation personnel tailored to each project area, - to direct personnel to move away from ignited areas as expeditiously as possible, utilizing UTVs for ignition operations to facilitate expeditious departure, and - to ensure strict adherence to PPE requirements, specifically hearing and eye protection. We added this PPE requirement to the Risk Management Worksheets for prescribed fire operations in the AFS Military Zone. This report was written by personnel in the Military Zone at Alaska Fire Service.

Agency Response

20180601-0001-CA001

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