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SAFENET

Wildland Fire Safety & Health Reporting Network

SAFENET Event Information

Create Agency Response

SAFENET ID:

20200806-0001

Event Start Date:

07/28/2020 1530

Event Stop Date:

08/02/2020 1230 

Incident Name:

Anglin/Green/Blue Lake Fires

Fire Number:

1725 

State:

Washington

Jurisdiction:

State

Local Unit:

Incident Type:

Wildland

Incident Activity:

Support

Stage of Incident:

Extended Attack, Mop Up, Demobe

Position Title:

 

Task:

 

Management Level:

3

Resources Involved:

Overhead 

Contributing Factors

Contributing Factors:

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.

I arrived at the Incident Command Post on 7/28/2020 and checked in with the Incident Management Team. The Incident Command Post was based in the middle of a COVID-19 hotspot (Okanogan County) and everyone was at increased risk of transmission. At that time I noticed there were many signs that said, "Wear A Mask", there was hand sanitizer available at the door, distancing protocols were placed on signs around the entrance, a box of surgical masks was open and available, and everyone was required to take their temperature prior to entering the building. It appeared at first that the DNR's policy on COVID-19 precautions were going to be strictly adhered to. During the first couple of days of the fire assignment, I observed most members of the IMT wearing face masks, with two to three individuals pulling the masks below their noses or temporarily removing their masks to speak. By the end of the assignment and as teams were beginning to demobilize and leave the fire assignment, members of the IMT were in the cafeteria without face masks and with no social distancing in place. I counted 3 individuals who still had their masks on by the end of the assignment. Every single person who was a part of the Anglin/Green Fires had to come through the Incident Command Post and interact with members of the IMT. Because of the lack of adherence to face mask protocols, specifically by Incident Management Team members, those individuals potentially exposed the entire camp to COVID-19.

Immediate Action Taken

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

I continued to diligently wear a face mask and observe other COVID-19 safety protocols, such as temperature-taking, hand washing, and frequent sanitizing. I continued to adhere to social distancing protocols and wore a face mask while inside and while I could not maintain 6 feet of distance. I could have done more to promote the adherence of safety protocols by bringing my concerns directly to members of the Incident Management Team.

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