| On Division Lima on the Tyee Ridge Complex working under Central Unit Oregon ODF IMT 1 (Team 1), almost all ground was extremely steep and inaccessible for direct attack options. All heavy equipment i.e. dozers were 'tethered' (anchored) by winch and cable to push any piece of ground. The only option accepted on this complex was going direct due to the value of timber there. All of this country is privately owned by Weyerhaeuser Timber Company; a company that funds Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF). We scouted multiple direct line construction options and turned down the assignments due to steepness of terrain, tree and rock fall potential, underslung line, and the lack of medical personnel's accessibility if needed. Our alternative recommendation was going indirect by prepping and firing a ridge top. This never happened once we were told by the current Division Lima, "if you guys don't want to go direct, they (the IMT) will find someone who will." On September 4, 2023, the IMT did find a contracted Type 2 crew to go direct down the first line we declined due to the safety reasons described above. On that day, our crew was looking at a small pocket to burn up towards division Alpha when over Tactical channel, there was a concerned voice saying, 'the crew was hit by a tree.' Between our intra-crew channel and Tactical channel I immediately communicated with task force and the crew involved and located where this was occurring. I sent our 3 EMT's and 1 Captain down towards the top of the line to get an initial assessment. Most of the crew involved was very shaken up (hugging each other) and 1 individual had to be sent to the hospital with a potential broken nose and a head covered in blood. It was unclear exactly what happened but thankfully all individuals were able to walk under their own power to the top of the line and transferred via ambulance. That crew was removed from the line by Division Lima (ODF) after taskforce (ODF) wanted them to stay in place. During morning briefings, there was no mention of the tree strike or any of the other 11 IWIs that occurred in the following days. In fact, Safety and/or Operations would say “keep up the good safety record” every morning. An incoming Federal employee and Division pulled me and Crew Boss Trainee aside and told us that IMT Operations was very disappointed in us for turning down assignments and that our alternative recommendation of burning a ridge top was 'a treat' for the crew which we didn't deserve based on our performance (referring to turning down unsafe assignments). After discovering where ODF gets its funding from, learning that all ODF is not primary fire, and seeing timber company employees try to direct resources on how to tactically fight this fire, it’s clear to me that ODF values timber over the safety of firefighters. I dread the day I hear of a life-altering injury or fatality on an ODF-managed fire because based on my experience, it very well could be due to an unsafe act forced onto firefighters on the fireline. Among the 11 other IWIs, during our assignment, there was another potentially critical accident when a heavy equipment contract chase truck rolled over due to the steepness of the road. However, for this report, I wanted to focus on the unsafe, high-risk decisions by ODF that affected firefighters working under Central Unit Oregon ODF IMT 1 (Team 1) on the Tyee Ridge Complex. Every Federal IHC, Engine, and Division I talked to had similar concerns and I anticipate others will submit SafeNet reports. |
