Wildland firefighters use a variety of longstanding safety measures to assess risk while working in increasingly dangerous conditions.
Federal investigators are examining the deaths of three wildland firefighters killed battling the Snyder Mesa fire in western Colorado over the weekend in what officials called a “burnover” event.
A burnover occurs when a fire overtakes firefighters, leaving no opportunity to use escape routes or safety zones. Officials have not detailed the circumstances surrounding the incident in Mesa County near the Utah border, which also left two federal firefighters injured.
Firefighting experts say the industry, in the wake of deadly fires throughout the years, has developed a series of best practices designed to keep people safe in the field.
At the core of these guidelines is the 10 Standard Firefighting Orders, developed in 1957 by a federal task force in response to 16 fatal fires that had occurred in the two decades prior. Those orders were based on the “general orders” used by the U.S. military.
They include staying informed of weather conditions and forecasts; identifying escape routes and safety zones; staying alert and keeping calm; maintaining communication; and acting decisively.
Those 10 orders spawned an additional 18 “watch-out” situations, which warn firefighters of common risks to avoid in the field. These situations include not scouting a fire; being unfamiliar with weather and uninformed on strategy and hazards; no communication with crew members; and unclear assignments.
“If firefighters follow the 10 Standard Firefighting Orders and are alerted to the 18 Watch-Out Situations, much of the risk of firefighting can be reduced,” the National Park Service says on its website.
In 1990, following a fire in Arizona that killed six firefighters and injured five more, officials developed the Lookouts, Communications, Escape Routes and Safety Zones system. The LCES, as it’s commonly known, distils the 10 orders and 18 watch-out situations and has become the industry standard for anyone fighting wildfires in the United States.
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“This should be muscle memory” for those doing this job, said Joe Stutler, a longtime incident commander who spent 35 years with the U.S. Forest Service.
The five firefighters killed or injured over the weekend deployed fire shelters, federal officials said. These shelters, which have been required equipment for wildland firefighters since 1977, act as portable tent-like coverings that firefighters can jump into during critical situations.
“The fire shelter should be used as a last resort if planned escape routes or safety zones become inadequate and entrapment is imminent,” the National Wildfire Coordinating Group wrote in a . “Carrying a fire shelter should never be considered an alternative to safe firefighting.”
It’s too early to know exactly what happened to the firefighters who died in Colorado, Stutler said. They were identified publicly on Monday as Emily Barker, 38, Nick Hutcherson, 27, and Sydney Watson, 27, of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and the U.S. Forest Service.
“We may never know what was going through their brains when this happened,” he said.
The risks for those battling wildfires will only heighten as climate change propels bigger, faster and more devastating fires. Dozens of fires have erupted throughout the West this summer as extreme drought leaves fuels ripe for burning.
Colorado previously witnessed one of the deadliest wildland firefighting catastrophes in American history.
The South Canyon fire in 1994 near Glenwood Springs killed 14 firefighters on Storm King Mountain after a dry, cold front and heavy winds caused the blaze to jump firelines. Twelve firefighters were unable to outrun the fire, and two more helitack firefighters were killed as they tried to flee.
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