R. I. P. Firefigher Andrew Palmer

[keithb]

National Park Service firefigher Andrew Palmer was killed while clearing trees at the Eagle fire in Shasta Trinity National Forest. He was just 18 years old and was from Port Angeles, Wa. Prayers go out to this family and friends.

[Huzband]

Prayers extended to his family & friends.

[Firefight911]

RIP. Haven't heard the circumstances off the blue sheet yet. Died while enroute via air medevac to the hospital.

 

We're now over 70 line of duty deaths amongst firefighters this year.

 

RIP

[Firefight911]

This needs to STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Damn it, another night of tears.

 

LINKY

 

MORE INFO

 

[Wheels Rollin']

My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones as well... How truly blessed we are to have dedicated public servants like Andrew and others of his calling place themselves in harm's way to protect the rest of us from the whims of an oftentimes dangerous and unpredictable natural world <

>... Somehow, 'thanks' just doesn't seem enough, though at this moment as many miles and time zones away as I am, that's really all I have to give...

 

God speed, Andrew...

 

~ Bill

[KMG_365]

One tragedy after another . . . and yet we always think it'll never happen to us.

 

Sunday, July 27, 2008

CAL FIRE Update: Telegraph Fire - 18,150 acres

 

Telegraph Fire:

Last Updated: July 27, 2008, 12:30 pm

Date/Time Started: June 25, 2008, 3:15 pm

Administrative Unit: CAL FIRE Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit

County: Mariposa County

Location: Telegraph Road and Sherlock Road in the Midpines Area.

Acres Burned: 18,150 acres

Containment: 0% contained

Structures Threatened: 2,000 residences in the communities of Midpines, Briceburg, Mariposa, Greenley Hill, Coulterville, Bear Valley, and Mt. Bullion Camp

Structures Destroyed: 8 Residences and 7 Outbuildings

Evacuations:

Evacuation order is in place for the Midpines community. Evacuation warnings are in place for residences in the immediate area of the fire, which include the communities east of North Highway 49 at Mykleoaks Road south to the Highway 140 junction and communities west of Highway 140 from Mariposa north to Briceburg.

 

Evacuation Center:

Mariposa Elementry School

5044 Jones St, Mariposa

Cooperating Agencies:

CAL FIRE, Mariposa County Fire, Mariposa Sheriffs Department, BLM, USFS, CCC, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Resources Committed :

1,922 Personnel (1,336 CAL FIRE)

189 Fire Engines

56 Hand Crews

39 Dozers

22 Watertenders

12 Airtankers

12 Helicopters

 

Conditions:

 

The fire is burning in the Merced River Drainage, on both sides of the river. The fire is burning with a rapid rate of spread in multiple directions. Accessibility problems due to steep and rocky terrain.

 

Over the past 12 hours there has not been major movement of the fire, however the fire remains very active on the south and east flanks. Spotting has been observed on these flanks.

 

A Community Meeting is being planned for tomorrow night at the Mariposa High School.

 

I'm sitting here at the end of my 72-hour shift waiting . . . hoping for my pager to go off to send us to NorCal. It's what we train for all year it's what we're called to do. I would love to be able to put all those training hours to work saving someone's home and treasured memories from the ravages of fire. Hearing about Ed's trials down in South Texas reminded me of my start as a volunteer in Washington state when we had huge storms and flooding. The feeling of using your wits and your back to be able to make a bad situation better for your fellow human is intoxicating, and it inspired me to come back to San Diego and give it a go as a career.

 

I had just transferred to the HQ station last week, but the guy who took my place here at the station with the engine we would send out of County on a Strike Team assignment is getting married on August 3rd and as much as we all try to wrangle the schedule for a Strike Team . . . he didn't want to miss his wedding! "So, you want to know if I would be willing to take YOUR shifts at Station 37 and possibly take YOUR Strike Team assignment to Yosemite for a few weeks??? SURE, buddy!!"

 

Hey, Phil: I also just finished reading the Official Report on the fatality fire in Contra Costa County. In case you missed it it is a really good "lessons learned" report. For others, it was a residential structure fire likely started by smoking materials that killed the two elderly residents (the wife had escaped to call 911, but went back in to try to rescue her husband) as well as the Captain and Firefighter who were first to make entry.

 

Link to the .pdf file.

 

It's a great job and a wonderful calling, but like the folks in the military--I find it a bit odd to study how to better perform your job by studying how your comrades died performing theirs.

[Woodie]

Interesting reading. Thanks for posting that.

 

[jbr7t]

Jamie,

It's reports like this that really make me think. That house is so very similar to most of the houses in my first due. Relatively small single story, bars on the windows..etc.

 

Sometimes, even though we try hard not to, we hear that word "ALARM" with the first dispatch and we automatically write it off as nothing. Now we are behind the 8 ball and it's so hard to catch up!

 

I really wish there was some more sophisticated alarm systems and better trained staffing of these private alarm company dispatchers. Can't help but wonder what that 4minutes of the initial call being on hold may have changed.

[wolcott]

Condolences to his family, he was a brave, young guy with his whole life ahead of him. It's a dangerous world out there, we had a LEO murdered (shot) for trying to break up a fight between a degenerate and his girlfriend here recently in ft.myers. First responders have tough jobs.