The Oconee Ranger District conducted a 1,637-acre prescribed fire in Eatonton, Georgia on February 22nd. On the day of the prescribed fire, three firefighters were assigned to the ignition crew and other personnel were assigned to holding and overhead positions. As the morning brief occurred, discussion on hazards including entanglements in vines were common to the area.
The three-person ignition crew applied fire on the south end of the unit and were instructed to light the corners and provide the helicopter a visual of the line of fire. For the rest of the morning, they kept up with the helicopter, dot firing when needed and awaiting aerial instructions.
The crew ran out of fuel in their torches and an UTV returned with fuel to enable the crew to continue firing. As the crew set out again, one of the firefighters was nearest to the dozer line and working through the vegetation. As he began lighting again, he became entangled in the thick vines. As he was trying to work his way free, he lost situational awareness of where the fire was at the end of his torch. His torch tipped downward and mixed fuel ignited his flame-resistant pants on fire. He immediately dropped his torch and fought his way to the dozer line.
Dirt was grabbed to put out the flames as another firefighter helped extinguish the flames on the pants. Water was poured on the burn to help cool the area. As the firefighter was transported to the staging area, a medic wrapped the firefighter’s leg and determined that transportation to the nearest emergency room was needed.
At the hospital, the ER determined that the firefighter had 2nd degree burns to his lower leg and was referred to a Burn Center. The Burn Center determined that there were 2nd and 3rd degree burns that would require immediate skin grafts.
Some Lessons Learned:
- Experience and local conditions matter. – “Even though I was briefed about thick brambles, I didn’t realize how bad they were until it was too late.”
- Extinguish drip torches – If unable to avoid areas of thick brush, extinguish drip torches prior to attempting to navigate the area.
- Thermal protection – if the individual had worn knee-high boot socks, the extent of the burn may have been lessened.
For more information on the full story and additional lessons learned, be sure to click here!