Document text
SUNNY Temp: 77 °F Wind: NNW at 11 mph Tuesday, May 20, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend March 23, 2003 ODF plans close watch on fire crews The Oregon Department of Forestry proposes a plan that will add three more positions for oversight and pay for investigations By TONY BOOM Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Incidents like the eight-hour late arrival of three contract firefighting crews assigned to battle August’s East Antelope Creek fire, other violations and training lapses will be more closely scrutinized in the coming fire season. The Oregon Department of Forestry, which oversees contract crews for Washington, Oregon and five federal agencies, has proposed a plan that will add three more positions for oversight and pay for investigations. ODF would charge other agencies a daily fee to support the plan. Fire crews already are monitored in the field, said Bill Lafferty, ODF fire program director. "What we lacked was someone back at the office to gather all those things from the field and give guidance back." The contract firefighting industry has expanded from fewer than 100 crews in 1998 to more than 270 last year. There have been growing pains, according to Bruce Ferguson, president of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the National Wildfire Suppression Association. Oregon is home to most of the 20-person fire crews in the United States. "The industry was going broke in 1999. We’ve made decent money since then due to hellacious fire seasons," said Ferguson. "So everybody and their brother is going to fight fires." Falsified training records are a problem, says Ferguson. A spot check two years ago found firefighters sleeping on fire lines. The eight-hour late arrival by three Keizer-based crews allowed the East Antelope fire to spread, according to ODF. The crew was later suspended for 32 days. "Since all three crews were late and since (there was) significant fire damage, the escape of the East Antelope Creek fire may be attributed to the late arrival of these crews; I recommend suspending," wrote Jerry Coyle of ODF’s fire policy section, in a letter to a contract officer. The fire started Aug. 13 and burned 1,886 acres, including Grizzly Peak in a spectacular scene visible from most of Ashland. The fire was contained on Aug. 19. At its peak, 531 firefighters battled the blaze. No buildings were destroyed. Approximately 160 firefighters fought the then-200-acre blaze late on Aug. 13. The fire started about 2:50 p.m. Officials hoped to control the blaze by daylight on Aug. 14 if winds didn’t arise. On Aug. 14 winds increased the size to nearly 1,600 acres. BP Reforestation agreed to dispatch three 20-person crews from Keizer at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 13. Estimated arrival at Medford’s ODF office was 10 p.m. But the crews didn’t check in until 5:30 to 6 a.m. Aug. 14, ODF documents show. Two crewmembers who had required paperwork arrived late and delayed the departure, said BP owner Bill Piatkoof. He subsequently fired the individuals. "They were supposed to be there (in Keizer) on time. They showed up late," said Piatkoof. He didn’t contact ODF right away. When he did, they told him to send them anyway. "They accused me of coming too late. It’s true, but it was beyond my control," said Piatkoof. "I looked bad to the state, and I lost a lot of money." Piatkoof said his crews performed excellently at the fire. He’s not sure if he’ll have fire crews this year. ODF comes to an agreement with contract crews on a safe amount of time that can be expected for travel, said Lafferty. "There need to be consequences if it’s breached. We were waiting for them, and we needed them." At least 15 fire crews were suspended for various reasons during last year’s fire season, said ODF’s Ed Daniels. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Training and language hurdles Training and communication are the two major challenges for contract fire crew operators, says Bruce Ferguson of Albany and president of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the National Wildfire Suppression Association. His company, Ferguson Management, is the largest contract operator in the nation. A first-year firefighter is supposed to take four days of classes. "People may not get the full hours, but they get full credit. Or they may buy documents," said Ferguson. A "single-resource boss" — the fire crew leader — is expected to take an eight-day course and have fire experience. But Ferguson says some SRBs have less than a year of experience. He’d also like to see SRBs take another 20 hours of training that’s available but not required. "The communication problem is partly a language barrier," said Ferguson. A number of firefighters speak only Spanish. "The language of the incident is English. Most overhead people speak only one language," said Ferguson. "Therefore, those down the chain need to be able to speak the language of the overhead team." Ferguson has eight mainly Spanish-speaking crews among his 27 teams. The contract only requires three bilingual speakers on a 20-member crew, but he strives to have seven or eight on each. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S