Badger Fire 2014

At approximately 1010 hrs. on Saturday, May 24th, 2014, an incident occurred on the Badger Fire, BLM Phoenix District, Arizona. Four members of the Weaver Mountain Helitack Crew were performing cold trailing operations on the northeast section of the fire. The crew was working in a grid formation from the bottom towards the top of a mesa, one chain in from the fire line. The crewmember working along the fire perimeter was navigating a steep terrain constriction near the top of the mesa, when he was struck by a large boulder. Fellow crew members respond immediately, taking decisive action. The patient was assessed by an EMT and the decision was made to transport by air. The Badger Fire Helibase configured for medical transport and a helispot was prepared on the top of the mesa while the patient was being stabilized. A direct result of the crew’s experience and planning, the patient arrived at the hospital within 1 hour of the accident; diagnosed with a fractured humorous, of the right arm.