Chimney Fire Pulaski Injury 2016

On August 19, 2016, a CAL FIRE California Conservation Crew (CCC) hand crew was assigned to Division A on the Chimney Fire in San Luis Obispo County, California. While constructing hand line, a CCC firefighter was swinging at brush when the pulaski hand tool struck a limb, resulting in a temporary loss of control, and struck a CCC Supervisor (C1) on the left elbow. The resulting impact caused a laceration to the elbow approximately two inches in length and fractured a bone. An Incident Within an Incident (IWI) was immediately implemented per the Incident Command System 206 Medical Plan (ICS 206). The C1 was treated at scene by paramedics and flown to a nearby hospital for further treatment and evaluation.

Hand Crews, Medevac, Close Call