State Game Land 311 Prescribed Fire Burn Injury 2016

On March 23, 2016, a Pennsylvania Game Commission Game Lands Maintenance Supervisor was injured while serving as an FFT2 on a prescribed fire. The day’s plan was to safely conduct a prescribed burn on approximately 30 acres of grass openings to improve wildlife habitat. At approximately 13:35 the burn crew noted and communicated a shift in fire spread direction, unexpectedly pushing down a steep (40-45%) slope. The fire crossed fire lines into several areas of wooded leaf litter, causing crews to employ suppression tactics.

The crew member was injured when the leaf litter fuels he was working in flared up, caused by a strong downslope wind gust. Flame lengths quickly increased from <1 foot to 3-5 feet within seconds. The firefighter was engaged in direct attack from unburned fuels at the time of the flare up. He was burned as he passed through the “knee high” flame front in route to his safety zone (the black). He was transported via medical helicopter to a burn unit in Pittsburgh, PA. Injuries included first degree burns to the face, first degree burns to the elbows, and first, second, and third degree burns to the knees and lower legs. He was released on March 30, 2016 after seven days in a hospital burn unit.

Burn Injury, Firing, Fire Behavior, Prescribed Fire, Hand Crews, Entrapment