Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Blog

By Nick Bohnstedt, Field Operations Specialist (Acting), Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center It’s now fall time. As we all know, as the seasons change, so does the job of a wildland firefighter. For some, fire season or prescribed fire season is just getting started. For others, it may mean 4-6 months off to reconnect with friends and family. For management, it may mean a transition to life in the office making plans for next season amidst an endless stream of meetings. For a few, and maybe more than we know about, it may mean financial i...

A Division Supervisor narrowly escapes injury when his truck is struck by a tree during felling operations. In this situation, a tactical pause was certainly in order and was used—in multiple ways. The tac-pause implemented in relation to the tree felling operation (halting tree felling work) is the more traditional application. The innovative application recounted here is the "mental health" tac-pause for the person who just experienced a serious close call. The mental health version is providing a bit of time, space, and support to assure we have our "he...

[This article was originally featured in the 2021 Summer Issue of Two More Chains.] By Erik Apland, Field Operations Specialist (Acting), Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center Mark Twain supposedly said: “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” Whether he said this or not, it nevertheless seems absolutely true. I’ve been working on a special ...

[This article originally appeared as the “One of Our Own” feature in the 2021 Summer Issue of Two More Chains.] As you’re about to discover, Kip Gray has an important story—and insights and learning—to share with us. This man’s unique perspective helps enrich his stories, his learnings. In 1999, after working on engines on Oregon’s Ochoco National Forest for seven seasons, this wildland ...

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-edbwu-10e02ec Kelly Woods talks with Erik Apland about his assignment to read all of the entrapment reports housed in the LLC Incident Review Database. Erik provides perspective on the evolution of reports spanning over a century. He highlights how old reports contain modern topics and he also provides some unique thoughts on PPE. In addition, Erik discusses how reading the reports has changed him and will affect hi...

By Nick Bohnstedt, Field Operations Specialist (Acting), Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center “All personnel should continually evaluate the need to use aircraft versus other transportation modes in the accomplishment of any mission. In this case, the AOBD and fire staff received information that the road to the repeater site was blocked by trees and was unpassable by ground vehicle, which informed their decision to utilize a helicopter for the retrieval and relocation of the repeater.” -Incident Report...

Have you ever considered what you would do if you encountered an active shooter—or someone threatening you with a gun—out in the field? Do you have a plan? These reports have helpful insights. Check out the lessons in this recent RLS that tells the story of what happened when an active shooter walked onto a helibase. After this incident, the Helitack Crew developed a “Threat Response Briefing Card”:“He then pulled a handgun out and pointed it at Josh.” “The crew’s actions, situational awareness, ...

"The language is messy." This was the mantra our professor would reiterate to emphasize how difficult it can be to talk about risk. Having just completed a master's level risk management program, I have a better appreciation for the complexities of risk analysis. Thankfully, as Travis Dotson offers in The Summer 2017 Two More Chains, there are some low hanging risk fru...

[This blog post enlightens you to how we might best reflect and learn from the experience of others—avoiding the “Us and Them” pitfalls. It also shares vital information about concepts and practices that might be new to you—including “capacity sponges” and the “TACO” method for saving someone’s life. Pertinent topics here include “Three Dangerous Myths About Heatstroke” as well as lessons for heatstroke treatment in the field.] by Brett Rogers, Safety Manager, Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests

What I learned from two weeks at the Great Basin Cache By Erik Apland, Field Operations Specialist (Acting), Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center I recently mobilized to a 14-day assignment that was completely outside of my previous experience—working for the Great Basin Support Cache in Boise, Idaho. The Great Basin Cache (GBK is its identifier) is part of a national system of caches that support incidents within their geographic areas, and also support each other—i.e. help restock other caches when one Geog...