Blue Mountain Ranger District and Burns Interagency Fire Crews awarded

 JOHN DAY & BURNS – (Press Release from the Malheur National Forest)

Congratulations to the Blue Mountain Ranger District and the Burns Interagency Fire Zone’s (BIFZ) ‘Crew-201 and Crew-120’ handcrews who recently received an “Outstanding Wildfire EMS Crew of the Year” award from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. The award recognizes individuals or groups who have demonstrated exceptional actions or accomplishments that are above and beyond the expectation of one’s normal job duties or mission. In this case, the crews received the award for their response to a medical emergency on the Sog Fire last year.

On August 5, 2020, a Crew-201 member was struck in the head by a rolling rock just 20 minutes into their initial attack response to a lightning-caused fire on the Malheur National Forest. The impact of the 159-pound boulder – which started its descent from 100 feet above – knocked the firefighter tumbling downhill until he came to a stop on his back, against a small log, with feet folded up over his head, unconscious. Crew Boss Devin Johnson recalls seeing the deep skull laceration – a wound two fingers wide all the way down to a cracked skull – and heavy bleeding and wondering if the patient was even alive.

“My role was the Crew Boss of the fire, but once the emergency happened, I was the first to get to the patient, so I took charge of the medical incident. I revived him and delegated tasks to manage the fire and get medical help while holding the head wound together and trying to keep the patient calm.” In short summary, in less than one hour, the injured was in an ambulance, headed to John Day, and soon after taken to a level two trauma center in Boise, Idaho, for emergency surgery. He was released from the hospital and able to return home within just a few days.
“The most important thing I took from this incident was to continue to do emergency trainings because they pay off,” said Johnson. Just two weeks prior, Crew-201 ran a mock scenario to practice handling an incident within an incident – caring for an injured firefighter, packaging and transporting a patient, and managing the wildfire response at the same time.

“We practice things like holding c-spine and getting people on a backboard. We do this in varying terrains because getting someone on a backboard on a 45-degree slope is much different than flat ground,” said Johnson. “I hope to never have to use these skills again but it’s better to be prepared than helpless in a situation like the Sog Fire incident.”
There are a few remaining pieces to this story: First, the injured crewmember was properly adorned in Personal Protective Equipment. His helmet did its job and saved his life, and he has since made a full recovery. Second, the Blue Mountain handcrew 120 from Grant County cannot be overlooked. Their two certified EMTs, among others, were an integral part of this emergency response. Third, communications were challenging at times due to terrain and location. Everyone involved, from firefighters to dispatchers to hospital liaisons, made it a continued priority to share information clearly and effectively. Last but certainly not least, the firefighters on the ground who continued working the Sog Fire kept the burned area small and in control. A raging forest fire could have easily changed the outcome of this incident.

“The necessity of being prepared showed itself in this situation. We definitely feel lucky in the way things ended up, but we know that this was actually the result of our folks working really hard to be ready for these kinds of things,” said BIFZ Fire and Aviation Staff Officer, Kim Valentine. “Having the right people in the right place at the right time may have been a bit lucky, but no matter what, we are fortunate to have such good, smart, caring and capable people on our staff.”

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group was established in 1976 and provides national leadership to enable interoperable wildland fire operations among its eleven federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners.

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