Jim Lane

This is terrible news,

19 Heroes were lost.

Arizona wildfire kills 19 members of elite crew.

YARNELL, Ariz. (AP) — An elite crew of firefighters trained to battle the nation's fiercest wildfires was overtaken by an out-of-control blaze in Arizona, killing 19 members as they tried to protect themselves from the flames under fire-resistant shields.

http://news.yahoo.com/arizona-wildfi...085846959.html

Nineteen fire shelters were deployed, and some of the firefighters were found inside them, while others were outside the shelters,

Jim

Onemoparnut

What a shame.

cougar

I use to live in Prescott 10 years ago and knew some of the hot shot crews back then. Sad. At least they went doing what they loved to do. Also knew some of the aerial fire fighter crews that would come through. Went to work for Hawkins and Powers. Yarnell is a bad place for fires.

SIXSLUG

Just sucks sucks sucks. Woke up to that news this morning. Just sucks.

Have worked with a few hotshots back when I was in the ski patrol. Definitely quality, quietly powerful people. Real gritty Americans.

RIP and Godspeed.

I will read each and every one of their names out loud in their honor and say a prayer for their surviving freinds and families.

Did I mention this just sucks?!?

Bark

Yeah, very sad.

BigIron70

My sister was in tears when she called me today, she lives near Prescott. She said they were all so young, Worse fire she has ever seen there, rained today and helped cool things down a little.

Jim Lane

As a last resort, firefighters are supposed to step into the shelters, lie face down on the ground and pull the fire-resistant fabric completely over themselves. The shelter is designed to reflect heat and trap cool, breathable air inside for a few minutes while a wildfire burns over a person.

But its success depends on firefighters being in a cleared area away from fuels and not in the direct path of a raging inferno of heat and hot gases.

The glue holding the layers of the shelter together begins to come apart at about 500 degrees, well above the 300 degrees that would almost immediately kill a person.

"It'll protect you, but only for a short amount of time. If the fire quickly burns over you, you'll probably survive that," said Prescott Fire Capt. Jeff Knotek. But "if it burns intensely for any amount of time while you're in that thing, there's nothing that's going to save you from that."

http://news.yahoo.com/portable-shelt...221842035.html

Sad to think, but you could only hope the end came quickly.

Jim

chaikwa

One breath and it's pretty much over. Super-heated gasses will destroy lung, tracheal and esophageal passages in a matter of microseconds.

When I went thru my wildland firefighting courses back in the 80's, they were still using the aluminized shelters. We were told that we have basically one to three minutes depending on fire conditions. After that we would become baked potatoes. I don't know what this new material is exactly but it looks like a cheap blue tarp. Probably nomex or some other similar material.

The one guy that survived because he was moving a truck will have some issues to deal with for years to come.

Reelay

RIP, may God be with them...

BigIron70

Anyone that wishes to help the families of the 19 Hot Shots
100% of any and all donations will go to the families of the fallen firefighters

http://www.prescottffcharities.org/how-you-can-help/

Jim Lane

Burning up has got to be the worst way to die, imagine the last thoughts going through your mind as you are being cooked under a foil wrapper.

Many old time drag racers suffered either fatal or permanent lung damage during a fiery crash when the first instinct was for first responder to remove their mask, the superheated would burst their lungs.

I would rather be shot than burned in a fire...
Oh wait, I have been shot.
Jim

Jim Lane

Firefighter’s widow describes text messages before husband died

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/...190531276.html

kerry.king

Terrible news. Brings back memories of the Storm King Mountain fire near Glenwood springs Co. These smoke jumpers are an amazing breed of people. I've met many. I grew as a National Park Service kid, and was always around Park & Forest service folks. The smoke jumpers were always revered as the elite, the eccentric, and ultimately the coolest guys we kids ever met. A good portion of them are also former military. Excellent people to a one.

Hvytrkmech

FYI...

Copied from an email I received from the IAFF



Memorial Service Scheduled for July 9


The public memorial service for the 19 Prescott, Arizona fire fighters killed in the line of duty June 30 while battling the Yarnell Hill wildfire will be held Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) at Tim's Toyota Center located at 3201 N. Main Street, Prescott Valley, AZ 86314.

The men, who made up the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew, died when the fast-moving wildfire overtook them. All had deployed their emergency shelters designed to protect them in an emergency circumstance.

The fallen include:

Andrew Ashcraft, 29
Robert Caldwell, 23
Travis Carter, 31
Dustin Deford, 24
Christopher MacKenzie, 30
Eric Marsh, 43
Grant McKee, 21
Sean Misner, 26
Scott Norris, 28,
Wade Parker, 22
John Percin, 24
Anthony Rose, 23
Jesse Steed, 36
Joe Thurston, 32
Travis Turbyfill, 27
William Warneke, 25
Clayton Whitted, 28
Kevin Woyjeck, 21
Garret Zuppiger, 27
For additional information, visit the Yarnell Fire Fighters web site created to provide the latest updates on the 19 fallen fire fighters and the Yarnell Fire.




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NJTman

This thread makes me sad.