Ask fellow blogger Michel Morse of Rescuing Providence fame about the Station Fire, he will tell you of the Station Nightclub tragedy that killed 100 people and injured another 230 or so in West Warwick RI..
Ask any firefighter from the west coast about the Station Fire and they will tell you about the largest wildfire in Los Angeles County history that killed two firefighters and inured scores of firefighters and civilians.
As I am from the west coast, I had many friends and a few relatives assigned to the station fire. It was a monster and it dominated the skyline and the news for quite a while. In addition to the fatalities, there were quite a few close calls during the incident.
Smoke Column from Station Fire, Taken from 70 miles away.
One event happened to ORC (Orange County Fire Authority) Strike Team 1400C while assigned to the Station Fire. They were assigned to protect structures in one of many hamlets located within the Angeles National Forest and experienced extreme fire conditions which resulted in civilian injures.
An after action report published by the Orange County Fire Authority is posted on Wildland Fire.com. I think the report has been out for a few months, but this is the first that I have seen of it.
Some may disagree, but I think that this report shows what good planning, strong leadership and sound decision making can do to ensure our safety while assigned to a major wild land event. It also shows how chaotic these events can be and explores a few areas where things could have been done a little better.
It is only eleven pages along, is an easy read and has some good pics. It is definitely worth a look.
Thanks for reading,
Schmoe
For those of us who run away from fires rather than towards them, that report is scary. I can only imagine the danger represented by simple statements such as, "...the two crews there were forced to beiefly retreat inside the station as the fire passed." It seems like that would be a tense moment.
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