| On Sunday August 12, 2012, 20 year old Anne Veseth of Moscow, Idaho was tragically killed while operating on a 200 acre wildland fire at the "Steep Corner Fire" southeast of Coeur d'Alene. Anne was operating on the fire under the leadership of Huntingtown VFD Member, Ty Lester, the "Engine Boss" leading a 5 person crew. During the fire, a "green tree" which had been burned through, without any warning, fell and tragically landed on Anne, killing her instantly.
Federal records going back to 1910 detail the cause of death for more than 1,000 firefighters killed in the line of duty. And for decades, the leading cause was what's known as "burnover" –- firefighters being caught in the advancing flames.
But in the mid-'90s, that changed with a series of safety reforms. At the same time, firefighting became more mechanized.
"Right now, in the last 20 years, aviation accidents have been the leading cause of death on wildfires. Second to that is vehicle accidents," says Dick Mangan, a former fire manager who tracks firefighting deaths. Third on the list is heart attack. And coming in at fourth is burnover. In other words, the fire itself is no longer the leading cause of death for firefighters. "Just based on numbers, the biggest threat is getting to the fire and getting home safely," Mangan says.
Falling trees and snags, like the one that killed Anne Veseth, are in fact relatively rare causes of fatalities. Anne Veseth is the 12th person killed this year fighting one of the nation's wildfires.
Details of the Fire:
Incident: Steep Corner Wildfire. This wildland fire started on 8/10/2012; Cause is under investigation.
Location: Twenty-five miles northeast of Orofino, ID.
Agency Jurisdiction: Idaho-Department of Lands and Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest
Fire Protection Responsibility: Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association
Cooperating Agencies: Clearwater County Commissioners & Sheriff Offices, Potlatch Corp
Incident Commander: Shawn Pearson, Northern Rockies Type II Incident Management Team (IMT). The Incident Command Post (ICP) is located at the Headquarters, ID C-PTPA office.
Current Size: 200 acres Containment: 20%
Structures Threatened: None
Status: The fire is burning in logging slash and standing timber. The fire perimeter is exceptionally hazardous with the number of hazard trees being encountered requiring assessment and very skilled saw work. An area of steep, inaccessible terrain on the east flank continues to hamper fire containment efforts with hazard trees and rolling material. Helicopter water bucket drops are available to support suppression activities.
The IMT is also delegated a 200,000 acre Initial Attack area of responsibility.
Current Resources: Four 20-person crews, one engine, two dozers, three water tenders and two helicopters. Total personnel: 140.
Please keep the friends and family of all involved in your thoughts and prayers. Since the incident, the leadership and membership of the department has been in costant contact with Ty Lester.
For additional information:
1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/13/steep-corner-idaho-fire-death-forest-service_n_1772546.html#slide=1078741
2) http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/news/fullstory/newsid/169052
3) http://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/post/firefighting-still-dangerous-different-reasons |
