Elk Creek Fire demonstrating high level of competence

I have NOT forgotten,nor am I apathetic about the issue. I AM OUTRAGED.

It is my understanding,as non-tekkie as I am, that the major problem is the INABILITY for inter-dept CRITICAL communication. THIS
problem was brought front and center and became extremely apparent after SEPT 11,2001 and the Twin Towers falling......it appears,
12 YEARS LATER that we,as a nation, do NOT have this critical issue resolved. NOT on any level, NOT in any state.....feel free to
correct me IF I am wrong.

My question to this issue is WHY????......

TRULY, if you compile all the information (that is presently available to the public now) The WHOLE picture looks pretty bleak and
inefficient. With the exception of the first responders,NO ONE comes out smelling like a rose.

Just RECAPPING a little bit here (since all information has not been released).......here's the review.

1. controlled burn not supervised AFTER a weather report of HIGH winds......(yes, I know it was days later, but the critical weather
report should have been a WARNING to those in charge.

2. A lead individual had just been brought on board,on job LESS than 1 month.

3. critical information NOT passed thru to various levels, for front line (911 dispatch) to be efficient.

4. emergency alert notification NEVER (?) tested for accuracy,effectiveness,

5.INTER DEPT CRITICAL COMMUNICATION NOT IN PLACE, OPERATIVE.

IF the above factors do NOT give you (collectively) an understanding of our governments INABILITY to provide protection,safety when REQUIRED, then nothing will. We live in the FOREST,we have elected to take on the RISK,what that truly means is this........
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF WHEN THINGS ARE AT CRITICAL MASS.

I read some of the narrative of the 911 calls. What was absolute striking to me was the passiveness,acceptance of an unacceptable
situation. Some one even commented "when are we going to be evacuated?"..........That demeanor/behavior WILL get you killed.JMO

jf1acai wrote: Thanks for all your input, mtntrekker.

I'm just blown away by the apparent lack of interest shown by most of the posters here, and on PC, after just a few days, in an incident that took 3 civilian lives, 26+ homes, disrupted the lives of 1000+ of our neighbors, etc.

I realize that most of those directly affected are too busy now trying to get their lives back together again, and/or don't have access to internet forums to talk about it, but I still am surprised that so few seem to be interested in finding out what went wrong in this incident, and how to correct that so that it doesn't happen again.

A few immediately blamed it all on CSFS, without adequate information IMO.

As more information becomes available, it appears to me that CSFS has a significant part of the responsibility, but there is more than enough to go around.

I think we should all be interested in finding out what really led to this situation, and trying to work out reasonable ways to reduce the chances of it ever happening again.

I think we owe that to those who lost their lives, property, etc.

But, that is just me.

Thanks jf1acai.

I have invited some of the people from the fire to sign on and talk about it but it is still too raw. And like one said they would do a better service to talk directly or through their attorneys to the parties concerned.

I hope more of our current posters will provide their insight.

I know for my family it is a wake up call to talk about and review procedures.

homeagain, nice recap!

CSFS Lower North Fork Prescribed Fire Plan Implementation Documents now available here .

HappyCamper wrote: I have not forgotten and have contacted officials in my area asking if it would be possible to do a test on the emergency alert notification system yearly.

I have not gotten a response back but if I do I will let you know.

Great Idea

So what do they do for the hearing impaired who never answer their phone or don't have one. Guess I will need to call and find out.

ElkCreekFireDepartment wrote: You would be correct to say the Lower North Fork Fire was a surprise to everyone. However, if you constantly study the probability of an event, and train to respond to it, even if you don’t know where or when it may happen, you cannot be truly surprised by it.

Elk Creek Fire Department, because of their constant training and vigilance has risen to the occasion, and is now demonstrating an extremely high level of competence and expertise. Elk Creek Officers and Firefighters have been working in cooperation with other departments and agencies to bring this situation under control from the start.

In a disaster it is difficult to find anything to be grateful for, but in this instance; I believe the residents of the Elk Creek Fire Protection District can take pride in the way their Fire Department is conducting its self.

Michael Davis, Elk Creek Firefighter - Public Information Officer

Thanks to the firefighters.

But before patting the dept on the back, a thorough review should be done.

You know sometimes it is in the best interest of the fire dept to keep their mouths shut.

Lower North Fork Fire
Public Report
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Elk Creek Fire Department
Michael Davis, Firefighter 235 - Public Information Officer

Monday, March 19, 2012 the Colorado State Forest Service began a controlled burn on a 50-acre section of land owned by the Denver Water Board. The property, located in the North Fork Fire Protection District, is seven miles southeast of Conifer, south of Reynolds Park on South Foxton Road. The operation was completed Thursday, March 22, 2012.

Colorado State Forest Service monitored the area, and on Monday, March 26, 2012, reported that high winds had caused parts of the burned area to reignite. They reported seeing embers from within the burn area being blown across the containment line, and into unburned fuels.

At that time, the Colorado State Forest Service requested assistance with what they termed a one-acre “ slop over” fire. Elk Creek Fire Chief Bill McLaughlin and a team of five firefighters responded to the call. Elk Creek Safety Officer Joe Page, who had been adjacent to the area on a separate call, began moving into position across the valley to serve as look out.

The Colorado State Forest Service instructed the Elk Creek team to look for a two-lane dirt track on the left side of South Foxton Road. Locating the unmarked trail proved difficult for Chief McLauglin and his crew of local firefighters. After a 15-minute delay, the correct trail was located. Fire tape was used to mark the road so that additional resources might not encounter the same difficulty.

When the Elk Creek crew arrived at the scene, the one-acre fire had grown to more than five-acres in size. The Colorado State Forest Service official on scene re-classified the fire from “ slop over” to “ escaped.” This higher threat level immediately put more resources in motion. Firefighters and equipment from the North Fork and Inter-Canyon Fire Departments were mobilized.

Elk Creek personnel joined with Colorado State Forest Service firefighters, and began advancing a progressive hose line along the southern flank of the fire. The intent was to press in from the flank, and pinch off the fire’s progress.

Flame lengths were reaching eight to ten-feet and were traveling at near wind speed. Firefighters struggled to maintain their footing as they extended fire-hose down the steep slope. Raging winds made it difficult to stand. Each time the wind would shift, firefighters were blasted with waves of intense heat and overwhelmed by blankets of choking smoke. Despite their efforts, the flames quickly spread into the trees. Wind gusts up to 80-miles hour fanned the flames and sent the leading edge of the fire racing ahead. Trees that were hit by the advancing heat exploded into flames with a roar. Flaming branches and embers where thrown high into the air and caught by the racing winds, which cast them as far as a mile ahead of the flame front, igniting hundreds of spot fires in the distance.

From his vantage point across the valley, Safety Office Page constantly updated the command staff of the fires progress and the firefighter’s position. Once it became clear that the fire could not be contained with the available resources, and that the firefighters were in grave danger, the order to withdraw was given. Fire-hose was abandoned as the crew made a hasty retreat. Within minutes, what had been a five-acre fire transformed into a firestorm, raging through the treetops and laying waste to all that stood in its path.

A small group of seasoned firefighters stood helplessly by as the now infamous smoke plume rose up from the blaze, extending tens of thousands of feet into the cloudless sky.

While the combined Colorado Forest Service and Elk Creek Fire Department crew battled the blaze, Chief McLaughlin was working with North Fork Fire Chief Curt Rogers to establish command and coordinate the attack. Chiefs McLaughlin and Rogers assumed command from the Colorado Forest Service, and immediately request air-tanker support.

Chief McLaughlin ordered his on site crew, and those staging in the area to get ahead of the fire and initiate structure protection.

The Elk Creek team raced back down the dirt trail to Foxton Road, then speed north, toward Pleasant Park Road. When they reached Pleasant Park, the northbound lane was jammed with cars and trucks of residents fleeing the fire, as firefighters and apparatus from every surrounding district were flooding the southbound lane heading toward the fire.

As firefighters made their way through traffic along Pleasant Park, the fire was racing straight through the forest, gaining in intensity as it went. When the blaze crested the ridge near the subdivisions along Kuehster Road, the flame wall was 100-feet high and advancing at 200-feet per minute.
It blasted through the forest, instantly consuming every blade of grass, bush, and tree. Homes, even those that stood well back from the edge of the forest were blasted with 1000-degree heat and showered with flaming debris. Nothing in the fires immediate path was spared.

As night fell, crews worked their way into the hardest hit areas. Fire spread out on both sides of the road. Smoke and glowing embers filled the air; at times so thick it was impossible to see beyond the hood of the fire engine. Firefighters were forced to stop and wait, hoping the smoke would clear, praying they would not be swept up in a wave of flame.

Many homes had already been reduced to heaps of smoking ruble; others were fully engaged with bright orange flames licking out their windows and through openings in their crumbling roofs. Miraculously, some homes were spared. In some cases, flames had made their way up to the structure and were burning attached decks or outbuilding. Where a home could be saved, firefighters doused the flames with water, cut down burning trees; dragged them away, and dug protective trenches around the structures to halt the fire’s progress.

The work went on well into the night. Fire trucks went in, expended their water supply, and came back out for more. Time after time, exhausted firefighters from Elk Creek, Inter-Canyon, North Fork, and many other departments refilled their apparatus and returned to the fight, determined to save every home that could be saved.

In the early morning hours, as the cool night air and calm winds diminished the fire’s intensity, crews were pulled back and redeployed to posts in the surrounding neighborhoods. Here, they would stand guard through the night. Ready to sound the alarm, and resume the attack should the fire advance.
Though the night, fire fighters and equipment from across the state of Colorado and beyond, poured into the area. Many took up positions along Pleasant Park Road near Kuehster Road, massing for the attack that would commence at first light.

Before sunrise, the watch crews were pulled from their weary posts and sent back into the heart of the destruction. Their assignment: to access damage to structures and search for victims. Firefighters scoured the area, and by mid-morning when the task was complete, were again reassigned.
Some teams were designated as spotters for the three air tankers and four helicopters that were now dropping fire retardant on the most active spots of the fire. Others were detailed to hike the hillsides, cut down smoldering trees, and douse any spot fires that remained.

Buy Tuesday afternoon more than 500-firefighters from a dozen different departments were working on the fire. The original Elk Creek, North Fork, and Inter-Canyon firefighters, many of whom had been on duty for 30-hours or more, were replaced.

These firefighters continued to operate in a defensive and structure protection mode through out the day. On Wednesday, they were able to begin containment of the fire.

An operations center for unified command staff was established at Elk Creek Station 1. Here the fire chiefs of the surrounding districts, representatives from Jefferson County, State of Colorado, Federal agencies and their support staff would continue working around the clock, catching a few moments of rest whenever possible, but always keeping a steady hand on the controls.

The fire was first managed by the Elk Creek-North Fork unified command. As it spread into the Inter-Canyon Fire Protection District, an Elk Creek - North Fork - Inter-Canyon unified command was formed. Command was then relinquished to the Jefferson County Type 3 Incident Command team, and as the fire grew, was later turned over to the Great Basin National Incident Management Team.

As additional agencies became involved and sent in their administrative teams, the operations center had to be relocated to Conifer High School.
The work went on through the week. Hundreds of men and women, spending thousands of hours hiking every foot of the burn area, cutting down-smoldering trees, dousing hot spots, digging fire line and crawling on hands and knees, placing their bare hands into the ashes to insure the fire was truly out.

As the fire was brought under control, the Incident Command System which is designed to expand or contract as situations warrant, reversed its self, and passed command back down the chain until it reached the local level, which is the Elk Creek - North Fork - Inter-Canyon unified command.

The Lower North Fork Fire destroyed 27 homes, and burned 4,140 acres of pristine forest. Thousands were displaced, much property was destroyed, and three irreplaceable human lives were lost. These events have left scares on the land and the people that may never truly heal. No one can say enough about what a tragedy the Lower North Fork Fire was. But in tragedy you often find goodness and compassion that you never before recognized were there. Neighbors reaching out to help neighbors. Opening their homes and their hearts to people who were strangers only a day before. And firefighters, especially the volunteers, ordinary men, and women who at a moment’s notice will drop everything; leave their jobs and their families to try to save a forest, or the home of someone they’ve never met. People who will work beyond their physical limits, people who will risk their own lives in the service of their community.

I am terribly saddened by what has happened, but simultaneously I feel an overwhelming sense pride. It’s an honor and a privilege to live in a community such as ours and to know ordinary people who when called upon, can and will perform extraordinary acts of selflessness.

Source

The timing of these events would have been most helpful.

You know sometimes it is in the best interest of the fire dept to keep their mouths shut.

Source of this most special document is none other than pinecrap.com

Wonder why Elk Creek didn't feel it was important to share it here. Could it be that they did not want the information questioned?

If I were the PIO I would keep my mouth shut. Clearly written from Elk Creek Fire's point of view and not how it happened.