These are the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center staff members’ recommended incident reports from 2023—that appeared in the 2024 Winter Issue of the "Two More Chains" publication.
Accidents
Lessons from 2023: Entrapments
Several of the lessons from these incidents focused on the difficult decision about when to stay with immobilized equipment or try to make an escape. Other lessons highlighted the need for well-practiced engine protection measures.
Lessons from 2023: Hit By Tree Incidents
Similar to chainsaw cut incidents, it’s good to remember that in tree felling operations, the person holding the chainsaw is not the only person facing danger.
Lessons from 2023: Chainsaw Cut Incidents
In preparing for the 2024 fire year, take a look into these events and revisit the standard risks associated with chainsaw operations.
Lessons from 2023: UTV Related Incidents
There were more UTV related incidents reported in 2023 than the past five years combined. The jump from 2022 to 2023 was over 300 percent (from 3 to 13).
2023 Incident Review Summary
Use this 10-page summary to guide your annual refreshers and prepare for the 2024 Fire Year.
2023 Year End Infographic: Tree Strikes
For this last post highlighting the 2023 Year End Infographic, we look at the reports of "hit by tree" incidents we received last year. These incidents included both people and UTVs and getting struck by falling trees or limbs. These incidents resulted in numerous injuries, including serious, life-altering injuries, and one fatality. Just as in … Continue reading 2023 Year End Infographic: Tree Strikes
2023 Year End Infographic: Entrapments and Burn Injuries
Today we are diving into the next couple of related incident types included in the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center's (LLC) 2023 Year End Infographic: Entrapments and Burn Injuries. How do we decide which incidents should be called entrapments and which are burn injuries? Obviously, some entrapments result in burn injuries, but that is not … Continue reading 2023 Year End Infographic: Entrapments and Burn Injuries
2023 Year End Infographic: Wildland Fire Fatalities
The 2023 Year End Infographic is out, distilling common themes and lessons from the nearly 150 incidents the Lessons Learned Center received in 2023. Over the next two weeks this blog will feature sections of the Infographic and provide links to many of the incidents that are referenced in it. This first post focuses on … Continue reading 2023 Year End Infographic: Wildland Fire Fatalities
Pump Danger
I just read an RLS about a scalding injury from the suction hose blowing off of a Mark-3 pump. I had a similar incident in 2003. At the time, it seemed to me like a freak occurrence. However, after looking through the various reports in the LLC’s IRDB, I now think this type of pump incident may not be quite as rare as I had assumed.
Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center 