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2025 WOR: Idaho BLM Physical Training Fatality – June 10, 2015

Letter to Leadership |  Day 1  |  Day 2  |  Day 3  |  Day 4  |  Day 5  |  Day 6  |  Day 7  

 

Incident Summary:

On the morning of Wednesday June 10, 2015, at approximately 0900, Terry Sonner, a Fire Operations Supervisor, collapsed and lost consciousness at the Hammett Guard Station, on the BLM Boise District in Idaho. He had just completed a physical fitness training run and was talking with other crew members when he collapsed. Despite immediate response by crewmembers and administration of advanced cardiac life support by EMS personnel, Terry was pronounced dead at 0947.

A Serious Accident Investigation (SAI) Team and Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team were ordered to support the district. The SAI Team reviewed human, environmental, and material factors, but found nothing specific that contributed to his death. Interviews and a review of the autopsy results, medical records, and training records did not reveal any obvious warning signs that may have led to this outcome.

Terry Sonner, age 33, was a husband and father to five young children. A 14-year veteran of the BLM, he spent much of his career in BLM’s Twin Falls, ID, and Elko, NV Districts before moving to the Boise District in 2010. Mr. Sonner had just been promoted to Superintendent on June 1, 2015, a leadership role at the Boise District’s fire facility in Hammett, Idaho.

Discussion:

  • On rare occasions, routine physical training leads to a medical emergency.
    • What is your organization’s response plan for an event like this?
    • How does your crew prepare for responding to medical emergencies?
    • Where is your closest AED when at the station, in the field, and on the road?
  • How do you promote transparency and confidentiality for crewmembers who do have existing medical conditions to share that information?

References:

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Week of Remembrance

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Date:  July 9, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: NWCG Staff

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References:

NWCG Standard Operating Procedures, PMS 900

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References:

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Date:  June 30, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: 6 Minutes for Safety Subcommittee

As we approach the 2026 Week of Remembrance (WOR), June 30–July 6, we dedicate this time to reflect on past incidents from 2016 and honor the fallen through learning. Since its inception in 2014, WOR has honored wildland firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice while encouraging critical discussions that reinforce lessons learned.

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RMC Memorandum 26-02: SAFENET Modernization and SafeNetX Launch

Date:  June 25, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Risk Management Committee

The Risk Management Committee (RMC) is pleased to announce the launch of SafeNetX, the modernized safety reporting system now available to the wildland fire community. Effective June 15, 2026, SafeNetX enables reporting of unsafe, unhealthy, near-miss, and high-risk operations across wildland fire, all-hazard incidents, training, and related work environments.

SafeNetX is the result of a multi-agency modernization effort led by RMC, which began evaluating improvements to the legacy SAFENET system in 2021. To learn more, read the full RMC memorandum in the links provided.

References:

SafeNetX

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