2020 WOR Day 3 Lessons Used Dutch Creek Big Meadows

“On the morning of June 16, 2013, while en route to their assigned area of the fire, Luther Larkin, a member of the Horseshoe Meadows Hotshot Crew collapsed and quickly became unresponsive. Another crew member immediately assessed Luther and confirmed his breathing and heartbeat had stopped. Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) from two IHC crews began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and one of the IHC Superintendents initiated a medical emergency response via radio. Paramedics from the spike camp were deployed to the scene. An automated external defibrillator (AED) was successfully utilized to reestablish a pulse in the patient. After medically stabilizing the patient, he was carried by stokes litter approximately ¼ mile to Helispot 1 and transported by air ambulance to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado.” (Big Meadow Medevac 2013)

"June 16 is my new birthday"
Luther Larkin

Luther was 6 miles into the backcountry, far from any medical services. Yet after suffering sudden cardiac arrest, EMTs were with him immediately and kept him alive with CPR. Within 10 minutes, a paramedic with an AED arrived on the scene and successfully revived Luther. Sudden cardiac arrest has a survival rate of less than 10% (American Heart Association) in a major city. There are no official rates of survival when this happens in the backcountry, but it is presumed to be much less.

Having medically trained people and the AED available 6 miles in the backcountry enabled them to respond so quickly, which is directly linked with Luther’s survival. How and why were these vital resources so close and readily available so far into the backcountry?

The answer lies in the Lessons Used from the Dutch Creek Tree Felling Fatality (2008) Serious Accident Investigation and subsequent Safety Action Plan. (Dutch Creek Tree Felling Fatality LLC) On July 22, 2008, while assigned to the Iron Complex in Northern California, 18-year-old Andy Palmer was on his very first fire assignment. While his engine crew was dropping a hazard tree, a large section of a nearby tree fell and struck Andy, shattering his femur, and severing large blood vessels. For a variety of reasons, (detailed in the report) it was 3 hours 26 minutes from the time of the accident to the time he was pronounced dead due to loss of blood from a shattered femur and severed blood vessels.

Subsequent reviews and recommendations from the Dutch Creek incident have foundationally changed the way we plan for medical emergencies. These reviews gave us “Incident within an Incident” and standardized Medical Incident Reports. Before the Dutch Creek incident, there most likely would not have been a paramedic and certainly, there would not have been an AED staged miles into the backcountry at a spike camp, as was the case on the Big Meadows fire. If these lessons were not used in preparing the medical plan on the Big Meadows fire, Luther Larkin would not be with us today.

It is very difficult to even consider saying that something good can come from anyone’s death, especially an 18 year old just starting his adult life. But the lessons learned from Andy saved Luther’s life, and have probably prevented other accidents.

Discussion Questions:

There are hundreds of FLA/LLRs. How can we make sure valuable lessons are learned and not lost?
What other major incidents have provided lessons that have made a real difference?

Have an idea or feedback?

Share it with the NWCG 6MFS Subcommittee.

Follow NWCG on Twitter and Facebook

Print PDF

NWCG Latest Announcements

Updated NWCG Single Resource Casual Hire Information, PMS 934

Date: September 19, 2024
Contact: Incident Business Committee

The Incident Business Committee has updated the NWCG Single Resource Casual Hire Information, PMS 934. This update expands the provisions for hiring emergency personnel.

References:

NWCG Single Resource Casual Hire Information, PMS 934

IBC Memorandum 24-03

NWCG 2024 Spring/Summer Highlights

Date: September 13, 2024

Welcome to our latest highlights from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, where we explore the latest updates, insights, and efforts that develop interoperable wildland fire operations among federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial partners.

The Performance Support Package, which for ABRO includes the Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Book were developed through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. The Performance Support Package will support trainees, those qualified in the position, and evaluators.

NASA JOINS NWCG!

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is officially an associate member of NWCG. As such, NASA is beginning to collaborate with wildland fire management agencies with the goal of increasing collaboration across agencies and leveraging NASA data, technology, and innovation for nation-wide efforts in wildland fire management. NASA has a rich history of research, development, and technology transfer in the areas of Earth science, space technologies, and aeronautics that support the NWCG mission.

WWW.NWCG.GOV HAS A NEW LOOK AND DESIGN

The NWCG web team dedicated the past two years to making a significant upgrade to the www.nwcg.gov site. This upgrade involved a comprehensive redesign of over 7,700 web pages.

The modernization of NWCG’s website involved migrating to Drupal 10, a cutting—edge content management system, and leveraging Amazon Web Service GovCloud for secure and efficient hosting. These upgrades help ensure that the NWCG website remains current in content management practices, offering enhanced customization, improved performance, and an overall superior user experience.

NWCG Leadership Committee

The Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program announced the Professional Reading Program’s 2024 list!

The years books include:

Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean
The Wisdom of the Bullfrog by William H. McRaven
The Art of Clear Thinking by Hasard Lee
Emotional Agility by Susan David
Writing to Persuade by Trish Hall

Learn more at the NWCG Leadership Committee

INCIDENT PERFORMANCE AND TRAINING MODERNIZATION

In 2023, NWCG kicked off the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. A training system overhaul focused on developing a performance-based training system designed to shift training to on-the-job when appropriate.

Over the next five years, NWCG intends to analyze all positions within the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1. To date we are currently working on 30 incident positions, and planning for 20+ in calendar year 2025.

Subject Matter Experts from a variety of geographical areas and agencies recently completed the position analysis for 16 positions. From this analysis, Incident Positions Standards and a Next Generation Position Task Book will be developed for each position.

Incident Performance and Training Modernization

NEXT GENERATION POSITION TASK BOOK

In April 2024, NWCG launched the new Next Generation Position Task Book (Next Gen PTB) which is a key component of the IPTM effort. This revised evaluation tool is designed to work in conjunction with the newly developed Incident Position Standards.

Major Next Gen PTB changes:

Structured to improve constructive conversations between evaluators and trainees.
Reference new Incident Position Standards.
Include only tasks required to be evaluated for successful performance.
Trainees will be rated on their performance vs. initialing whether a task was completed.
Must include written feedback when trainee does not meet the standard.
Will be position specific (no combined PTBs).

Screen shot of the Next Gen Position Task Book

Banner image of the Wildland Fire Learning Portal website

NWCG’s training course catalog is now available on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP).

To access the training course catalog, visit WFLP and either set up an account or login as a guest.

The Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Book are now available for Aircraft Base Radio Operator (ABRO)

Date: September 12, 2024
Contact: Interagency Helicopter Operations Subcommittee

NWCG is excited to announce that the NWCG Incident Position Standards for Aircraft Base Radio Operator, PMS 350-87 and NWCG Position Task Book for Aircraft Base Radio Operator (ABRO), PMS 311-87 are now available.

References:

NWCG Aircraft Base Radio Operator Position Page

NWCG Incident Position Standards for Aircraft Base Radio Operator, PMS 350-87

NWCG Position Task Book for Aircraft Base Radio Operator, PMS 311-87

NWCG Mental Health Subcommittee Recognizes September as Suicide Prevention Month

Date: September 9, 2024
Contact: Mental Health Subcommittee

The NWCG Mental Health Subcommittee (MHSC) is dedicated to raising awareness about mental health within our wildland fire community. This year’s Suicide Prevention Month theme, “Stronger Together,” underscores the importance of unity and support in every facet of our lives — at work, with family, and among friends.

As we recognize Suicide Prevention Month, including Suicide Prevention Week (September 8 – September 14, 2024) and World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10, 2024), we encourage you to share resources and engage in meaningful conversations within your teams.

Remember: We are Stronger Together, and help is always available. Let’s continue to support one another and foster an environment where mental health is a priority.

References:

NWCG Mental Health Subcommittee

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

6MFS

2020 WOR Day 3 Lessons Used Dutch Creek Big Meadows

Discussion Questions:

Additional Resources

Have an idea or feedback?

Share it with the NWCG 6MFS Subcommittee.

NWCG Latest Announcements

References:

NASA JOINS NWCG!

WWW.NWCG.GOV HAS A NEW LOOK AND DESIGN

NWCG Leadership Committee

INCIDENT PERFORMANCE AND TRAINING MODERNIZATION

NEXT GENERATION POSITION TASK BOOK

References:

References:

NWCG National Wildfire Coordinating Group

NWCG

National Wildfire Coordinating Group