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Stand 4 - Dodge's Escape Fire

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

Approximately 400 feet higher and .4 miles northeast of Stand 3 is where Dodge lit his escape fire at 5:55 PM. At this time no fewer than eight members of the crew were close to him. Dodge thought he tried to explain to the crew that he intended to wait a few seconds to let his fire burn down before entering the blackened area, and that he wanted them to follow. About 100 square feet had burned when a crewmember said: “To hell with this, I am getting out of here,” and everyone except Dodge continued up the gulch. Dodge kept trying to convince the men as they passed him to get into the ashes with him, but nobody did. These events took seconds to occur.

The rookie smokejumpers had gone through weeks of intensive conditioning and had been working in the field ever since. They reached speeds estimated at 4 to 6 mph on these steep slopes.

Staff Ride facilitator near the Dodge escape fire marker, utilizing a photo in conducting a strategic discussion regarding Dodge's actions.

Staff Ride facilitator near the Dodge escape fire marker, utilizing a photo in conducting a strategic discussion regarding Dodge's actions.

Marker near the location where Dodge ignites his escape fire.

Marker near the location where Dodge ignites his escape fire.

 
Location (SRS)
POINT (-111.8986833 46.8867333)
Related Stand
Staff Ride to the Mann Gulch Fire

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NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for all four Unmanned Aircraft Systems positions:

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The Equipment Technology Committee (ETC) issued Equipment Bulletin: 25-004, notifying the wildland fire community about a newly discovered invasive species and actions to take if found. Golden mussels, a highly invasive species recently identified in California, pose a significant risk to native ecosystems, infrastructure, and fire equipment. These mussels rapidly colonize hard and soft surfaces, including aquatic plants and fire equipment, clogging pipes, fouling motors, disrupting water systems, and impacting native species.

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