1 00:00:07,984 --> 00:00:10,651 (ominous music) 2 00:00:37,188 --> 00:00:39,270 - So it was a prescribed fire 3 00:00:39,270 --> 00:00:43,131 and that day we weren't lighting or anything. 4 00:00:43,131 --> 00:00:46,860 It was more just a secure what we already had. 5 00:00:46,860 --> 00:00:48,530 I believe they were concerned about some winds 6 00:00:48,530 --> 00:00:49,370 or something like that. 7 00:00:49,370 --> 00:00:51,280 So we just went out there 8 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:55,690 and we were just building some checklines here and there 9 00:00:55,690 --> 00:00:57,123 on some of the stuff we lit. 10 00:00:58,190 --> 00:01:02,520 Where I was it was a little slop over we had on our lines 11 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:04,670 and I was kind of between two large rocks 12 00:01:04,670 --> 00:01:07,840 and we dug line between these two rocks 13 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:09,626 where we had there. 14 00:01:09,626 --> 00:01:11,280 Me and my saw partner and one other guy 15 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,140 were all left there kinda just to 16 00:01:15,180 --> 00:01:17,660 hold that little area and make sure it's okay. 17 00:01:17,660 --> 00:01:20,430 There was a, I believe three, pretty small snags 18 00:01:20,430 --> 00:01:22,173 in there that had some heat in them, 19 00:01:22,173 --> 00:01:24,800 that I was going to secure up. 20 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,379 It's a rocky area like there's a lot of like 21 00:01:27,379 --> 00:01:29,330 rock bluffs and stuff like that. 22 00:01:29,330 --> 00:01:30,450 Kind of hilly and rocky 23 00:01:30,450 --> 00:01:34,170 with just some of those trees mixed inbetween. 24 00:01:34,170 --> 00:01:36,770 It was kind of a hot area and it was kind of just 25 00:01:36,770 --> 00:01:39,310 a lot of ash pits and stuff like that. 26 00:01:39,310 --> 00:01:41,640 That were kind of just keeping it hot. 27 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:43,520 So, I didn't go in there immediately. 28 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:46,240 We kind of just hung out there for a little while, 29 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:48,170 just to kind of let it cool down before 30 00:01:48,170 --> 00:01:51,630 I ever went in there to do anything with the snags. 31 00:01:51,630 --> 00:01:53,500 I cut the first snag and I kinda 32 00:01:54,460 --> 00:01:57,190 I felt it up on one of the rocks we were using 33 00:01:57,190 --> 00:02:00,800 as a natural barrier, and I didn't really like it, 34 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:02,610 just like that it was kind of a holding concern, 35 00:02:02,610 --> 00:02:04,590 cause the fire could just kinda burn up the tree. 36 00:02:04,590 --> 00:02:06,158 And I just kinda wanted to secure it up there. 37 00:02:06,158 --> 00:02:06,991 (chainsaw engine) 38 00:02:06,991 --> 00:02:08,584 So I was up on the rock kinda just 39 00:02:08,584 --> 00:02:10,070 bucking pieces off the tree. 40 00:02:10,070 --> 00:02:12,985 The chainsaw was running fine. 41 00:02:12,985 --> 00:02:16,053 Nothing noticeable about the chainsaw. 42 00:02:16,973 --> 00:02:18,690 I got done doing what I was doing 43 00:02:18,690 --> 00:02:21,100 I was satisfied with how I secured up the tree 44 00:02:21,100 --> 00:02:24,137 and I just shut my saw off like normal. 45 00:02:24,137 --> 00:02:26,950 I walked back over to where my saw partner was 46 00:02:26,950 --> 00:02:29,610 and he was away from the black, 47 00:02:29,610 --> 00:02:31,380 up in a comfortable cool spot, 48 00:02:31,380 --> 00:02:34,770 and I went and sat next to him, 49 00:02:34,770 --> 00:02:37,570 and I set my chainsaw down next to me, 50 00:02:37,570 --> 00:02:40,110 and we were just up there talking. 51 00:02:40,110 --> 00:02:41,880 We were talking about the next tree that I was going to cut 52 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,183 and just kinda looking at stuff 53 00:02:44,183 --> 00:02:45,880 and just hanging out for a little while. 54 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,980 It was probably a good 15 to 20 minutes, 55 00:02:48,980 --> 00:02:49,813 I'm not sure, 56 00:02:49,813 --> 00:02:51,330 but it was a good little chunk of time 57 00:02:51,330 --> 00:02:53,550 that we were just hanging out there. 58 00:02:53,550 --> 00:02:55,600 So after we hung out there, like I said, 59 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:57,253 for 15 to 20 minutes, 60 00:02:58,660 --> 00:03:01,490 I decided I was ready to cut the next tree. 61 00:03:01,490 --> 00:03:04,920 So I grabbed my chainsaw and I walked into the black, 62 00:03:04,920 --> 00:03:06,890 and I walked over to the tree 63 00:03:06,890 --> 00:03:09,450 and there was a rock I was standing on. 64 00:03:09,450 --> 00:03:10,670 That I was going to cut it from, 65 00:03:10,670 --> 00:03:12,823 and there was some ash pits around me, 66 00:03:14,559 --> 00:03:15,780 and there happened to be a little, 67 00:03:15,780 --> 00:03:18,280 a little piece of flame just like right by, 68 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:19,730 kind of where I was standing. 69 00:03:20,810 --> 00:03:24,463 I went in there and I went to start my chainsaw, 70 00:03:24,463 --> 00:03:27,220 and I gave it a couple pulls and it turned over 71 00:03:27,220 --> 00:03:28,053 (Chainsaw engine revving) 72 00:03:28,053 --> 00:03:29,515 but it just kind of, you know, 73 00:03:29,515 --> 00:03:30,860 gurgled for a second and then died. 74 00:03:30,860 --> 00:03:33,370 Kind of like when you run out of gas. 75 00:03:33,370 --> 00:03:36,859 The first thing in my chainsaw torublshooting mind 76 00:03:36,859 --> 00:03:38,680 was, you know, like hey maybe I was over there 77 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:40,550 cutting for a little longer than I thought I was 78 00:03:40,550 --> 00:03:42,400 and maybe I used more gas than I thought I was. 79 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:44,403 Maybe I'm actually out of gas. 80 00:03:46,990 --> 00:03:48,950 My first reaction to check that 81 00:03:48,950 --> 00:03:52,132 was to kind of flip the saw over and slide it on my hip. 82 00:03:52,132 --> 00:03:54,748 Pop the cap just to look inside 83 00:03:54,748 --> 00:03:56,313 to see how much was in there. 84 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:59,603 At that point is where it geysered on me. 85 00:03:59,603 --> 00:04:01,614 (liquid spraying) 86 00:04:01,614 --> 00:04:05,940 It was pretty too distinct, pretty geyser squirts 87 00:04:05,940 --> 00:04:08,260 that came out of my gas tank at that point. 88 00:04:08,260 --> 00:04:12,450 And I couldn't exactly tell you how high it got 89 00:04:12,450 --> 00:04:15,093 I mean it had to be over a foot above the tank. 90 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:18,460 It was the biggest, the biggest one I've seen. 91 00:04:19,460 --> 00:04:20,830 I don't know why. I couldn't explain to you 92 00:04:20,830 --> 00:04:22,620 why it was so volatile that time, 93 00:04:22,620 --> 00:04:25,100 but of all the ones I've seen, 94 00:04:25,100 --> 00:04:27,051 yeah that one was definitely the most, 95 00:04:27,051 --> 00:04:28,253 the biggest one. 96 00:04:29,090 --> 00:04:31,100 I didn't catch on fire immediately. 97 00:04:31,100 --> 00:04:33,290 Like I had enough time to look at it 98 00:04:33,290 --> 00:04:37,063 and kind of have an oh crap moment, if you will, 99 00:04:38,047 --> 00:04:40,080 with what happened, cause I knew 100 00:04:41,010 --> 00:04:43,120 I mean I'd heard the stories 101 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:46,160 and we've done training on it, you know? 102 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:48,420 So I knew I wasn't in a good place at that time 103 00:04:48,420 --> 00:04:50,260 and my saw partner, who was watching, 104 00:04:50,260 --> 00:04:53,200 he actually yelled at me to watch out 105 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:55,040 cause he saw the the little, 106 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:57,613 just the little piece of like open flame right there 107 00:04:57,613 --> 00:04:59,650 that was kind of near me. 108 00:04:59,650 --> 00:05:00,483 At that point, 109 00:05:00,483 --> 00:05:02,060 (chuckles) 110 00:05:02,060 --> 00:05:03,690 I ignited. 111 00:05:03,690 --> 00:05:06,023 If you will, it sounds weird to say that. 112 00:05:07,420 --> 00:05:09,458 I caught fire and at first 113 00:05:09,458 --> 00:05:11,939 I didn't have a dramatic reaction to that. 114 00:05:11,939 --> 00:05:13,880 I dropped the chainsaw, first off, 115 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:16,340 but I just kind of patted at my shoulder 116 00:05:16,340 --> 00:05:18,120 like trying to put it out. 117 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:20,119 It just got bigger. 118 00:05:20,119 --> 00:05:22,270 I want to say it was like my arm. 119 00:05:22,270 --> 00:05:24,440 It's kind of this whole right side of my body 120 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:26,563 that kind of went up in flames. 121 00:05:28,015 --> 00:05:29,327 I mean it was kind of hard to tell 122 00:05:29,327 --> 00:05:31,740 it was kind of burning off the back of me. 123 00:05:31,740 --> 00:05:32,920 At that point, I kind of 124 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:36,216 I kind of realized I was in more trouble 125 00:05:36,216 --> 00:05:40,018 and I didn't really have a good spot to go 126 00:05:40,018 --> 00:05:42,280 cause of all the hot ash pits around me 127 00:05:42,280 --> 00:05:43,602 and I was aware of that, 128 00:05:43,602 --> 00:05:46,003 I was like man I just don't have a good spot. 129 00:05:47,672 --> 00:05:50,000 So I made a bee line for the handline we dug, 130 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,890 stunt man style, some flames coming off me, 131 00:05:52,890 --> 00:05:54,970 and once I hit the handline 132 00:05:54,970 --> 00:05:57,800 I just I dropped to ground and just rolled over 133 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:00,570 and my saw partner, good dude that he is, 134 00:06:00,570 --> 00:06:02,970 jumped on top of me and threw some dirt on me 135 00:06:02,970 --> 00:06:06,460 and put me out. 136 00:06:06,460 --> 00:06:09,100 Even after I got myself out of that 137 00:06:09,100 --> 00:06:11,533 I was pretty calm about the whole situation. 138 00:06:13,210 --> 00:06:15,740 I just got the radio from my saw partner 139 00:06:15,740 --> 00:06:18,600 and I made the notifications to my supervisor 140 00:06:19,627 --> 00:06:22,590 and I knew I pretty badly burned. 141 00:06:22,590 --> 00:06:23,720 Well you could obviously just see 142 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:25,610 the skin hanging off your arm. 143 00:06:25,610 --> 00:06:28,610 I knew my stomach was burned but nobody else could tell that 144 00:06:28,610 --> 00:06:30,750 cause my clothes were completely fine. 145 00:06:30,750 --> 00:06:35,080 There was no sign really that they caught fire. 146 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:36,379 I'm still not sure why that is. 147 00:06:36,379 --> 00:06:39,090 Like I was wearing my gloves and none of my hands got burned 148 00:06:39,090 --> 00:06:41,740 and you could actually see kind of the line 149 00:06:41,740 --> 00:06:44,201 from exactly where my gloves were. 150 00:06:44,201 --> 00:06:46,400 I knew I had to get out of there 151 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:49,598 and I just figured the sooner the better 152 00:06:49,598 --> 00:06:50,769 rather than waiting. 153 00:06:50,769 --> 00:06:54,930 I just got up and I started walking out. 154 00:06:54,930 --> 00:06:56,810 It was probably a quarter mile or so, 155 00:06:56,810 --> 00:06:58,486 not real far up the hill. 156 00:06:58,486 --> 00:06:59,668 (fire roaring) 157 00:06:59,668 --> 00:07:01,255 By this point I had some people come, 158 00:07:01,255 --> 00:07:02,760 some EMTs, check me out. 159 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:04,620 I was like nah, I'm just going to keep walking. 160 00:07:04,620 --> 00:07:05,810 Like I'm just going to get out of here. 161 00:07:05,810 --> 00:07:07,180 Like you guys can't do anything for me 162 00:07:07,180 --> 00:07:09,350 I just need to go to a hospital. 163 00:07:09,350 --> 00:07:12,020 We had driven the soup truck a ways 164 00:07:12,020 --> 00:07:16,480 and they just loaded me up in the back of the soup truck 165 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:18,190 and drove me up to where the helicopter 166 00:07:18,190 --> 00:07:20,273 was going to fly me to a burn center. 167 00:07:22,030 --> 00:07:24,110 It all happened pretty quick. 168 00:07:24,110 --> 00:07:26,570 From when I got burned to actually when I got 169 00:07:26,570 --> 00:07:28,270 to the hospital was about an hour. 170 00:07:45,846 --> 00:07:48,533 This isn't the first I've seen this by no means. 171 00:07:49,450 --> 00:07:53,530 I've seen it happen quite a few times over my career. 172 00:07:53,530 --> 00:07:54,740 I mean when it's vapor locked 173 00:07:54,740 --> 00:07:56,540 your saw's not going to run right. 174 00:07:56,540 --> 00:07:57,420 So that's one of the things, 175 00:07:57,420 --> 00:08:00,170 if your saw starts running funky, or if it like dies 176 00:08:00,170 --> 00:08:01,510 when you're in the middle of cutting something hot 177 00:08:01,510 --> 00:08:03,505 it's like oh I gotta vapor lock. 178 00:08:03,505 --> 00:08:06,000 This time that it happened to me 179 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:07,390 it completely caught me off guard 180 00:08:07,390 --> 00:08:10,830 cause it didn't match up to any of the signs 181 00:08:10,830 --> 00:08:12,397 that I recognized before. 182 00:08:12,397 --> 00:08:13,230 (chainsaw running) 183 00:08:13,230 --> 00:08:14,610 When it happened to me before 184 00:08:14,610 --> 00:08:17,990 it would always be in a obvious, like, 185 00:08:17,990 --> 00:08:18,970 you're cutting something hot 186 00:08:18,970 --> 00:08:20,927 like a hot burning juniper 187 00:08:20,927 --> 00:08:23,780 and you just know your chainsaw is getting hot 188 00:08:23,780 --> 00:08:25,720 or your chainsaw running a little funky 189 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:27,840 and you're like oh, you know my chainsaw's getting hot 190 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:30,443 you know, you can feel your chainsaw and it's hot. 191 00:08:31,411 --> 00:08:34,640 I wasn't cutting anything that was burning 192 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:37,598 and the chainsaw it was, you know, it was running fine. 193 00:08:37,598 --> 00:08:38,431 (chainsaw engine revving) 194 00:08:38,431 --> 00:08:40,343 No signs, like I just shut it off like normal. 195 00:08:41,270 --> 00:08:42,570 One of the ways they say 196 00:08:42,570 --> 00:08:45,565 oh you're supposed to clear 197 00:08:45,565 --> 00:08:47,290 a vapor lock or whatever, 198 00:08:47,290 --> 00:08:51,030 is you let your saw sit there for 15 minutes 199 00:08:51,030 --> 00:08:52,480 and in my mind, 200 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:55,800 my saw just sitting there for that fifteen minutes 201 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:57,928 I didn't think that there was a chance 202 00:08:57,928 --> 00:08:59,720 of that really happening in my mind. 203 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:03,690 If I had even the thought that my saw would've geysered 204 00:09:03,690 --> 00:09:06,280 I obviously wouldn't have opened my cap where I did 205 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:08,060 but, like I said, I had nothing 206 00:09:08,060 --> 00:09:10,444 to make me think me believe that it would happen. 207 00:09:10,444 --> 00:09:12,730 Yeah, and that's why I feel like now 208 00:09:12,730 --> 00:09:15,113 I couldn't really predict it. 209 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:18,120 I mean I was surprised once 210 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:20,320 I could probably be surprised again. 211 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:25,320 The advice I'd give is yeah if you're in a situation 212 00:09:25,350 --> 00:09:28,240 where you feel like your fuel can catch you on fire 213 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:30,784 by opening it, I just wouldn't do it. 214 00:09:30,784 --> 00:09:31,950 I mean it's as simple as that. 215 00:09:31,950 --> 00:09:33,650 You've got a flammable substance 216 00:09:33,650 --> 00:09:37,610 you want to separate it from a heat source. 217 00:09:37,610 --> 00:09:40,140 Cause I mean there's ways you can check your fuel level 218 00:09:40,140 --> 00:09:41,670 without ever opening your tank. 219 00:09:41,670 --> 00:09:44,110 You could literally hold your saw up and look, 220 00:09:44,110 --> 00:09:45,440 and sometimes it's a little hard to see 221 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:46,930 because the saws get dirty and what not 222 00:09:46,930 --> 00:09:49,460 but you can definitely see if there's fuel in there or not. 223 00:09:49,460 --> 00:09:51,599 If I'm in the black and you know, 224 00:09:51,599 --> 00:09:52,460 (chainsaw engine running) 225 00:09:52,460 --> 00:09:55,380 I'm gonna look through the tank to see my gas level 226 00:09:55,380 --> 00:09:56,800 instead of opening the cap. 227 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:00,005 And if I need to go open my cap 228 00:10:00,005 --> 00:10:03,040 I'm going to take it to the safe spot to do that. 229 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:06,210 I never thought I would just get hurt 230 00:10:06,210 --> 00:10:07,940 by opening my fuel tank, you know, 231 00:10:07,940 --> 00:10:08,910 it's just not one of those things 232 00:10:08,910 --> 00:10:13,673 that you recognize that much as being like a major hazard. 233 00:10:15,950 --> 00:10:18,550 And I still think it's kind of funny, you know, that 234 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:22,600 you know, that of all the years 235 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,450 that is kind of what put me in the hospital, 236 00:10:25,450 --> 00:10:27,850 Something as small and simple as that, you know? 237 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:32,140 I definitely don't feel like I can predict it anymore. 238 00:10:32,140 --> 00:10:35,280 So I just don't think it's worth betting on 239 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:36,890 when your tanks going to geyser or not 240 00:10:36,890 --> 00:10:38,480 and just kind of treat it 241 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:40,440 maybe like it always could geyser 242 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:42,210 and just kind of put yourself in a better place 243 00:10:42,210 --> 00:10:45,017 whenever you're planning on opening the cap. 244 00:10:46,083 --> 00:10:49,000 (soft piano music)