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Fire Origins
Remember. Learn. Share.


On Protection of Towns from Fire — Benjamin Franklin, 1735

On Making Official History Honest — Kent Robert Greenfield, 1954

LCES—a Key to Safety in the Wildland Fire Environment — Paul Gleason, 1991

Attitude Check — Bill Fish, 1995

TriData Phase IV, “Developing a Cooperative Approach to Wildfire Protection” — Charles Perrow, 1998

Lessons From Thirtymile: Transition Fires And Fire Orders — Jerry Williams, 2001


Loop Fire Disaster Brief — November, 1966


1967 Task Force Report


2005 Fire Prevention and Safety grant application

 

REPORT OF
THE FIRE SAFETY REVIEW TEAM

MARCH 1967

A PLAN TO FURTHER REDUCE
THE CHANCES OF MEN BEING BURNED WHILE FIGHTING FIRES


APPENDIX

  1. Chief Cliff's memorandum transmitting the Loop Fire Analysis Group's Report and assigning the Fire Safety Review Team

  2. Deputy chief Nelson's memorandum establishing objectives for the Fire Safety Review Team

  3. List of tragedy fires for the past 30 years

  4. Factors common to major tragedy fires

  5. Progress in fire behavior knowledge since 1957


APPENDIX 1

FORM 6200-8  (1/64)
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT

Memorandum

Department of Agriculture --- Forest Service
Washington, D.C. 20250
TO             : Regional Foresters File: 5100

FROM       :

 

Edward P. Cliff, Chief Date: November 30, 1966
SUBJECT :  Fire Control (Loop Fire - Angles National Forest) Your Reference:

We are sending you two copies of the report of the Fire Analysis Group which studied the tragedy on the recent Loop Fire in Southern California. This report will be of great interest to your fire control people and to other personnel.

All of us in the Forest Service are deeply affected by this tragedy. It occurred with an elite crew, tops in handling severe fire situations, which amplifies the blow to families, friends and the Service alike.

We are also including a supply of a brief which can be given wider distribution than the report. We do not have sufficient copies of the report to make wide distribution, but we do have a few additional copies. These can be given to those with a special interest in studying the accident more completely.

The report and especially the recommendations will form the basis for strengthening our fire control program, particularly, in several safety items. I have appointed the task force as recommended in the report and directed them to complete their work early this winter. This will enable us to use their recommendations in our training and other preparatory programs for the coming fire season.

The following will serve on this task force:

FIRE SAFETY REVIEW TEAM DETAIL ??????
Al Spalding, R-6, Deputy Regional Forester Jan. 23 - Feb. 3
Robert Bjornsen, R-1, Missoula Equipment Development Center Jan. 30 - Feb. 3
Jay Peterson, R-5, RO, Division of Fire Control Jan. 16 - Feb. 3
Tony Skufca, R-2, Supervisor, San Isabel Nat'l. Forest Jan. 30 - Feb. 3
Mike Hardy, ?????mountain Station, Fire Research Jan. 30 - Feb 3

Special instructions for this group will be sent to the concerned Regions. We expect them to meet in Washington and to have their report available for our use before the end of February.

Edward P. Cliff

 

cc:

Directors - 1 copy of report, 10 of brief
Area Directors - 1 copy of report, 10 of brief
W. O. - Fire Research - 2 copies of report, 10 of brief
W. O. - Cooperative Fire Control - 2 copies of report, 10 of brief

MSLowden/MMNelson: sm
11/30/66


APPENDIX 2

FORM 6200-8  (1/64)
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT

Memorandum

Department of Agriculture --- Forest Service
Washington, D.C. 20250
TO             : Alfred E. Spaulding, Deputy Regional Forester, R-6 File: 5100

FROM       :

 

M. M. Nelson, Deputy Chief Date: Dec. 15, 1966
SUBJECT :  Fire Control - Fire Suppression Safety Your Reference:

The Chief has appointed you to serve as chairman of the Fire Safety Review Team. In this capacity, you will be directing the team to meet the objective set by the Chief when he approved the Loop Fire Analysis Report:

“There is no way we can return the men lost in the recent tragedy. We must now provide for those others who depend upon our programs to give them the skills needed for their safe conduct.”

Your team activities should be related to the program developed by the fire task force of 1957 and the fire safety progress made since then. The recommendations made by the Loop Fire Analysis Group are guides for your work. These recommendations are broad and you must analyze them and specify what needs to be done to extend those benefits to firefighters throughout the Service. You should not limit your activities to implementing the analysis group's recommendations. In addition, you should weigh the benefits of all pertinent safety measures you identify. The end product of your Fire Safety Team's efforts should be a recommended action program to prevent men from being burned while fighting forest, grass and brush fires.

Yours is an important and far-reaching undertaking. To organize the team's activities, you should work with the Division of Fire Control and directly with each team member as necessary. Team members were assigned in Chief Cliff's memorandum of November 30, copy attached. It is our objective to have your recommended action program available to all regions prior to the 1967 western fire season.

For your advance preparation, the following materials are enclosed:

    1. Copy of 1957 Task Force Report, 7/25/57

    2. Copy of Chief's advance information memorandum of 6/28/57

    3. Copy of Chief's memorandum of 8/16/57 transmitting Task Force Report.

    4. Copy of pertinent section of Forest Service Training and Development Handbook (FSH 6141.16) which outlines desirable minumum fire training.

    5. Copy of Chief's memorandum of transmittal and the Loop Fire Disaster Report.

    6. /s/ M.M. Nelson


APPENDIX 3

List of Tragedy Fires of the Last 30 Years:

Name of Fire

Date

Region

Forest

No. Fatalities
by burning

Loop

1966

5

Angeles

12

Coyote

1964

5

Los Padres

1

Timberlodge

1962

5

Sierra

4

Silver Creek

1961

1

Nezperce

2

Sierra

1961

5

Angeles

1

Cummings Creek

1960

6

Umatilla

1

Dry

1959

5

Sequoia

1

Stable

1959

5

San Bernadino

1

Decker

1959

5

Cleveland

5

Gun

1958

5

Angeles

1

Albert Ranch

1958

5

Angeles

1

Inaja

1956

5

Cleveland

11

East Highlands

1956

5

San Bernadino

1

Sagebrush

1955

6

Malheur

1

Johnson

1955

3

Prescott

1

Tunnel No. 6

1954

5

Tahoe

3

Rattlesnake

1953

5

Mendocino

15

Mann Gulch

1949

1

Helena

13

Hells Canyon

1949

4

Payette

1

Welton Spur

1949

5

Stanislaus

1

Barrett Dam

1948

5

Cleveland

1

Bryant Canyon

1947

5

Cleveland

2

Hot Springs

1944

4

Payette

1

Hauser Creek

1943

5

Cleveland

11

Silver Plume

1940

3

Lincoln

1

Blackwater

1937

2

Shoshone

15

Welcome Lake

1937

9

Huron

1


APPENDIX 4

Analysis of Principal Factors Common to
the Major Tragedy Fires in Last 60 years

Major Factor

Fire

  Inaja Rattle-
snake
Mann
Gulch
Hauser
Creek
Black-
water
Timber
Lodge
Decker Loop
1. Fire Behavior C C C C C C C C
2. Instructions C C C C C C C C
3. Foremanship NC C C C NC C C C
4. Line Supervision C C NC C NC C C C
5. Communication C C C C C NC NC C
6. Strategy & Tactics C NC C C C C C C
7. Scouting C NC - C C NC NC C
8. Escape Plan C C C C C C C C
9. Lookouts C C - C NC C C C
10. Organization C NC C C C C C C
11. Post Actions NC NC C C NC C C C
12. Downhill Line Construction C NC NC NC NC - - C
13. “Chimney” Involved C NC NC NC NC - - C

C — Critical
NC — Not Critical
- — Not Pertinent


APPENDIX 5

PROGRESS IN FIRE BEHAVIOR KNOWLEDGE SINCE 1957

  (1)
Available
(2) In Progress
  1. Fire Danger Rating. Severity index and buildup index factors have been developed for the national system. This system is in use throughout the United States except in California
X X
  1. "Winds Over Wildlands," a publication using some of the information that will ultimately be expanded into the Fire Weather handbook.
X  
  1. Fire weather and fire climate surveys, accomplished mostly in California.
X  
  1. Investigations into the ramifications of Santa Ana winds.
X  
  1. Winds in relation to topography in synoptic weather situations.
  X
  1. Fire chemistry project at Berkeley.
  X
  1. Atmospheric behavior in forested areas at interface of Atlantic Marine and Continental Air masses.
  X
  1. Major synoptic weather types associated with critical fire weather in all regions of the United States.
X  
  1. Fire whirl publications.
X  
  1. Mechanisms of fire spread as influenced by weather and fuels. (Research into the effect of topography will be coming later.)
X  
  1. Fuel flammability description for western and northern fuels.
  X
  1. Ignition of forest fuels.
  X
  1. Fuels classification.
  X
  1. Study of mountain thunderstorm.
X  
  1. Fuels classification on an area-wide basis.
  X
  1. Fuel flammability description for southern and eastern fuels.
  X
  1. Mass fire studies.
X X
  1. Fire case histories.
X X
  1. Basic knowledge of forest energy systems.
  X
  1. National Fire Behavior Officer's Training Schools.
X X
  1. Fire Weather Handbook
  X
  1. Fire Science Research projects.
  X

 


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