BajaNomad - fellow nomad firefighters

fellow nomad firefighters

24baja - 6-30-2013 at 09:58 PM

In honor of all the fire fighter here on nomads. So sorry to hear of all the fire fighters who died in Prescott, AZ

Curt63 - 6-30-2013 at 10:02 PM

Amen and Amen!

bajamedic - 6-30-2013 at 10:47 PM

May they rest in peace and prayers for their families. JH

Terry28 - 6-30-2013 at 11:26 PM

That's just hard to take in...19 wildland firefighters...that's a whole Hot Shot crew.....how tragic........

schwlind - 7-1-2013 at 12:32 AM

Curt...
I add my Amens too!... God bless those that tragically lost their lives and their families!

tripledigitken - 7-1-2013 at 03:15 AM

Very sad news to hear. My heart goes out to their families and friends.

Ken

woody with a view - 7-1-2013 at 03:16 AM

i hadn't heard. :saint:

chuckie - 7-1-2013 at 03:52 AM

A tragedy.....Godspeed....

Bubba - 7-1-2013 at 04:22 AM

Tragic and sad.

Alan - 7-1-2013 at 06:36 AM

My heart and prayers go out to the families of these brave men as we once again must mourn the loss of our brothers. I do find solace when I consider how many lives they have impacted through their actions in their all too short time among us. RIP brothers

snowcat5 - 7-1-2013 at 06:48 AM

Please, Fellow Nomads, Please reach deep into your hearts and pockets and donate to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. The WFF is the number one source of help for the families of lost Heros. The Foundation is in need of funds now to help the survivors in Arizona. Please dig deep- I've helped the Foundation for many seasons raise funds for incidents just like this one- the Foundation has helped many people over the years and is very "real".
The Wildland Firefighter Foundation
wffoundation.org
2049 Airport Way
Boise, Id. 83705 208-360-2996
Thanks for the help. The whole city of Prescott is in pain today and any and all help will be appreciated. Rock- thanks to Vicki Minor and son, Bourke Minor for what you guys do !(WWF) Today is a sad day....

DocRey - 7-1-2013 at 07:47 AM

Prayers, thoughts & donations.

desertcpl - 7-1-2013 at 08:28 AM

R I P,,, so terrible,, I didn't know until this morning when I turn on the news, its hard to wrap your brain around some thing like this,

DianaT - 7-1-2013 at 08:31 AM

So very, very sad. :no:

Alan - 7-1-2013 at 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by lencho
Someone, probably not part of that crew, who was supposed to be watching their backs made an imprudent judgement call... what a thing to have to live with...

I will hold my personal comments until they at least post the Green Sheet.

Terry28 - 7-1-2013 at 09:01 AM

Lencho...It's time to grieve not lay blame....Unless you are part of the investigative team, and your not....stfu

BajaRat - 7-1-2013 at 09:36 AM

News still coming. What I've heard so far is they were in a burn out operation, had a radical wind change and were forced to deploy their fire shelters. Our fuel moisture levels are next to nonexistent and the energy release component is well into critical. Yesterday the thunderstorms were developing here on the rim and moving down over the Prescott and Payson area creating erratic wind outflows and downdrafts. These have been the hottest days I've experienced since moving to the high country of Arizona and our monsoonal flow has not arrived yet, just high based isolated thunder storms which produce lightning without rain. This will be a loss in our service that will not be forgotten soon. Please say a prayer for the families left behind.

BajaBlanca - 7-1-2013 at 11:07 AM

So sad. RIP brave souls.

Terry28 - 7-1-2013 at 01:16 PM

I have 30 years as a wildland fire fighter and a member of national teams, and I still can't say what happened because I was not there!!! I know what goes on during large fires and these were highly trained folks...It just proves how dangerous the job can be.....My heart breaks for the families of all these fine professionals.....the finger pointing can wait.

bajaguy - 7-1-2013 at 02:39 PM

From the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

YARNELL, Ariz. — A sudden windstorm turned an Arizona forest fire into an out-of-control inferno that trapped and killed 19 firefighters, nearly all of them members of an elite crew of “hotshots,” authorities said Monday. It was the nation’s biggest loss of firefighters in a wildfire in 80 years.

The flames swept over the victims Sunday evening as they took cover in their foil-lined emergency shelters.

“This is as dark a day as I can remember,” Gov. Jan Brewer said in a statement. “It may be days or longer before an investigation reveals how this tragedy occurred, but the essence we already know in our hearts: Fighting fires is dangerous work.”

The fire killed 18 members of a hotshot crew based in nearby Prescott, plus a firefighter who was not part of the unit, Arizona Forestry Division spokesman Mike Reichling said.

One member of the hotshot crew survived because he was moving the unit’s truck when the flames roared over the men, Reichling said.

It was unclear exactly how the crew became trapped. Southwest incident team leader Clay Templin said the crew and its commanders were following safety protocols, but it appears the fire’s erratic nature simply overwhelmed them.

The team had spent recent weeks fighting fires in New Mexico and Prescott before being called to Yarnell, entering the smoky wilderness over the weekend with backpacks, chainsaws and other heavy gear to remove brush and trees as a heat wave across the Southwest sent temperatures into the triple digits.

The disaster all but wiped out the Prescott hotshot crew, leaving the city’s fire department reeling.

“We grieve for the family. We grieve for the department. We grieve for the city,” Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said. “We’re devastated. We just lost 19 of the finest people you’ll ever meet.”

A makeshift memorial of flower bouquets and American flags formed at the Prescott fire station where the crew was based. Prescott resident Keith Gustafson showed up and placed 19 water bottles in the shape of a heart.

Hotshot crews go through specialized training and are sent in to battle the nation’s fiercest wildfires. Sometimes they hike for miles into the wilderness with heavy gear to build lines of protection between people and fires. They remove anything that might burn in the direction of homes and cities.

As a last-ditch effort at survival, members are trained to dig into the ground and cover themselves with a tent-like shelter made of fire-resistant material, Fraijo said.

“It’s an extreme measure that’s taken under the absolute worst conditions,” Fraijo said.

Reichling said all 19 victims had deployed their shelters.

The National Fire Protection Association website lists the last wildland fire to kill more firefighters as the 1933 Griffith Park fire of Los Angeles, which killed 29. The biggest loss of firefighters in U.S. history was 343, killed in the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York.

In 1994, the Storm King Fire near Glenwood Springs, Colo., killed 14 firefighters who were overtaken by a sudden explosion of flames.

DavidE - 7-1-2013 at 03:04 PM

May God Have Mercy On Them And Those They Left Behind. Words are futile here...

DianaT - 7-1-2013 at 03:13 PM

Maybe someone from Arizona and or is connected with firefighters can verify this as a good and legitimate place to donate to help the families. It showed up on facebook.

http://www.100club.org/web/100Club

DEP :no:

Alan - 7-1-2013 at 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DianaT
Maybe someone from Arizona and or is connected with firefighters can verify this as a good and legitimate place to donate to help the families. It showed up on facebook.

http://www.100club.org/web/100Club

DEP :no:

I would suggest the Wildland Firefighter Foundation http://www.wffoundation.org/

[Edited on 7-1-2013 by Alan]

bacquito - 7-1-2013 at 04:45 PM

So very sad.

DianaT - 7-1-2013 at 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Alan

Quote:

I would suggest the Wildland Firefighter Foundation http://www.wffoundation.org/

[Edited on 7-1-2013 by Alan]

Thank you.

[Edited on 7-2-2013 by DianaT]

24baja - 7-1-2013 at 08:16 PM

I was on a fire in the AZ last week and i can only say that it is extremely dry and dangerous all over the west and southwest. My heart goes out to all the families and our brothers in arms and pray that this fire season doesn't claim anymore lives. Don't point fingers and give those involved the respect they deserve as they are the heros who put their lives on the line to protect the lives and property of others without question.

Ken Cooke - 7-2-2013 at 12:01 AM

I commented tonight on Estrella TV News at the Seal Beach Pier about the unfortunate passing of Firefighter Kevin Woyjeck. He was only 21 yrs. of age. My heartfelt condolences to him and the rest of his squad.

BajaRat - 7-2-2013 at 06:57 AM

Quote:

Thanks Diana, Many of our firefighters donate to this organization knowing one day our families may need the help.
Thank you Nomads

Bubba - 7-2-2013 at 07:11 AM

One of these young men was from here on the Central Coast, they had a news segment on him this morning. It's just so sad and tragic thinking of all the kids, spouse's, moms, dads, siblings etc that this is affecting.

dizzyspots - 7-2-2013 at 04:58 PM

Thank you for remembering these heroes..

the 100 club link is a bonafide service organization...the news reported that they delivered 19 $15K checks on the day after the incident...and have collected from AZ Cardinals $100K...Motorola $40K etc....the outpouring of support has been incredible that being said the Wildfire Foundation is also legit and gets the $$$ to the folks that need it...