One such opportunity takes place soon, as the Camp Pendleton Fire Department will conduct annual wildfire training from April 13-16 on Camp Pendleton. For a while we were helping out on the Sunflower Fire and went to one 6. Were being treated very well here in the Southwest. “Being a firefighter has unpleasant moments and it’s good to recognize triggers.”Ĭunliffe-Owen plans on continuing training like this in the future to make sure the Camp Pendleton Fire Department is always ready for any challenge given to them. The crew is staged in Mesa, AZ on the Tonto N.F. Its being recognized and taught more.” he continued. “The tools and resources currently in use have not always been available. The event coordinator, Camp Pendleton Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Cunliffe-Owen, a firefighter for more than two decades, also recognizes the importance of addressing the physical and mental repercussions of their work. “Someone listening might think ‘Hey! Maybe I do need to reach out and start thinking of my stress levels.’ ” “When I tell my story it gives others permission to speak.” Lightley says in regards to stress management in the department. Furthermore, the experience gives her an opportunity to discuss stress management while encountering extreme situations. It serves as a reminder of the serious nature of a firefighter’s job and the training it requires. Lightley’s reason for sharing her story of the South Canyon wildfire is twofold. “I went from fight, to flight, to freeze.” A fellow crew member stepped in and encouraged her to refocus, and the experience has haunted her ever since. Her team had practiced deploying a fire resistant shelter many times, but in the extreme circumstances couldn’t comprehend the task due to the stress of a chaotic environment. “I remember hearing three words ‘pull, your, shelter.’ ’’ Lightley said. After receiving orders to run to a safety zone, she was given a command that stopped her in her tracks. A routine mop-up of a smoldering fire on Storm King Mountain turned into a chain of events that had the crew battling over 2000 acres of raging inferno. Lightley, a member of the Hotshots and the only woman from her crew to survive the tragedy, recounts the events of the day and how her mind worked in vivid detail. Shortly after that photograph was taken, nine would perish fighting the blaze. The photo contained the ‘Prineville Hotshots’ who battled the South Canyon, Colorado wildfire on July 6, 1994. Behind her, a photo of 20 firefighters, smiling for the camera. That allowed me to gain a much clearer perspective on what went wrong on that terrible day.Kimberly Lightley stood at the front of the meeting hall, chatting with Camp Pendleton Fire Department personnel as they waited for her presentation to begin. I had read “Fire on the Mountain” prior to visiting, and then read it again after. Walking the handline where the Prineville Hotshots and the Missoula Smokejumpers perished, and seeing the memorials marking where each firefighter fell was gut-wrenching. I’ve had the opportunity to visit the memorial trail on Storm King Mountain twice, and it’s simply a sobering experience. Nine members of the Prineville Hotshots lost their lives, along with three Missoula Smokejumpers and two helitack crewmembers. In this critically-acclaimed investigation of the South Canyon Fire (often referred to as the Storm King Fire) he pieces together a haunting narrative of how a grave series of mistakes ultimately led to the deaths of 14 firefighters on July 6, 1994. Like his father before him, John MacLean is fascinated by forest fires in the American West. Fire on the Mountain: The True Story of the South Canyon Fire By: John N.
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