CA-LPF/SBC/STB-North Tree WT Rollover (returning home from Jesusita)

[abercrombie]

Sent in yesterday afternoon to the Ab account; assume that the appropriate people have been contacted:

Hey Ab,

Just wanted to let you know that I just ran a call for North Tree Fire WT 950 that was involved in a roll over accident on I-5 and Lambert Road in South Sacramento County. The WT rolled several times down an embankment at the over crossing coming to rest on his wheels. The driver was the only occupant and he was able to self-extricate prior to our arrival. I would say that his injuries are moderate. He was awake but his mentation was decreased. He is at Sacramento Medical Center. The WT is a total loss.

A Strike Team of Charlie's from AEU came up on the incident and assisted us in getting the driver up the embankment. I did not get the S/T number but they were a big help. The Strike Team Leader said that they and the WT were coming back from the Santa Barbara fire and had been in staging and demob most of the day. The WT was a single resource. I did not talk with CHP on the scene but I suspect that the driver may have drifted into the center median and then over corrected. I say this based on his skid marks across I-5. The freeway is straight as an arrow at this location. Again this is just a guess but having been on dozens of similar accident along both I-5 and hwy. 99, it seems very likely. Of course I know you will keep this to yourself until the appropriate time to take care of friends and family. I did take some photos and if you would like I will send them to you for a possible posting if you feel it is appropriate. If nothing else I am sure you will agree this driver is lucky to be alive.

Keep up the good work and everyone STAY SAFE and have a safe season.

Jim
<snipped identifying info>

Thanks Jim, for the fine report. Glad the driver got help. Our best for his speedy recovery. Ab.

[abercrombie]

Here are a couple of pics from CaptJim of that rolled-over Northtree water tender that was heading home from the Jesusito Fire two days ago.

I posted them on the Equipment 14 photo page.

Ab.

[smokeybehr]

This should be a driving factor in ensuring that all operators get at least 8 hours of QUALITY sleep, or 12 hours of off-duty time prior to demob, and that the 12-hour on-duty time limit be followed to the letter.

[Gizmo]

Ab,

Thanks for sharing the info from Jim. Sorry for my taking the bait...(I always do)...LoL... Good fisherman/fisherwomen out there lured others in such as myself. I'll be the first to bite and say why I shouldn't have posted here, but rather should have asked a question in another area on the Hotlist. People are real to me and assigning blame to them is as real world as it gets for many. I apologize in advance of my posting in the wrong location.

The info from "smokeybehr" is speculative and suggests causation of the incident without relevant background. The info provided regarding "quality rest" and needed "down time" lead the reader to assume that this was the cause of the the accident or a contributing factor without a lessons learned analysis being completed. We know neither regardless of what rumors are circling around. It assigns blame without knowing where to appropriately direct accountability or lessons learned, or to celebrate successes in what we have already learned as the basics.

Not enough info has been obtained to make an informed decision.

One thing is for sure, based upon those pictures, the operator was wearing his/her seatbelt or very lucky. In an effort to spread the "Seatbelt Message" as a common goal in firefighter safety, I submitted links to firefighterclosecalls.com (Dr. Gordon Graham and Chief Goldfeder) and asked them to contact Ab and/or Jim to share this important info and get permission to post.

Baby steps towards safety. Basics first, then more complex issues. It is the basics killing most folks, not pay and benefits.

[smokeybehr]

Okay, I admit I jumped the gun on the HOS thing, but that's what usually comes out of investigations like this, that it was operator error, and that the driver was nearing the end of his hours of service, or didn't have enough off-duty time before beginning his run.

We'll see exactly what the investigation reveals, and I'll continue my comments after that.