One of the last photos taken of the Granite Mountain Hot Shots, shown at 4:01 p.m. local time as they watch the Yarnell Hill fire spread. (Industrial Commission of Arizona/Yarnell Hill Fire Information) Inspectors for the Arizona State Occupational Safety […]
By Tracy Schlater I see Facebook posts almost daily remembering, honoring and celebrating the Granite Mountain Hotshots. But recently, a different sort of post caught my attention. It explained that the wife of Andrew Ashcraft, one of the seasonal workers […]
The 19 Granite Mountain Hot Shots who died battling the Yarnell Hill Fire, were trapped as they were changing locations. Darrell Willis, Prescott wildland fire division chief and one of the founders of the Granite Mountain Hot Shot crew, led a […]
A MAFFS (Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System) equipped C-130E makes a fire retardant drop on the Simi Fire in Southern California in 2003. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt Dennis W. Goff) Where are the air tankers? […]
Local level or national stage? Where should construction and implementation of a national wildland fire management policy begin? Think local, act local. It could be part of the answer to a national policy that is facing major challenges, criticism and […]
With Tuesday’s national service of memorial and remembrance complete, the 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hot Shots are making their way home and to their final resting places. Services are being planned in hometowns across the nation for the […]
“They were heroes…long before we knew their names,” Vice President Joe Biden said at a memorial service for the 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hot Shots crew who were killed while fighting the Yarnell Hill wildfire. The fallen men were honored […]
Good news in the latest update on the deadly Yarnell Hill fire, which is now 80 percent contained — and that may be the only good news in a difficult week for firefighters, their families and the residents of this […]
By Tracy Schlater There are events that are so ingrained your memory you can recall exactly where you were when you heard about them. The Oklahoma City bombing. The day Princess Diana died. 9/11. Sunday night I added one more as […]
(Photo from National Wildfire Coordinating Group) Fire shelters are considered the last resort for firefighters caught in a deadly burn-over event. But with overall effectiveness in question — some experts say a firefighter who deploys his fire shelter may have […]