09.26.01

Senator Cantwell Calls for Senate Hearing to Examine Forest Service Report on Forest Service Report

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today called for a hearing by the Senate Subcommittee on Forests and Public Land Management to review the findings in the U.S. Forest Service’s Thirtymile Fire Investigation Report, which was released today. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), chairman of the subcommittee, responded quickly to Cantwell’s request by agreeing to hold the hearing as soon as it can be scheduled, most likely before the end of October.

Four firefighters were killed in the Thirtymile fire, which burned sections of the Okanogan and Wenatchee national forests in Central Washington state this summer. The Forest Service investigation report lists 14 causal factors and five influencing factors in the deaths of the four firefighters, ranging from extreme fatigue to inadequate leadership and management.

"The Forest Service report tracks what happened during the Thirtymile fire and identifies several factors that contributed to these tragic deaths, but Congress has a responsibility to the families of the victims to examine those findings, to make sure all of the right questions have been asked and answered, and to ensure appropriate actions are taken to prevent future deaths," Cantwell said. "Many of the causal factors identified by the Forest Service point to potential problems of leadership, management and training - problems that should have been corrected following the investigation of the 1994 Storm King fire that killed 14 firefighters in Colorado."

Senator Cantwell’s statement: "The Forest Service investigation into the deaths of four firefighters killed during the Thirtymile fire in Central Washington answers important questions about how the fire progressed and many of the factors that contributed to this tragedy. It also raises many other questions - about training, leadership and management.

"To prevent future deaths, we must answer those questions fully, but we must also take immediate action to ensure that these same questions never again lie at the heart of such a tragedy. We owe it to the families of the victims and the citizens of Washington state to understand what went wrong in the Thirtymile fire, and to ensure the safety of all firefighters in the future.

"At my request, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Forests and Public Land Management, has agreed to schedule a hearing to examine the Forest Service’s findings and recommendations, and to further investigate the factors that contributed to the tragic deaths of four courageous firefighters. I want to thank Chairman Wyden for his quick and decisive response to this important issue.

"According to the Forest Service report, these deaths were not caused by conflicts between national fire suppression policies and the Endangered Species Act, nor was this a case of faulty equipment. According to this investigation, these deaths occurred due to poor judgment at several critical junctures and a failure to follow established procedures. But such issues raise serious questions about possible defects in training, leadership and management - within the agency and on the fire line.

"After the Storm King Fire in 1994, both the Forest Service and OSHA completed investigations into the factors that contributed to the deaths of 14 firefighters. Both the Forest Service and OSHA reports also included recommendations as to how federal agencies could make conditions safer for the men and women who battle these blazes, and the agencies agreed to implement those changes.

"Among other improvements, OSHA recommended that the agencies develop and implement an occupational safety and health program for wildfire suppression activities; that there must be an increased level of oversight on incident management; that the agencies define their expectations for safe firefighting operations and share them with all firefighting personnel; that administrators ensure Incident Commanders are held directly accountable for safety; and that compliance with safety measures is strictly enforced.

"Given the findings and recommendations from the 1994 investigation, it is particularly troubling to seem many of the same issues raised again, seven years later, as causal and influencing factors in firefighter deaths.

"I look forward to thoroughly reviewing these issues with Forest Service officials during the upcoming hearing."