Fire Origins
Remember. Learn. Share.

On Protection of Towns from Fire — Benjamin Franklin, 1735

On Making Official History Honest — Kent Robert Greenfield, 1954

LCES—a Key to Safety in the Wildland Fire Environment — Paul Gleason, 1991

Attitude Check — Bill Fish, 1995

TriData Phase IV, “Developing a Cooperative Approach to Wildfire Protection” — Charles Perrow, 1998

Lessons From Thirtymile: Transition Fires And Fire Orders — Jerry Williams, 2001

Loop Fire Disaster Brief — November, 1966

1967 Task Force Report

• Preface
• Introduction
• Downhill Line Operations and “Chimneys”
• Communications
• Improve Scouting at All Critical Points
• Organization
• Protective Shelters
• Fire Protective Clothing
• Pre-Attack Planning and Construction
• Fuelbreak System
• Fire Behavior and Fire Research
• Appendix

2005 Fire Prevention and Safety grant application

• Synopsis and Budget
• Risk Assessment
• Evaluation
• Implementation Plan
• Justification

REPORT OF
THE FIRE SAFETY REVIEW TEAM

MARCH 1967

A PLAN TO FURTHER REDUCE
THE CHANCES OF MEN BEING BURNED WHILE FIGHTING FIRES

APPENDIX

1. Chief Cliff's memorandum transmitting the Loop Fire Analysis Group's Report and assigning the Fire Safety Review Team

2. Deputy chief Nelson's memorandum establishing objectives for the Fire Safety Review Team

3. List of tragedy fires for the past 30 years

4. Factors common to major tragedy fires

5. Progress in fire behavior knowledge since 1957

APPENDIX 1

We are sending you two copies of the report of the Fire Analysis Group which studied the tragedy on the recent Loop Fire in Southern California. This report will be of great interest to your fire control people and to other personnel.

All of us in the Forest Service are deeply affected by this tragedy. It occurred with an elite crew, tops in handling severe fire situations, which amplifies the blow to families, friends and the Service alike.

We are also including a supply of a brief which can be given wider distribution than the report. We do not have sufficient copies of the report to make wide distribution, but we do have a few additional copies. These can be given to those with a special interest in studying the accident more completely.

The report and especially the recommendations will form the basis for strengthening our fire control program, particularly, in several safety items. I have appointed the task force as recommended in the report and directed them to complete their work early this winter. This will enable us to use their recommendations in our training and other preparatory programs for the coming fire season.

The following will serve on this task force:

Special instructions for this group will be sent to the concerned Regions. We expect them to meet in Washington and to have their report available for our use before the end of February.

Edward P. Cliff

 

MSLowden/MMNelson: sm
11/30/66

APPENDIX 2

The Chief has appointed you to serve as chairman of the Fire Safety Review Team. In this capacity, you will be directing the team to meet the objective set by the Chief when he approved the Loop Fire Analysis Report:

“There is no way we can return the men lost in the recent tragedy. We must now provide for those others who depend upon our programs to give them the skills needed for their safe conduct.”

Your team activities should be related to the program developed by the fire task force of 1957 and the fire safety progress made since then. The recommendations made by the Loop Fire Analysis Group are guides for your work. These recommendations are broad and you must analyze them and specify what needs to be done to extend those benefits to firefighters throughout the Service. You should not limit your activities to implementing the analysis group's recommendations. In addition, you should weigh the benefits of all pertinent safety measures you identify. The end product of your Fire Safety Team's efforts should be a recommended action program to prevent men from being burned while fighting forest, grass and brush fires.

Yours is an important and far-reaching undertaking. To organize the team's activities, you should work with the Division of Fire Control and directly with each team member as necessary. Team members were assigned in Chief Cliff's memorandum of November 30, copy attached. It is our objective to have your recommended action program available to all regions prior to the 1967 western fire season.

For your advance preparation, the following materials are enclosed:

1. Copy of 1957 Task Force Report, 7/25/57

2. Copy of Chief's advance information memorandum of 6/28/57

3. Copy of Chief's memorandum of 8/16/57 transmitting Task Force Report.

4. Copy of pertinent section of Forest Service Training and Development Handbook (FSH 6141.16) which outlines desirable minumum fire training.

5. Copy of Chief's memorandum of transmittal and the Loop Fire Disaster Report.

/s/ M.M. Nelson

APPENDIX 3

List of Tragedy Fires of the Last 30 Years:

APPENDIX 4

Analysis of Principal Factors Common to
the Major Tragedy Fires in Last 60 years

C — Critical
NC — Not Critical
- — Not Pertinent

APPENDIX 5

PROGRESS IN FIRE BEHAVIOR KNOWLEDGE SINCE 1957