DYLAN DARLING
Scripps Howard News Service

Before venturing into deep woods to battle summer blazes, federal firefighters this season will devise specific plans for rescuing severely injured co-workers.

The new attention to detail, prompted by the death of a rookie firefighter during fires that swept through California's north two years ago, may signal a major shift in federal firefighting strategy.

"They are really going to set up plans to get firefighters out within an hour," said Jim Milestone, superintendent of the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in California. "The idea is to get that person out of there."

This fire season the plans will be more detailed and focused on how to retrieve injured firefighters as quickly as possible.

In the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in California this year there will be an emphasis on continually creating fire plans that include "solid and effective" medical evacuation plans, said Jim Pena, the U.S. Forest Service's deputy regional forester for California.

The goal is to avoid another death like that of Andrew "Andy" Palmer.

Palmer, 18, of Port Townsend, Wash., died after an 8-foot section of pine tree fell on him while he fought a fire near Junction City in 2008.

Palmer's family and fire officials who reviewed a federal investigation of his death say it could have been prevented by a quicker medical response. The tree broke Palmer's left leg and severed his femoral artery, but Palmer lay on the ground for more than 2 1/2 hours as firefighters tried to figure out how to get him to a hospital.

A better rescue plan could have saved Palmer's life, said Milestone, who was a member of the federal team that investigated the death.

Building on the investigative report released last year, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group -- which is made up of representatives from federal firefighting agencies and sets standards for training, equipment and operation -- issued a memo in late May recommending improvements in medical responses during wildfires.

It focused on standardizing how firefighters from different agencies respond to a major injury during a fire, improving communication and regularly reviewing medical plans while a fire is being fought.

While the group's recommendations are just that, with no requirement or mandate for implementation, Bill Kaage, the group's chairman, said he believes fire crews around the country will adopt them.

"It may take time," he said. "But these aren't people who say they won't listen."

The question is whether the recommendations will result in an injured firefighter making it to a hospital within an hour. Medics call the first hour after an injury the "golden hour," with a person's best chances for survival hinging on whether they can get to a hospital within those 60 minutes.

"It's going to be pretty difficult," Milestone said, "but it's not impossible."

In fighting fire, crews often end up in remote forests. The deeper into the wilderness they go, the more complicated it is to get them out if something goes wrong, said George Chapman, who retired Thursday as a fire management officer.

He said the shift to more specific plans will lower the amount of time it takes to haul an injured firefighter out. But he said it will be rare for crews to do so in an hour or less.

"Even if you have the tools," Chapman said, "that would be difficult."

A 10-year veteran of wildland firefighting himself, Rob Palmer, 29, Andy Palmer's older brother, said he's glad to see the changes outlined in the memo. But he said more needs to happen to make firefighters safer in the field.

"It's a huge step in the right direction," he said. "We've got a long way to go."

Since his brother's death, Rob Palmer said he can't bring himself to fight a major fire until more changes are made to make conditions safer for firefighters. He's taken leave from the National Park Service and is now a law student at Seattle University as part of his effort to push for more changes.

"I don't want my family or co-workers to go through what they did with Andy again," Palmer said.

In addition to meeting with federal fire managers, Palmer drew a road map of where he thinks federal fire agencies need to go to improve the safety of their firefighters. His paper, the "Palmer Perspective," was released in January 2009 and made its way to other firefighters via e-mail and wildfire fighting blogs.

He said he continues to expand his ideas about the changes needed, but his focus remains on improving medical response to life-threatening injuries for firefighters in the field.

Given the dangers of firefighting, Palmer also argues for more emergency medical technicians (EMTs) on the fire line. He compares the profession to other dangerous occupations and pastimes.

While there is one EMT per 499 federal wildland firefighters, there is one EMT per eight to 16 soldiers and two to four EMTs per 22 high school football players, Palmer said.

He calls for a minimum of one field EMT for every 10 firefighters so there will be someone ready to respond to life-threatening injuries.

Fire crews also should have C-collars and backboards, crucial tools for moving a trauma patient, on their engines so they are prepared to transport an injured firefighter to a hospital, Palmer said.

"I think we can do it," he said.

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July 13, 2010