Firefighter Says He Feels Lucky To Be Alive

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Firefighter Says He Feels Lucky To Be Alive

Pine Fire Dozer burnover survivor, Craig Brown

SAN DIEGO -- A Cal Fire firefighter burned driving a tractor while fighting the 2,000-acre Pine Fire describes his horrifying ordea
Craig Brown was burned when the flames burned right over the tractor he was in on the front lines of the fire. He told NBC 7/39 that he remembers every moment of the incident like it was yesterday. "I really couldn't see any direction without seeing flame, so I had to make a decision right there," Brown said. "If I was going to live, I figured I had to get out."Brown was able to get out and was flown to the UCSD Burn Center for treatment, where he still is.
A firefighter NBC 7/39 spoke with said that in 32 years of fighting fires, he has never seen a tractor burned so badly. The vehicles are made out of solid steel and are self-contained and air-conditioned, which usually makes them the safest way to fight the flames up close.San Diego County has four fire bulldozers in the county and eight operators for them.
The wave of support for Brown has been immense -- among other things, Cal Fire flew his daughters down to be with him while he is hospitalized.
From his hospital bed, Brown told NBC 7/39 that he can't wait to get back to work."It's true that we're all a big family," Brown said. "It's true. I'm proud to work for them."Brown still has a long road ahead to his recovery, with continuing treatment to his hands and a few burn spots on his face.

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Saturday, September 22, 2007