Report: Arizona Forestry Division violated safety standards during Yarnell Hill Fire
Source: Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
The Arizona Industrial Commission has unanimously approved two major workplace-safety
citations against the Arizona Division of Forestry for its handling and oversight of Yarnell Hill Fire
that killed 19 hotshots near Prescott last summer.
Late Wednesday afternoon, the commission by a 4-0 vote also approved penalties totaling $559,000
against the agency for the citations, which noted a variety of workplace-safety infractions ranging
from inadequate fire-suppression planning to poor communications during the blaze.
The findings of fault are contained in a lengthy investigative report presented today to the
Industrial Commission by the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health. The commission
voted to accepted the recommendations on citations and penalties after a 2 ½-hour discussion
of the investigative report in a public meeting. Investigators recommended:
--A “willful serious” citation for putting protection of “non-defensible structures and pastureland”
in Yarnell ahead of firefighter safety. The citation says the forestry department “knew that
suppression of extremely active chaparral fuels was ineffective and that wind would push active
fire toward non-defensible structures.”
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/arizona/free/20131204arizona-wildfires-yarnell-safety-recommendations.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(AP)
PHOENIX (AP) -- An Arizona commission approved a nearly $560,000 fine on Wednesday
against the state Forestry Division in the deaths of 19 firefighters after an investigative
agency found that officials put protection of property ahead of safety and should have
pulled out crews earlier.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FIREFIGHTERS_KILLED?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
