Mann Gulch fire

On August 5, 1949 13 firefighters died in a bushfire in the Man Gulch, a V-shaped valley (V- shaped valley ) in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness on the Upper Missouri River, in the U.S. state of Montana. The fire was handled by Norman Maclean in the book Young Men in the Fire (1994). The following summary is based on the summary of the American Karl E. Weick Organisiationspsychologen (The Collapse of Sensemaking in Organizations: The Mann Gulch disaster ). Maps and the findings of the Forest Service can be found in Richard C. Roth Ermels treatment of fire.

Expiration

On 4 August 1949, a fire was triggered in the Man Gulch probably due to lightning. By the following day, the fire had spread to a forest fire. As was customary at one unit of fire jumpers was alerted. Under the leadership of "Wag " Wagner Dodge climbed 16 experienced fire Springer 17-28 years of age, a Douglas C -47 in the direction of the fire. In a turbulent flight one of the men lost his nerve, returned by plane and quit the service immediately after landing.

The Smoke Jumper jumped around 16:10 with their equipment. The parachute of the radio failed and the device was destroyed. On the ground, gathered the team and met ranger Jim Harrison, the Dodge with the landscape became familiar while Dogdes deputy William Hellman as usual prior to any deployment took a meal with the team. Hellman was asked to lead the team on the other side of the valley, as Dodge and Harrison feared to be trapped in the dense woods on the south bank of the fire. Hellman led the team to the river, while Dodge and Harrison ate their meal. Then the two joined on the team and Dodge took the lead. In the descent looked Dodge that the fire had jumped the river about 200 meters (200 yards) in front of them. He turned around and ordered the flight. Until all the situation had captured, Dodge led the escape of uphill, while the fire with an estimated 550 meters per minute ( 610 yd / min) came on them.

Dodge ordered the tools to throw away, to go faster. No one obeyed the command. As Dodge realized that escape was hopeless, he stopped and lit the grass on front of him and ordered the men to lie down in the ashes of the fire escape. The technique is described, for example, by James Fenimore Cooper in his novel The Prairie. According to Daniel Dodge knew this practice is not as though he had forest fires but never fought prairie fires. No one obeyed the command, only Wagner Dodge confided in the counter-battery fire and so saved his life.

Two of the men - Sallee and Rumsey - remained close to each other and took over the ridge to safety. Hellman also reached the safe side, but died the following day his severe burns. Joseph Sylvia died shortly after the fire as a result of his severe burns.

The investigation of the fire by the Forest Service was not guilty. Complaints of the parents were rejected on Appeal Court. Nevertheless, the Forest Service, the procedures, the training and equipping of fire jumpers changed sustainable.

Analysis

The American psychologist Karl E. Weick organization investigated the accident in man Gulch, as the small organization and the meticulous preparation Macleans particularly suitable for the analysis. Weick explains the cause of the accident so that the simple organization of the smoke jumpers was weakened by the circumstances so far that the organization ceased to exist. At the same moment and also failed to understand the situation. She made for the men suddenly does not make sense anymore and she had no time to rediscover the meaning.

Follow

The U.S. Forest Service changed in the aftermath of man - Gulch - fire training, organization and equipment of the smoke jumpers. The nowadays carried protective tents ( " igloos ") and the now mandatory protective zones that are set up before use, rescued by subject opinion of many lives.

At the site of the accident a memorial to the victims was erected. The monument is listed since 19 May 1999, National Register of Historic Places under the number 99,000,596.

Under the influence of the incident, the film was shot The Red Skies of Montana with Richard Widmark in the title role (directed by Joseph M. Newman).