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Release No. FS-0410s |
Contact: |
Heidi Valetkevitch, (202) 205-1089
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by
USDA Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth
OSHA’s Investigation Report of the Cramer Fire
April 1, 2004
On April 1, 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Forest Service received U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety
and Health Administration’s (OSHA) investigation report regarding
two Forest Service firefighters, Jeff Allan and Shane Heath, who
lost their lives July 22, 2003 in the Cramer Fire on the Salmon-Challis
National Forest in central Idaho. OSHA levied five violations against
the Forest Service. A statement by USDA Forest Chief Bosworth follows:
“I take these violations very seriously and believe that
safety must absolutely be our highest priority. I have instructed
agency fire managers to take a hard look at OSHA’s report.
While OSHA’s findings are similar to the Forest Service’s
own investigation of earlier this year, the Forest Service will
develop a separate Hazard Abatement Plan to address the hazards
and violations listed in the citations.
“We have five action items in the Cramer Accident Prevention
Action Plan. To date, the agency has made progress on all of the
items and has nearly completed one since Jan. 6. We will have the
majority of the items incorporated into the wildland fire community
before this year’s fire season in the west.
“In addition to a USDA Inspector General investigation, the
regional office (Ogden, Utah) has begun an investigation into the
conduct and performance of employees in charge of suppression efforts
during the Cramer Fire.
“The Forest Service will continue to work at all levels--firefighters,
fireline supervisors, fire program managers and line officers--to
make changes in the way it fights wildfires and improves safety
to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.”
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