Multi-Agency Rescue

Hualapai Mtn Rd / Lazy Y U -

On April 24, 2016 at 2:41 pm, firefighters from Station 51 received an alarm for an ATV accident near mile marker 5 on Hualapai Mtn Rd. Brush 516 and Batt. 5 arrived on scene with MCSO to find a male walking around his ATV with visible injuries. The patient advised his wife was still approximately 1.5 miles up the trail near the peak with a possible back injury. Brush 516 EMT took patient care of the male, while Batt. 5 made his way to the second patient with Mohave County Search and Rescue. B516 Captain established Lazy Y U Command and DPS Ranger 42 was requested out of Flagstaff, Az for a potential short haul operation. MCSO Sam 45 arrived on scene and Unified Command was established for the incident.

Batt. 5 made contact with the patient and confirmed short haul would be needed to remove the patient off the mountain. Batt. 5 provided patient care with AMR Paramedic and began packaging the patient for short haul out to Haluapai Mtn Rd. After a short flight, Ranger 42 had the patient on the ground on where she was transported by ground to Kingman Regional Medical Center in stable condition. The entire incident took roughly 3 hours and no other injuries were reported.

Story by Captain Ron Hood / Pinion Pine Fire District
Photos/Video by Engineer Chris Shaffer, Captain Ron Hood  / Pinion Pine Fire District

Semi Fire Causes Delays on Intertstate 40

Interstate 40 -

On May 20, 2015, around 8:48 AM, Pinion Pine firefighters were dispatched to mile marker 61 eastbound on Interstate 40 for a reported semi fire. This brought the response of one Engine and a Chief Officer. While in route, a large column was visible from Fire Station 52, at this time Battalion 5 requested a water tender from Kingman Fire Department. Once on scene, Battalion 5 advised of a semi on the shoulder roughly 50% involved with extension into the brush. A second Engine from Pinion Pine was dispatched while crews began fire operations as well as an engine from Kingman BLM. The fire was knocked down and a loader from the Arizona Department of Transportation overturned the vehicle to gain better access to the load on fire.

Truck load was strawberries

Crews remained on scene for roughly 2 hours to overhaul the fire, a Pinion Pine Rescue unit was dispatched for rehab and air support. During the incident, Interstate 40 was closed for roughly 45 minutes and reduced to the high speed lane for 3 hours once it was re-opened. The incident caused quiet the back up, extending over ten miles into the City of Kingman. The cause of the fire was undetermined, although the driver stated his refrigeration unit on the front of his trailer blew up and fire was everywhere. No injuries were reported during the incident.

 

This fire represents how invaluable our mutual aid agreements are with the City of Kingman as well as the other neighboring fire jurisdictions and we would like to acknowledge them for their assistance. These agreements allow us to maximize our manpower and provide for better public and firefighter safety when needed without taxing one organizations resources to its limits.

Agencies assisting on this incident included WT218 (Kingman), Battalion 2 (Kingman) and E3663 (Kingman BLM). Pinion Pine units included, E523, E521, R525 and Battalion 5. ADOT and DPS provided traffic control.

Article by Captain Ron Hood
Photos by Firefighter Sean Osterman

Quick Attack on RV Fire

Kingman, Az -

On July 12, 2014 at 7:30 AM, Pinion Pine firefighters received an alarm for a commercial vehicle fire at exit 59 on Interstate 40 which brought the response of Engine 511, Brush 526 and Chief 501. Additional information was received, stating the fire was going to be in an RV not a commercial vehicle. The first unit arrived on scene in 4 minutes, just south of Interstate 40 on DW Ranch Rd to find an RV with smoke and fire showing from the front door.

 

Firefighters from B526 pulled an 1-1/2 inch attack line and made entry into the RV, quickly knocking the fire down. Control was obtained in 10 minutes and firefighters from E511 performed overhaul. Unfortunately, much of the RV was destroyed by smoke and fire damage. The cause of the fire was undetermined after investigation and no injuries were reported.

Story by Lieutenant Ron Hood, Pinion Pine Fire District
Photos by Captain Gail Jackson, Pinion Pine Fire District

Late Season Winter Weather Causes Rollover

DW Ranch Rd -

On April 26, 2014 around 7:30 am, firefighters received a call for a possible rollover accident on DW Ranch Rd near the 2 mile marker which brought the response of a structure engine, a brush engine and a Chief. B516 and C501 were first to arrive on scene to a SUV on its side blocking northbound DW Ranch Rd. Firefighters made contact with the driver who self extricated himself and stated he was uninjured. E521 continued to the scene to check for vehicle hazards and assist with traffic control on the slippery and blind corner.

The cause of the accident was determined to be driver error, he stated while driving north on DW Ranch Rd, the roadway was covered with snow, when he approached the turn, the road appeared to continue straight which was actually a wash. Once he entered the wash he quickly realized the road went to the right, which caused him to over correct and begin sliding in the snow then striking an embankment, flipping his vehicle.

Story by Lieutenant Ron Hood, Pinion Pine Fire District
Photo by Firefighter Aaron Volk, Pinion Pine Fire District

Firefighters Perform Odd Extrication

Getz Ranch - 

Its not everyday that firefighters have to use their extrication skills but the principles remain the same. On April 9, 2014 at 8:18 am, firefighters from Fire Station 51 and Fire Station 52 were dispatched to the area of Getz Ranch Rd and DW Ranch Rd for cattle stuck in a cattle guard. E521 arrived to find a bull with 3 legs trapped in the cattle guard and beginning to get tired. Crews assessed the situation and determined the best way to remove the bull would be to attempt to use extrication tools. Permission was granted from the ranch to do what was needed to the cattle guard to free the animal.

Firefighters from E521 and B516 deployed both cutters and spreaders, initially trying to simply spread the bars apart enough for the legs to free. It quickly became evident that that was not going to be enough, so crews used cutters and began cutting each end of the bars to widen the space. Firefighters had to work quickly to free all 3 legs rapidly so the animal would not try get up partially freed.

Firefighter Kris Schmidt is seen using hydraulic cutters to remove bars from the cattle guard

Crews were able to successfully remove enough material to allow the bull to step out of the cattle guard. Personnel stood back and waited for roughly 10 minutes for the bull to climb out. Upon observation, it appears the animal will be just fine, acquiring only scrapes and some sore muscles.

Story by Lieutenant Ron Hood, Pinion Pine Fire District

Photos by Engineer Heath Markley and Firefighter Kris Schmidt, Pinion Pine Fire District

Vegetation Fire Brings Multi-Agency Response

Lazy Y U -

On May 25, 2013 around 3:15 pm, Kingman Alarm received reports of a brushfire near milepost 4 on Hualapai Mountain rd near the camping area. This brought the response of:

• Kingman E241, B246 and Batt. 2
• Pinion Pine E523, B516 and C501
• BLM E3330

Units arrived in the area with a half acre brush fire in a drainage north of Hualapai Mountain rd near a recreation area. Resources began suppressing the fire and were able to contain it quickly. Command was passed over to BLM and fire department resources cleared the scene. Last year, this same area fueled a 6 acre brushfire that was started from individuals discharging fire arms. This fire was also started this way. The area is a popular target practice area just east of the city limits and also a popular camping area which makes it ideal. The downfall is this area is also very dry with light flashy fuels which means fire starts easy and spreads rapidly.

Firefighters from E523 and B516 gather after completing mop up.

Although there are currently no restrictions on BLM lands regarding discharging fire arms, we encourage the community to wait until reasonable conditions exist. The Hualapai Mountains are a critical fire zone for the 2013 season and hot, dry, windy days like this day are all it takes to fuel an aggressive brush fire.

 

Photo and Article by Lt. Ron Hood

Firearms Spark 4.5 Acre Brushfire

On May 6, 2012 at 11:55 AM, an alarm was recieved for a brushfire 1/2 a mile north of milepost 4 on Hualapai Mtn Rd. E516 and C501 arrived on scene to find a 3.5 acre brush fire with a slow rate of spread and occasional single tree torching. Crews began cutting line and additional resources were requested. Kingman Fire Battalion 2, B246 and BLM  E3664 and E3665 were dispatched. At 3:31 PM the fire was transferred to BLM and all other units cleared the scene. The fire was held to 4.3 acres.



Single trees torching as the fire moves up the drainage

 

Bystanders on scene reported they were shooting firearms when one round sparked the fire, they tried to extinguish the fire with their water cooler but were unable to put it out. A 10-15 mph wind assisted in the growth of the fire in an area with scattered grass and brush. This incident is a reminder that the fuels in our area are dry and fire rapidly develops. Caution should be used when using firearms in an area that has fuels nearby, even bullets can start brushfire that can easily get out of control on windy days.

Chief Jackson and Firefighter Chris Braudaway cutting fireline

Units Respond To Rollover On Hualapai Mtn Rd

On December 30, 2011 at 12:03 PM, an alarm was received for a motor vehicle rollover on Hualapai Mtn Rd near mile marker 7. E516 arrived on scene to find a single vehicle that had left the roadway and rolled down a 50 foot embankment onto a lower ledge, landing upright. The vehicle was occupied by five patients, all stating they were not injured. E523 and Chief 501 arrived on scene and began care on the remainder of the occupants. All of the patients were assessed and received medical care for minor injuries on scene but refused transportation to the hospital. All of the occupants claimed their seatbelts were on during the incident.

The vehicle sustained moderate damage to the roof and
passenger side.

Article Submitted by: Firefighter/EMT Ron Hood

Photos Submitted by: Firefighter/EMT Brad Shuffler & Ron Hood

Smoke Detector Proves Its Worth

The motto often used for smoke detectors is "A sound you can live with" and this may have been just the case. On December 18, 2011 at 2:12 AM, an alarm was recieved for a residential fire alarm activation at a McLane Way residence. Upon the arrival of Engine 511, no smoke was visible but the residents were outside of the structure. Crews made entry into the smoke filled structure and located the origin of the fire. A pile of rags that had cleaning solution on them had spontaneously combusted on the dining room table and began filling the house with toxic smoke. The items were removed from the residence while crews began ventilation of the structure. The occupants were assessed at the scene and released with no injuries.

When talking to the homeowners they stated "That's worth the $20 dollars a month" referring to the cost of the alarm system which is monitored by Southwest Alarm Services. "We didn't smell the smoke, the fire alarm is what woke us up and the smoke was just so thick, it burned our eyes" He said.

Crews remained on scene for approximately 3 hours until the home was safe to re-enter. No other damages or injuries were sustained from the incident. This incident is a reminder to check your smoke detectors/carbon monoxide detectors and make sure they are in working condition, they might just make the difference.

Article Submitted by Firefighter Ron Hood