RV firefighters experience 'near miss' in California - FH Times
The team -- led by crew chief Jeff Staples, firefighter engineer Jamie Hughes and firefighter paramedic Nate Malmrose -- took the RV Fire District’s Type 3 engine to Kalmath National Forest. They were called not to fight a specific fire, but to fill a slot for an engine that had been sent to Washington State to fight fire. On Saturday, July 4, a storm with active lightning moved through the forest and a lightning strike with reported smoke was called out near Jackson Creek. They left about 6:30 p. m. Peaks in the Kalmath forest reach up to 9,000 feet and the road around the mountain they were traversing was a narrow “two track” barely wide enough for the engine. The slow, careful assent involved Forest Service crew members in smaller trucks ahead moving to clear brush to allow the engine to pass. Staples and Malmrose repeatedly had to get out of the truck and guide Hughes through narrow spots as daylight began to wane. When he returned to the truck Staples rolled up the window to prevent the brush from coming through and slapping him. Very soon after rolling up the window the tree crashed through window, passing just in front of Staples and stopping just inches short of Hughes’ seat. Source: www.fhtimes.com
