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The Yarnell Hill Fire and Cohesive Strategy

This blog covers the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire and how it relates to the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (USFS, 2018). 

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Photo Credit: USFS 2013

The Yarnell Hill Fire

The Granite Mountain Hotshots responded to the Yarnell Hill Fire on June 30, 2013. While fighting the fire, the Granite Mountain Hotshots changed their position, the wind shifted, and 43 mph wind gusts started coming from the opposite direction. No other units that day knew exactly where the Granite Mountain Hotshots were. Sadly, 19 wildland firefighters lost their lives that day (Gilderman, Katz, & Efran, 2013). It was a tragedy for our community and is still remembered in countless ways in our town.

The National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy

The Yarnell Hill Fire can be examined under the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. Explained in a USFS 2018 video, cohesive strategy promotes, “1) Resilient Landscapes, 2) Fire adapted communities, and 3) Safe and effective wildfire response” (USFS, 2018). Cohesive strategy allows stakeholders to work together to treat the big picture of wildfire, including the community and the landscape.

Yarnell’s Landscape & Community

When examining the town and the area surrounding Yarnell, I would not classify the landscape as resilient due to prolonged periods of fire suppression and a lack of species composition and diversity. However, I would classify them as a “fire adapted community” due to the firewise properties as the norm and the involvement of the Prescott Area Wildland-Urban Interface Commission. It has been promoting community education and outreach in the greater Prescott-area communities, including Yarnell, for the past 30 years. This organization is a great example of cohesive wildland fire management strategy in action because it allows for all stakeholders to work together to build more resilient landscapes and communities (PAWUIC, 2020). 

Safe and Effective Wildfire Response

Regarding safe and effective wildfire response, Senator Cantwell’s (2019) Wildfire Management Technology Advancement Act came to mind, which requires all firefighters by the 2021 fire season to have GPS locators. If this policy was the industry standard in 2013, the IC could have located and saved these 19 lives. Another technique that Prescott NF could utilize moving forward stems from the 204 Cow Fire. In a video by the USFS (2019), “The 204 Cow Fire achieved multiple objectives, including 1)improving forest health and 2) creating spaces where firefighters have better options to control future fires.” If Prescott-area forests had more treated areas and designated safe areas for firefighters “to control future fires,” perhaps we could better manage our forests, as well as firefighter safety, and prevent future incidents such as the devastating Yarnell Hill Fire.

References

Cantwell, M. (2019). Firefighters One Step Closer to New Technology to Stop Wildfires, Stay Safe. Retrieved from https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/-firefighters-one-step-closer-to-new-technology-to-stop-wildfires-stay-safe

Gilderman, G, Katz, N, & Efran, S. (2013). America Burning: The Yarnell Hill tragedy and the nation’s wildfire crisis [Video]. The Weather Channel. Youtube. https://youtu.be/begTiksUwqc

Prescott Area Wildland Urban Interface Commission (PAWUIC). (2020). Yavapai Firewise. Retrieved from https://yavapaifirewise.org/

U.S. Forest Service (USFS). (2019). Playing with fire [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6QfMdKCkzE

U.S. Forest Service (USFS). (2018). Cohesive strategies stakeholders perspectives [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/Xy06f0YZPt8

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29 replies on “The Yarnell Hill Fire and Cohesive Strategy”

Hi Elise,
Thanks for another beautifully organized post. I was interested to read of the various fire risk mitigations the Yarnell community has incorporated. I didn’t know that WUI commissions exist for communities, and it seems like a crucial resource developed from a combination of first-hand experience and public education campaigns. I’ll be interested now to see if my local communities have something similar.
It was also interesting to view the Yarnell Hill fire in terms of newer safety strategies like the GPS locators and strategic treated areas. It’s hard to think about the possible different outcome if these strategies had been used on Yarnell, but I’m hopeful that they will improve future wildfire operations.
Best,
Ann

I thought this blog did a great job pulling together several acts and strategies and relating them together. Along with using the Yarnell Hill fire as an example. I liked that you brought up that the Prescott area has actively been involved with creating safer urban-interfaces and that this is an important part to cohesive wildland fire management strategy. I also learned that about the new Wildfire Management Technology Advancement Act. This seems to be a very progressive act and will hopefully create safer environments for firefighters.

This was a great blog. The Yarnell Hill fire has always been of interest to me, as I was born and raised in Arizona and I remember the events of this fire very clearly. There were several things that went wrong on that tragic day, but there were also a lot of actions that could have been taken to mitigate the damages and potentially saved the lives of the 19 members of the hotshot crew. I did not know that the Prescott Area Wildland-Urban Interface Commission had been promoting fire education and outreach for the past 30 years. I also did not know about the Wildfire Management Technology Advancement Act which I think is absolutely amazing. Requiring GPS locators is an incredible improvement in fire technology and will have the ability to save so many lives. From the tragic events of the Yarnell Hill fire, we have learned so much and have been able to make improvements to fire policies and management techniques to provide and safer and healthier environment for the forests, firefighters, and our communities.

You may classify Yarnell in 2020 as an almost “in progress to achieve” as a “fire adapted community” due to the firewise properties as the norm as you call it and I would need to see records of the involvement of the Prescott Area Wildland-Urban Interface Commission yet I beg of the common civilian to PLEASE fact check and verify. I performed one third of the defensible space after June 30, 2013 to that town for free which most is grown back because I am not there to maintain it and it is possibly now over one third of the town is dead in 2020 since the fire. Is that because fire or the retardant and that requires a case study. I ask you for I pulled the public records (PRR) long time ago and continue to and Prescott Area Wildland-Urban Interface Commission (PAWUIC) was one area I pulled so if you got records showing the PAWUIC did do that then I would need to fact check and verify or you show the world here and I scratch my head why and how you have such records of such yet I dont when I formally asked for them… I am all for PAWUIC just need to fact check and verify and properly document when tying it to an article or blog for “credit of work” to a town. I do have the public records and grant fuel abatements that was done before June 30, 2013 as well as after and current Arizona State Prevention and Mitigation Officer Aaron Casem and Bruce Olsen ( who was on YHF ) and some others took part of Fuel Abatements in that town yet I want people to GOOGLE EARTH / YAVAPAI ASSESSOR GIS ARCHIVAL MAPPING to see for yourselves Yarnell before June 30 2013 then go to now to see exactly where the fuel abatement was done because some long time homeowners are ticked off that they cut trees and chaparral yet never removed the dead making it much more fuel for the next fire right next to their home right there in the center to the town so was the abatement successful? Some areas yet I can show you today where they did work and the mass of cut debris sits as dead fuel for that next fire right on the border of homeowners properties and that’s dangerous especially with children under five living in those homes. Children matter. Elders matter. We matter even if most of us died after YHF. Call Aaron Carem at 602 499 4271 and ask him what areas he did and match it up what PAWUIC’s work when you pull the records. I saw Aaron’s crew working as an eyewitness in 2016 yet I have the records too. When one talks about WUI … I can name many of hazard trees – snag areas that to this day are left there so yes a serious “WORK IN PROGRESS” you may claim but no the town is not bonafied to be “THERE” yet on really being a firewise area…but then again the quals are minimal right to be certified such
Declaring yourself as a Firewise community is easy doing the work to actually achieve Firewise status is much more difficult and labor intensive. To me a Firewise adapted community either does their self care or truly use the grant funds not just get them and not use them and there is such records of that and you can get them from Bill Boyd at Arizona State Forestry (AZDFFM) and if they kept some of the records as well at Yarnell FD and Peeples Valley FD. I have those too. Now, please do not place pride of Firewising a town that still needs a real cleaning up. I am not just the housewife hiker to that area who was with the GMHS on the Weavers June 30, 2013 and live to talk about it but I am also making sure the aftermath is documented well for the children of those young men so any blogs or articles I will always say “show sources and resources” how an article or blog message came to be…I am certified in some areas we are talking about too and I have some real time WUI and mitigation I did and I spent doing it under some of the longest running bosses and Superintendents in the field of Wildland Fire and Forest Service. Local Community I speak to all of you in Arizona..it is a free course … please call Aaron today and SIGN UP … I need a variety of names and towns to get on Aaron’s list…

Aaron Carem says due to the COVID 19 he will let us know the new dates.

Now if I can get a variety of folks all over Arizona sign up FREE to the Community and Home Assessment class.

The class is free and 2 to 3 days…called: “Assessing Wildfire Hazards in the Home Ignition Zone”, or equivalent training, you can get the Department of Forestry and Fire Management’s Firewise USA ™ training I highly recommend anyone to take.

Classes will be scheduled throughout Arizona

Please sign up today. The more education for the people, the better. Serious.

In closing, the talk about tracking and technology… that to date was the hardest for me to do … to give the GMHS loved ones the tech tools in person in Private where the GMHS were actually vs just listening to the SAIT SAIR ( Yarnell Hill Fire Serious Accident Investigation Report ) … hardest moment yet to my life. The difficult right thing to do. I did that. Very hard.

Thank you for being here. We need more public involvement.

My bad. I am on Mr. Schoeffler’s cell. I put my name in NAME FIELD. His cell defaulted back to his name. I am instructing with him at the college Wildland Fire courses. I am Joy A Collura. Webmaster please remove last comment.
Here is Joy’s comment:
You may classify Yarnell in 2020 as an almost “in progress to achieve” as a “fire adapted community” due to the firewise properties as the norm as you call it and I would need to see records of the involvement of the Prescott Area Wildland-Urban Interface Commission yet I beg of the common civilian to PLEASE fact check and verify. I performed one third of the defensible space after June 30, 2013 to that town for free which most is grown back because I am not there to maintain it and it is possibly now over one third of the town is dead in 2020 since the fire. Is that because fire or the retardant and that requires a case study. I ask you for I pulled the public records (PRR) long time ago and continue to and Prescott Area Wildland-Urban Interface Commission (PAWUIC) was one area I pulled so if you got records showing the PAWUIC did do that then I would need to fact check and verify or you show the world here and I scratch my head why and how you have such records of such yet I dont when I formally asked for them… I am all for PAWUIC just need to fact check and verify and properly document when tying it to an article or blog for “credit of work” to a town. I do have the public records and grant fuel abatements that was done before June 30, 2013 as well as after and current Arizona State Prevention and Mitigation Officer Aaron Casem and Bruce Olsen ( who was on YHF ) and some others took part of Fuel Abatements in that town yet I want people to GOOGLE EARTH / YAVAPAI ASSESSOR GIS ARCHIVAL MAPPING to see for yourselves Yarnell before June 30 2013 then go to now to see exactly where the fuel abatement was done because some long time homeowners are ticked off that they cut trees and chaparral yet never removed the dead making it much more fuel for the next fire right next to their home right there in the center to the town so was the abatement successful? Some areas yet I can show you today where they did work and the mass of cut debris sits as dead fuel for that next fire right on the border of homeowners properties and that’s dangerous especially with children under five living in those homes. Children matter. Elders matter. We matter even if most of us died after YHF. Call Aaron Carem at 602 499 4271 and ask him what areas he did and match it up what PAWUIC’s work when you pull the records. I saw Aaron’s crew working as an eyewitness in 2016 yet I have the records too. When one talks about WUI … I can name many of hazard trees – snag areas that to this day are left there so yes a serious “WORK IN PROGRESS” you may claim but no the town is not bonafied to be “THERE” yet on really being a firewise area…but then again the quals are minimal right to be certified such
Declaring yourself as a Firewise community is easy doing the work to actually achieve Firewise status is much more difficult and labor intensive. To me a Firewise adapted community either does their self care or truly use the grant funds not just get them and not use them and there is such records of that and you can get them from Bill Boyd at Arizona State Forestry (AZDFFM) and if they kept some of the records as well at Yarnell FD and Peeples Valley FD. I have those too. Now, please do not place pride of Firewising a town that still needs a real cleaning up. I am not just the housewife hiker to that area who was with the GMHS on the Weavers June 30, 2013 and live to talk about it but I am also making sure the aftermath is documented well for the children of those young men so any blogs or articles I will always say “show sources and resources” how an article or blog message came to be…I am certified in some areas we are talking about too and I have some real time WUI and mitigation I did and I spent doing it under some of the longest running bosses and Superintendents in the field of Wildland Fire and Forest Service. Local Community I speak to all of you in Arizona..it is a free course … please call Aaron today and SIGN UP … I need a variety of names and towns to get on Aaron’s list…

Aaron Carem says due to the COVID 19 he will let us know the new dates.

Now if I can get a variety of folks all over Arizona sign up FREE to the Community and Home Assessment class.

The class is free and 2 to 3 days…called: “Assessing Wildfire Hazards in the Home Ignition Zone”, or equivalent training, you can get the Department of Forestry and Fire Management’s Firewise USA ™ training I highly recommend anyone to take.

Classes will be scheduled throughout Arizona

Please sign up today. The more education for the people, the better. Serious.

In closing, the talk about tracking and technology… that to date was the hardest for me to do … to give the GMHS loved ones the tech tools in person in Private where the GMHS were actually vs just listening to the SAIT SAIR ( Yarnell Hill Fire Serious Accident Investigation Report ) … hardest moment yet to my life. The difficult right thing to do. I did that. Very hard.

Thank you for being here. We need more public involvement.

Please check out this cogent and very thorough July 2013 research paper by Peter Morrison and George Wooten titled: Analysis and Comments on the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona and the Current Fire Situation in the United States with the Pacific Biodiversity Institute.

Citation: Morrison P.H. and George Wooten. 2013. Analysis and Comments on the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona and the Current Fire Situation in the United States. Pacific Biodiversity Institute, Winthrop, Washington. 34 pp.

“The Yarnell Hill Fire burned through chaparral shrublands. It was not a forest fire. ”

“The fact that the Yarnell Hill Fire grew out of control was predictable. … There was extreme fire weather during the fire coupled with very dry vegetation as a result of long-term drought, high temperatures, intense sunshine and persistent winds. Unfortunately, it appears that insufficient attention was placed on the critical warning signals of extreme fire weather and fuel conditions, leading to an unfortunate loss of lives. ”

“We concluded that the residential communities of Glen Ilah and Yarnell were not well prepared for wildfire. It is no surprise that over 100 homes burned.”

“Tragedies like the Yarnell Hill Fire are preventable.”

“Most importantly, to prevent a tragedy like the 19 deaths that occurred on the Yarnell Hill Fire, citizens and elected officials need to be much more careful about deploying firefighters in extremely hazardous situations where they are risking their lives to protect property. … We need to learn … to put young men and women in situations where they have [a strong] hope of survival.”

“There needs to be a thorough, independent investigation of all the factors that contributed to this tragedy. The rational and wisdom of deploying of a hotshot crew in this chaparral covered valley during extreme fire weather needs to be addressed by this investigation.”

Unfortunately, the Serious Accident Investigation Team (SAIT) did a shoddy job investigating this tragedy and concluded that “the Granite Mountain firefighters [GMHS] were fully trained and qualified, and they ‘followed all standards and guidelines’ … Of the broader effort, the report found that the incident commanders made reasonable decisions.”

The report’s authors “found no indication of negligence, reckless actions, or violations of policy or protocol.” So then, that means everybody, especially the GMHS, did everything right. How is it possible to do everything right and 19 GMHS died in one fell swoop?

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