Fire suit seeks rangers’ names

BOISE – A group filing a lawsuit in Montana rejects claims by the U.S. Forest Service that it can withhold identities of employees directly involved in a 2003 Idaho wildfire that killed two firefighters.

To get the information, Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics sued the Forest Service on Thursday in federal court in Missoula, Mont.

Shane Heath, 22, of Melba, and Jeff Allen, 24, of Salmon, died last July 22 after they were left in the path of the Cramer fire in the Salmon-Challis National Forest.

Andy Stahl, executive director of the employee group, said that the “Accident Investigation Factual Report” compiled by the agency on every previous fire death has disclosed all information.

“The Forest Service named names and said who did what out on the fire, who broke safety rules and who the players were,” Stahl said. “The Cramer fire is the first time in its history that it whited-out the names for all those employees.”

A number of the fire bosses involved have been identified by other means, but not everyone connected with the blaze.

Salmon-Challis officials said they had not seen the lawsuit and declined comment.

Allen and Heath were members of the Indianola Helitack Crew. They were dropped off on a ridge and were attempting to cut down trees to create a helicopter landing site when they were overcome by smoke and then flames.

A Forest Service report released last January said the two were not warned of the area’s potential for extreme fire danger, they were confused about the availability of helicopters and other firefighting resources and they were working under inadequate leadership.

But the report removed names and other identifying information about crew members directly involved. In May, Regional Forester Jack Troyer said the six faced disciplinary action.

The suit filed this week said the employees group formally sought the names under the Freedom of Information Act, but the Forest Service withheld them as “personnel and medical files and similar files” subject to privacy protections.

“We’re looking for the document that says who did what after the Cramer fire and that’s not a personnel issue,” he said.

Stahl said the January report was compiled in Missoula, so that is where the suit was filed.

Some key managers cited in the investigation were identified from other documents.

Investigators concluded that Cramer Fire incident commander Alan Hackett violated all 10 standard orders to ensure firefighters operate safely, including posting lookouts, identifying escape routes and paying attention to weather. Hackett still works for the Salmon/Challis forest in a non-fire related job.

Then-Forest Supervisor George Matejko and North Fork/Middle Fork District Ranger Patty Bates were cited for lack of oversight and direction of Hackett. Matejko is working in Washington, D.C., as an assistant to Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth. Bates is in the agency’s state and private forest division in Montana.