Officials again blamed in 2 firefighters’ deaths

SALMON, Idaho – Fire managers have once again been blamed for the deaths of two young firefighters battling an eastern Idaho blaze in 2003, according to a federal report.

The findings released last week by the Office of the Inspector General, which oversees the Forest Service, show that poor judgment and numerous safety standard violations by Alan Hackett and other officers were responsible for the deaths of Jeff Allen, 24, of Salmon, and Shane Heath, 22, of Melba, in the Cramer Fire in the Salmon-Challis National Forest on July 22, 2003.

A previous report by the Forest Service and a separate investigative report released last year by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration included similar findings.

While the most recent report, released Friday, omits Hackett’s name, it said, “Had existing Forest Service fire suppression policies and tactics been followed in a prudent manner, particularly by the incident commander, the fatalities of Heath and Allen may have been prevented.”

The report shows fire officers in that ranger district were critical of Hackett’s boss, North Fork District Ranger Patty Bates. According to investigators, the aviation officer for the Salmon-Challis Forest said he told Bates to pull Hackett off the Cramer Fire hours before the two men were overtaken by fire while cutting a helicopter landing area in the Salmon-Challis National Forest.

The men were building the helicopter landing area on a ridge they had rappelled to just above the fire, where their visibility of the slopes – and the fire advancing toward them – was obscured by the topography and vegetation.

Bates, who is mentioned in the report by title rather than name, has since taken a job with the Forest Service in Montana.

Kent Fuellenbach, spokesman for the Salmon-Challis Forest, said the report opens some old wounds, but also “gives us an opportunity to make sure we’re doing the best we can to ensure the safety of firefighters.”

Hackett was fired by the Salmon-Challis National Forest in November, a month before he was placed on 18 months probation under an agreement with the U.S. Attorney. He could still face criminal charges if he fails to successfully comply with terms of the probation accepted under a pretrial diversionary agreement.