upper waypoint
The California Report

Firefighter Injured in Kincade Blaze Was Working for a Private Company

Cal/OSHA has launched an investigation into a severe burn injury the unidentified firefighter sustained after splashing himself with fuel while operating a chainsaw.
Ted Goldberg
Firefighters battle the Kincade Fire as it burns a barn on Oct. 27, 2019. A firefighter badly injured while battling the same fire on the same day was working for a private company. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

State workplace regulators said Wednesday they are investigating the serious injury of a private wildland firefighter that took place during the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County on Sunday.

The unidentified firefighter was employed by the Ashland, Oregon-based firm Pacific Oasis, which runs fire hand crews and conducts fire training. He was operating a chainsaw on Sunday when the device's fuel cap came off, splashing the man's pants with fuel, which then ignited from a nearby spot fire, according to California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA).

The Kincade Fire

The firefighter received second- and third-degree burns to his legs and was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, said Cal/OSHA spokesman Frank Polizzi.

It's unclear where exactly the incident took place. Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean said the injured firefighter was part of a hand crew working within the perimeter of the fire.

But unlike cases in which Cal Fire employees or workers employed by companies hired by the agency are injured during fire incidents, state fire officials do not plan to conduct safety reviews of the accident — reports known as blue and green sheets — McLean said.

An employee at Pacific Oasis declined to comment or identify the firefighter who was injured.

The lead advocacy group for public firefighters says private firefighters should not be involved in battling big wildfires.

"Our overall view of private firefighting companies is that they are not first responders and should not be viewed as such," said Carroll Wills, spokesman for the California Professional Firefighters.

"Their appropriate place is in fire prevention, pre-incident preparation and fuels mitigation, not in direct firefighting or emergency response," Wills said.

Some private fire crews do that kind of preventative work for insurers that offer expensive homeowner insurance plans. But several insurance executives said that Pacific Oasis was not used in that capacity.

It's unclear who hired Pacific Oasis firefighters. State officials who have coordinated the response to the Kincade Fire say they did not hire the company to help battle the blaze.

"Cal OES only coordinates with local governments," said Jonathan Gudel, a spokesman for the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

lower waypoint
next waypoint
Player sponsored by