Jim Wright
Division Chief
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
9/12/2015
Special Act Award (Gold)
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On September 12, 2015, at approximately 2:00 p.m., California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Division Chief Jim Wright was off duty and at home when he was notified about the Valley Fire. He was assigned to be the Evacuation Group Supervisor and quickly went to work even though his personal home was immediately threatened.
Chief Wright drove into the path of the fire and started evacuating local residents when he heard a mayday call from the Boggs Mountain Helitack crew’s captain over the radio. During the initial attack on the Valley Fire, four of the eight member Helitack Base CAL FIRE Copter 104 became entrapped by a significant fire storm and had to use their emergency fire shelters to protect themselves. All four received second and third degree burns to their face, neck, back, legs, arms, and hands. Based on the captain’s description of their location, Chief Wright believed he knew where they were. He drove to the base of an access road and found four uninjured members of the eight member group. They quickly jumped in the truck with Chief Wright as he drove towards the four firefighters who were in danger.
Driving through fire and thick smoke, Chief Wright navigated up the road using burned trees as markers until he saw a clearing in the smoke and was able to distinguish the silver fire shelters in the distance. Chief Wright pulled up and the crew that arrived with him quickly loaded the burned firefighters into the back of his pickup. Chief Wright then drove them to a landing zone where the badly burned captain and firefighters were transferred to a CALFIRE helicopter and ultimately flown to the UC Davis Burn Center for treatment.
Chief Wright drove into the path of the fire and started evacuating local residents when he heard a mayday call from the Boggs Mountain Helitack crew’s captain over the radio. During the initial attack on the Valley Fire, four of the eight member Helitack Base CAL FIRE Copter 104 became entrapped by a significant fire storm and had to use their emergency fire shelters to protect themselves. All four received second and third degree burns to their face, neck, back, legs, arms, and hands. Based on the captain’s description of their location, Chief Wright believed he knew where they were. He drove to the base of an access road and found four uninjured members of the eight member group. They quickly jumped in the truck with Chief Wright as he drove towards the four firefighters who were in danger.
Driving through fire and thick smoke, Chief Wright navigated up the road using burned trees as markers until he saw a clearing in the smoke and was able to distinguish the silver fire shelters in the distance. Chief Wright pulled up and the crew that arrived with him quickly loaded the burned firefighters into the back of his pickup. Chief Wright then drove them to a landing zone where the badly burned captain and firefighters were transferred to a CALFIRE helicopter and ultimately flown to the UC Davis Burn Center for treatment.