US Forest Service

An employee working as a contracted firefighter was using a bulldozer to push back an active fire line when they became entrapped in flames, resulting in first- and second-degree burns.

An employee had been assisting fire crews with an active wildfire. The employee suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized for surgery.

On June 22, 2023, a crew was hiking and clearing trails while heading to an avalanche area to remove trees. The crew came across a tree that was 10-inches in diameter and suspended above ground across the trail. The injured employee used a hand saw to cut the tree. The tree was tangled with another tree, causing it to kick up and strike the injured employee. She fell to the ground and became pinned to a log, resulting in a puncture wound to the leg and lung damage that required hospitalization.

An employee was receiving an overview on how to clean out a piece of the top dressing machine when it gets jammed with pearlite. The employee went to feel the roller grooves when the machine activated and amputated his right index fingertip.

An employee was riding a mule up a trail. The mule lost its footing, and it and the employee tumbled down the mountain. The employee suffered a broken sternum, six broken ribs, and lacerations to the head and arm.

An employee was driving a tractor to create a burn line. The tractor stalled. The employee was forced to flee through a burning field and suffered burns to his hands, arms, knees, legs, and face (about 27 percent burns overall). He was hospitalized.

A blister on a wildland firefighter's hand became infected. He was hospitalized.

While actively suppressing a spot fire, a forest service employee was moving downhill when they lost their footing and fell contacting a large rock which resulted in a fractured femur.

Three firefighters were hospitalized for burns while fighting a forest fire.

An EMT was responding to a grass fire and went into a home to evacuate it. The employee suffered smoke inhalation and was hospitalized.

A smoke jumper parachuted out of a helicopter during a forest fire response, landed on steep rugged terrain, and suffered femur and rib fractures and a liver laceration. The employee was hospitalized.

Employees were troubleshooting dual duct detectors in a room. The injured employee was on the second rung from the top of a forward-facing 12-foot A-frame ladder. He was reinstalling the duct detector in the furthest duct from him (18 inches). When he pushed the duct detector into the existing holes, the duct broke free and fell, striking his back and shoulders. He was knocked forward over the ladder and fell to the floor. The employee sustained a head injury.

An employee was descending an 8-foot A-frame ladder when he tripped over the fourth step/rung and fell, contacting the floor and a sprinkler pipe that was set on the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his left arm.

An employee working as a contracted firefighter was using a bulldozer to push back an active fire line when they became entrapped in flames, resulting in first- and second-degree burns.

An employee was engaging in daily physical training in preparation for fire season as a smokejumper. The employee sustained swelling and stiffness in their arms and was hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis.

An employee was fixing an issue with seed cleaning equipment when he slipped on the ladder he was on. He went to catch himself and his hand went into a moving belt and pulley on the cleaner. The employee sustained the amputation of his right middle and index fingertips just below the fingernails.

An employee was riding an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) to move a bison herd. He was riding up the side of a steep hill when the ATV struck a rock and rolled, ejecting the employee before rolling over him. The employee suffered broken vertebrae in his back that required hospitalization.

An employee was clearing out dirt from an underground pipe when he was bitten by a rattlesnake on his hand.

An employee was climbing in the spreader area to remove a pasta jam when his right little finger was cut by the rotary cut-off knife. The employee sustained a laceration and fracture, resulting in an amputation.

A smoke jumper parachuted out of a helicopter during a forest fire response, landed on steep rugged terrain, and suffered femur and rib fractures and a liver laceration. The employee was hospitalized.