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.

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.

Employees were fighting wildfires when the wind changed and blew the fire back onto the firefighters. The employees sustained multiple burn injuries and one firefighter was run over by a UTV while trying to escape the flames.

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 supervising a crew as they felled a dangerous tree during a forest fire. The tree struck the employee as it fell, breaking bones.

An employee was fighting a fire in the mountains of Colorado for approximately six hours. At the end of the shift, he was hiking back to the crew vehicles and experienced two seizures and fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized. Dehydration from heat of the fire and altitude sickness may have contributed to the seizures.

An employee was conducting fire suppression operations on a wildfire. He pulled a hose from the engine. He then charged the hose and began to put on his gloves. A flareup occurred and the employee sustained burns to his face and hands.

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.

A firefighter was working on the line of a forest fire when they were hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

An employee was loading the back of his truck with buckets of oil. As he was coming down off the truck, he slipped on a surface that was wet due to rain and fell about 3.5 feet to the ground, landing on his left elbow/arm. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured left humerus and required surgery.

On September 25, 2025, an employee climbed an aluminum extension ladder and was on top of the roof of a building She was walking around on the roof, inspecting and evaluating it. She was descending the ladder when the ladder slid to the right and twisted around as she hung onto it. She then fell 10-12 feet to the paved parking lot and the ladder landed on top of her. She sustained a fractured left collarbone, multiple other fractures, and had bruising to the left side of her abdomen.

An employee was supervising a crew as they felled a dangerous tree during a forest fire. The tree struck the employee as it fell, breaking bones.

An employee was riding a horse and leading several pack mules along a trail. A few mules started acting up, causing the horse to stir. The employee then fell off the horse and landed on a stiff woody protrusion that impacted her chest/rib area. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured rib and a punctured lung.

An employee was working on a tree thinning unit and was cutting a 6" diameter tree. During the back-cut when the chainsaw kicked back. The saw struck her, resulting in a 3-inch laceration on her left leg below the knee. She was hospitalized and required surgery.

An employee was installing PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) piping material for a propane line connection. He was cutting off excess PEX piping material with a PEX cutter. He noticed an unassociated piece of material was in the way of the PEX cutter. He reached up to move the infringing material, and his arm came down on the blade of the PEX cutter resulting in a severe laceration to his arm.

An employee was offroad, looking for a lost hiker. The employee fell off a canyon rim edge and landed on rimrock 5 or 6 feet below, suffering a separated shoulder and a head injury that required stitches. The employee was hospitalized.

An employee was fueling a vehicle when they tripped over the fuel hose and fell to the ground. They were hospitalized with a broken nose and three broken ribs.

A park ranger was attempting to apprehend an individual when the individual fired a rifle at him; the employee was struck in the right foot while returning fire. Two of the employee's toes were amputated.

A ranger was performing back-country patrol duties while hiking. As they were climbing a technical rock patch, a rock handhold broke, causing the employee to fall approximately 15 feet before their belay engaged. The employee contacted a rock, resulting in a fracture to the right ilium as well as a subcutaneous hematoma to the right gluteal region.