US Forest Service

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.

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.

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

A firefighter was extinguishing burning material during wildfire operations when a log (20' long and 15"-20" diameter) uphill from them became dislodged and rolled down the slope. The log struck the employee who was hospitalized with a skull fracture and bruised ribs.

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 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 training and running and suffered rhabdomyolysis.

An employee was servicing an exterior mounted environmental control unit while on a 10-foot ladder. He pushed through a pre-made knockout hole on the panel. Upon bringing his arm down, a sharp area along the panel frame lacerated the top of his hand. The employee required surgery.

On 7/31/2025, an employee was training to ride an ATV when it went into a draw and she went over the front of the ATV, landing on the ground. The employee sustained a fractured arm.

An employee was standing behind a frac pump. A discharge hose failed and the employee was burned by hot water on the left upper abdomen. The employee was hospitalized.

An employee was assisting with the delivery of pipe racks to the drilling rig. The driver was releasing the tie-down lock straps that were holding the pipe racks on the trailer. When the last strap was released, one of the pipe racks rolled off the trailer and struck the employee while they were on the passenger side of the trailer bed. The employee sustained an open wound to the hand and fractures to their left leg and spine.

On May 1, 2025, at approximately 11:00 AM, an employee was jump-starting the battery of a forklift and his back went out while he was bending down. The employee was hospitalized with a slipped disc and required surgery.