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Van crash kills eight Oregon based firefighters
NW Cable News ^ | 08/25/03 | Staff Writer

Posted on 08/25/2003 8:40:38 AM PDT by bedolido

VALE, Ore. - Eight Oregon-based firefighters were killed Sunday when their returning van collided with a truck on a remote highway west of this Eastern Oregon town, Malheur County Sheriff Andy Bentz said.

He said all were under the age of 23 and worked for First Strike Environmental, a Roseburg-based contract firefighting company.

Flags at Seattle fire stations were flying at half staff on Monday in honor of the eight fallen firefighters.

Fire coordinators said the van was coming back from the South Fork fire, burning since Aug. 10 on the Boise National Forest about 25 miles northeast of the town of Cascade, Idaho.

Bentz said the van collided with a tractor-trailer truck 16 miles west of Vale on U.S. Highway 20 at about 11 a.m. local time. Malheur County is in southeastern-most Oregon and borders on Idaho and Nevada.

The eight men worked for first strike environmental, which is based in Roseburg, Oregon.

The Mayor of Roseburg said the community is small enough that many people may know at least one of the eight firefighters. But since the names had not been released yet, he said, people were panicked.

"I would do the same when the names come out, it's going to be a very difficult time," said the Mayor.

Bentz said the van exploded in flames but that the two crewmembers of the Swift Co. truck were able to free themselves and are hospitalized. There were no survivors in the van. The conditions and names of the truck crew were not released.

Incident commander Brian Wolfe of the sheriff's office told the Ontario Argus-Observer newspaper that according to witnesses and evidence at the scene the van apparently tried to pass another truck on a curve and collided with the Swift Co. vehicle. The cab of the semi was demolished but the diesel exhaust stack remained erect.

An Oregon State Police reconstruction crew was on the scene, and that segment of the highway was closed for the investigation.

The wreckage of the van and the semi were virtually indistinguishable as police and medical personnel continued to remove victims more than four hours after the accident.

Names of the victims were not immediately available. A first strike spokesperson said two of the firefighters were from the Portland area, the other six were from Southern, Oregon.

In June of 2002 five firefighters working a La Grande, Ore.-based contract crew, Grayback Forestry, were killed when their van overturned in Colorado near Parachute on the way to the 137,000-acre Hayman fire near Denver.

That was less than 50 miles from where nine Oregon firefighters from Prineville died in 1994.

First Strike's Web page says it has been in business for more than 15 years, deals with a wide variety of emergency environmental situations in the West and keeps about 200 firefighters on call during forest fire season.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: Idaho; US: Oregon
KEYWORDS: based; crash; eight; fallen; firefighters; kills; ore; van

Investigators examine the mangled wreckage of the van in which eight firefighters were riding.

An accident that cost eight Oregon-based firefighters lives.

1 posted on 08/25/2003 8:40:39 AM PDT by bedolido
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To: bedolido
Well that is pretty terrible, all right. Only thing to do is pray for the victim's families, and try to learn from other's mistakes.

Lesson: Don't get in a hurry and try to pass on a blind curve.

A BIG RIG SEMI TRUCK just MIGHT be on the road too, coming the other way.
2 posted on 08/25/2003 9:03:08 AM PDT by RonHolzwarth
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To: bedolido
Well that is pretty terrible, all right. Only thing to do is pray for the victim's families, and try to learn from other's mistakes.

Lesson: Don't get in a hurry and try to pass on a blind curve.

A BIG RIG SEMI TRUCK just MIGHT be on the road too, coming the other way.
3 posted on 08/25/2003 9:03:08 AM PDT by RonHolzwarth
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To: bedolido
Well that is pretty terrible, all right. Only thing to do is pray for the victim's families, and try to learn from other's mistakes.

Lesson: Don't get in a hurry and try to pass on a blind curve.

A BIG RIG SEMI TRUCK just MIGHT be on the road too, coming the other way.
4 posted on 08/25/2003 9:03:09 AM PDT by RonHolzwarth
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To: bedolido
Well that is pretty terrible, all right. Only thing to do is pray for the victim's families, and try to learn from other's mistakes.

Lesson: Don't get in a hurry and try to pass on a blind curve.

A BIG RIG SEMI TRUCK just MIGHT be on the road too, coming the other way.
5 posted on 08/25/2003 9:03:09 AM PDT by RonHolzwarth
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To: bedolido
Well that is pretty terrible, all right. Only thing to do is pray for the victim's families, and try to learn from other's mistakes.

Lesson: Don't get in a hurry and try to pass on a blind curve.

A BIG RIG SEMI TRUCK just MIGHT be on the road too, coming the other way.
6 posted on 08/25/2003 9:03:09 AM PDT by RonHolzwarth
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To: bedolido
Well that is pretty terrible, all right. Only thing to do is pray for the victim's families, and try to learn from other's mistakes.

Lesson: Don't get in a hurry and try to pass on a blind curve.

A BIG RIG SEMI TRUCK just MIGHT be on the road too, coming the other way.
7 posted on 08/25/2003 9:03:09 AM PDT by RonHolzwarth
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To: bedolido
Well that is pretty terrible, all right. Only thing to do is pray for the victim's families, and try to learn from other's mistakes.

Lesson: Don't get in a hurry and try to pass on a blind curve.

A BIG RIG SEMI TRUCK just MIGHT be on the road too, coming the other way.
8 posted on 08/25/2003 9:03:09 AM PDT by RonHolzwarth
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To: bedolido
Well that is pretty terrible, all right. Only thing to do is pray for the victim's families, and try to learn from other's mistakes.

Lesson: Don't get in a hurry and try to pass on a blind curve.

A BIG RIG SEMI TRUCK just MIGHT be on the road too, coming the other way.
9 posted on 08/25/2003 9:03:09 AM PDT by RonHolzwarth
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To: RonHolzwarth
Well that is pretty terrible, all right

four duplicate responses...hmmmmm Looks like a case of premature e-postulation.

10 posted on 08/25/2003 9:05:21 AM PDT by bedolido (My wife is a sex object - every time I ask for sex, she objects.)
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To: RonHolzwarth
sorry about the multiple postings, the site didn't respond correctly!
11 posted on 08/25/2003 9:05:46 AM PDT by RonHolzwarth
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To: RonHolzwarth
I'm touchy about accidents like this:

I have friends who have lost loved ones in very similar circumstances. Their pain never ends, although the rest of the world forgets so soon.

One friend in particular lost two sisters in different accidents, and you know, only tiny differences in details distinguish their loss from this.

But then, I'm blind to my own faults, I got no response from the second click on the post button, so clicked it a few more times, then finally had to exit the site since it had frozen on my computer. Patience, patience,,,

Sorry!
12 posted on 08/25/2003 9:13:58 AM PDT by RonHolzwarth
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To: RonHolzwarth
bless you friend! My sorry sense of humor got me in trouble again. Have a great day
13 posted on 08/25/2003 9:16:18 AM PDT by bedolido (My wife is a sex object - every time I ask for sex, she objects.)
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To: bedolido
Sad. Best wishes and prayers to the families.
14 posted on 08/25/2003 9:21:55 AM PDT by PRND21
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To: bedolido


My Brother has fallen; no, I don't know his name.
Have not the same parents still family all the same.

He lives in this town, I live in another,
It doesn't really matter 'cause this man is my Brother.

My Brother I call him, yet I've never seen his face.
I have brothers and sisters all over the place!

You see I am a Firefighter and our families are one.
We are linked together until our lives are done.

Around the world, a brotherhood of unity,
A closeness, a bond, most people don't see.

I'll watch his back; She'll watch mine,
"You go, I go," time after time.

His family's my family, Her family theirs,
We're part of one family where everyone cares,

I'll look after your kids, please look in on my wife,
Should that day finally come when I laid down my life.

We dedicate our lives helping our fellow man,
Living day after day doing all that we can,

Where ever we're needed whether nighttime or day,
To save the life of another we'll step in harms way.

My Brother has fallen doing what he loved best,
And among the Honored, he now stands with the rest

For a mile in dress uniform here everyone stands,
For my Brother has fallen, God into your hands.

Author unknown

15 posted on 08/25/2003 11:59:38 AM PDT by Johnny Gage (Yesterday, I knew nothing... Today I know that.)
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To: bedolido
What a horrible accident. Our prayers to their families and friends.
16 posted on 08/25/2003 12:51:34 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD is still in control!)
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To: bedolido
May they rest in peace

and

may God embrace their families with the love and compassion of the communities around them
17 posted on 08/25/2003 12:55:52 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: bedolido
There is someone else to remember here. That is the driver of the truck. There was quite likely nothing he could do.

He will NEVER forget the screech of tires, the crash, the aftermath,,, he may have to relive it all thousands of times, at night in his nightmares. And, his life will forever afterwards be different.

A lot of truck drivers, no matter how carefully they drive, have to find another occupation after a horrible accident like this.

He will never forget.

I can hardly imagine what must have gone through the truck driver's mind as he realized what was happening. People were going to die, and it most likely wasn't going to be him.

People, please, always stay clear of big trucks.

Those accidents are just not survivable. Except for the truck drivers, of course.

I once saw a smaller station wagon that had been just about completely run over by a truck, moments after the accident (only the rear tailgate and the rear bumper were intact).

I don't know exactly what happened, and I am very glad that I couldn't see the floorpan of the station wagon, where the goo that used to be a human body/bodies was dripping afterwards. No need for an ambulance. Just call a hearse, and have them bring a scoop shovel to collect the body/bodies.

I could, however, see the look on the truck driver's faces. THAT, I will never forget.

And you know what else? I couldn't even see any damage on the truck AT ALL!!!



18 posted on 08/26/2003 3:37:49 PM PDT by RonHolzwarth
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