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Posted on 02/15/2002 3:16:39 AM PST by brityank
Outside Probe of Firefighter Deaths Added to Farm Bill
Published in the Herald-Republic on Thursday, February 14, 2002
By TOM ROEDER
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLICAn outside investigator would probe the deaths of U.S. Forest Service firefighters under a provision added Wednesday to the Senate Farm Bill.
An amendment inspired by the July 10 Thirtymile Fire that killed four Central Washington firefighters was added to the bill by Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell. It would require the Department of Agriculture Inspector General to investigate Forest Service fatal fires, something that is now done by the Forest Service itself.
"I think it puts us one step closer to having agency awareness of the severity of the problems," Cantwell said Wednesday from her Washington, D.C., office.
The Farm Bill faces a joint House and Senate conference committee to gain approval. In October, the House passed its version of the bill, which doesn't include the Cantwell proposal.
Todd Young, a spokesman for Pasco Republican U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, said the congressman will push for inclusion of Cantwell's proposal in the final bill. For now, there appears to be little opposition to the change.
"It's not a proposal that there would be an objection to," Young said.
The change would put safety problems within the Forest Service directly at the feet of Secretary of Agriculture Anne Veneman, who is the only official above the Inspector General. Also, the Inspector General can require changes within the agencies it investigates.
"I like it," said Ken Weaver, whose 21-year-old son Devin died at Thirtymile. "It has to put greater pressure on the Forest Service to follow their own rules. They already have the rules, all we're talking about is enforcing them."
The Thirtymile Fire, north of Winthrop, killed four Forest Service firefighters -- Devin Weaver, Karen FitzPatrick and Jessica Johnson from Yakima, and Tom Craven from Ellensburg. The four were among 14 firefighters and two campers who were trapped in a dead-end canyon when they were overrun by fire.
An investigation by the Yakima Herald-Republic, published on Sept. 2, found a series of mistakes by Forest Service commanders led to the deaths at Thirtymile. Last week, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the Forest Service for five violations of safety rules at Thirtymile.
A Forest Service investigation into the deaths was criticized by Cantwell and families of the victims, who questioned the Forest Service's ability to fairly investigate itself.
The Forest Service report, issued Sept. 26, was immediately recalled by the agency after public outcry over its determination that victims of the fire could have contributed to their own deaths by disobeying orders. Now, the Forest Service's rewritten report theorizes the four who died either didn't hear orders or thought they were following orders.
Cantwell said bringing in an outside investigator for fatal fires would shed light on Forest Service practices without the conflict of interest that comes with an agency investigating itself.
However, the Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service aren't talking about Cantwell's proposal.
Joyce Fleischman, acting inspector general for the Department of Agriculture, didn't return a telephone call on Wednesday. Neither did Alisa Harrison, a spokeswoman for Agriculture Secretary Veneman.
The Forest Service was also mum on the proposed policy change.
"We don't comment on pending legislation," said Joe Walsh, spokesman for Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth. "That's all I'm going to say, sir."
* Reporter Jesse Hamilton contributed to this report.
©2002 All Photos, Content and Design are Properties of the: Yakima Herald-Republic
HA !! !!
Unless it's legislation the FS wants!
This may be more dangerous for the Foresty Bozos than the lynx hair planters. Of course the deaths and the lynx hair plants all happened in forests in Washington. Could there be a link at the higher levels?
The first few rudders to the right will have a slow response. The past 30 years of eco terrorism and rural cleansing will take a long time to turn around. The left wing maggots who control the media will battle even small shifts to the right!
However thanks to conservative talk radio and the internet (Free Republic), a whitewash is not as easy as even 3 years ago.
Molon Labe !!
Glad to hear that.
Let's hope they don't consider using another government agency as independent investigators.
Forest Service Blamed for Deaths
Photos of the four kids who died are in the above thread.
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