Mann Gulch Fire
The 1949 Mann Gulch Fire is one of the most recognized wildland fire tragedies for both the professional firefighter and the general public. Much of that credit goes to the bestselling book Young Men and Fire written by Norman Maclean and published in 1992 after his death. But it was also the subject of a Hollywood movie in the early 1950s.
This was the inaugural venture with the group gathering in Helena, Montana on June 28, 2022 at an Airbnb property that housed everyone. Tom Boater, Jim Cook, and Bryan Scholz drove in from Boise; Dan Buckley drove in from West Yellowstone; Ken Kremesnky and Bill Molumby flew in from San Diego. Festivities began with a steak BBQ at the property. Early the next morning the group traveled to the Gates of the Mountain Marina and rode in two power boats down the Missouri River to the mouth of Mann Gulch and spent the day there. Tom Boatner provided much of the historical orientation for the day. The group held a closeout dinner at the MacKenzie River Pizza Company. The following day breakfast was shared and everyone said their goodbyes.
Individual Takeaways:
Tom Boatner, former Smokejumper Base Manager and Bureau of Land Management Chief of Fire Operations – Wag Dodge was a stranger to the rest of the crew. He was also much more senior in position and experience than anyone else on the crew. He made no effort to build trust between he and his crew, things like simple introductions, a short statement on who he was and how he liked to operate, and what his expectations of the crew members were. Simple actions like those begin to create trust and cohesion. In their absence, when the moment of extreme danger confronts them, there is no coherent team action or response, no team cohesion. Everyone makes their own decision and scatters, most to their deaths.
Dan Buckley, former Hotshot Superintendent, National Park Service Fire Director, and current Yosemite Fire Management Officer – Mann Gulch is one of wildland fire's iconic scenes of tragedies and lessons. Finding the purported spot where Wag Dodge lit his escape fire was a definite highlight. Seeing the places where firefighters breathed their last breaths on the hillside, how scattered they were and the panic that likely set in as they tried to make their escapes was definitely sobering. It reminded me of South Canyon, where transportation to a ridgetop above a fire determined tactics working from the top of a fire; people getting overrun while walking or working downhill from where they got dropped, toward a fire that was innocent in appearance. Things happen fast on a fire and, when unexpected or unanticipated, can lead to tragedy. A plus of this particular staff ride is that it is the origin for story of "Old Men and Fire," juxtaposed with Norman Maclean's book on Mann Gulch, Young Men and Fire.
Jim Cook, former Hotshot Superintendent and US Forest Service Training Projects Coordinator – Both Bob Sallee and Walt Rumsey stated in their testimony that they were in visual and verbal contact with Wag Dodge when he lit his escape fire. By comparing the general location of where Dodge lit his escape fire with the route that Sallee and Rumsey likely traveled from that point, it appears they were headed straight up the slope toward the canyon rim rock at a 90 degree angle to the approaching fire front. This route meant they were basically moving along the upcanyon edge of the escape fire. It would make sense that the escape fire provided some protection from the heat impact of the approaching main fire front. This could account for their subconscious decision to head in a different direction than the rest of the crew, who traveled up the canyon in the race that couldn’t be won against the main fire front which was going in their same direction.
Ken Kremensky, former Lakeside Fire Department Chief and current Barona Fire Department Chief – As we walked through the beautiful country of Mann Gulch, I was curious of what were the thoughts of the Smokejumpers. Although the country is very beautiful (in a non-fire way) it is also very steep and rugged. What was their Situational Awareness? A record hot day, hiking down a steep slope, limited communications with their supervisor (Wag Dodge), and lacking crew cohesiveness. Then a spot fire and the blow-up, running back up the steep slope for their lives. Such a tragedy! I am honored to be here and to learn from this event with other very experienced firefighters.
Bill Molumby, former Hotshot Superintendent, US Fish & Wildlife Service Zone Fire Management Officer, and National Type 1 Incident Commander – I thought a lot about the jumpers following Dodge downhill towards the smoke. Did they sense danger? Were they thinking about their escape route & safety zone? Evidently their only alternative plan, if things went bad, was to run uphill. In retrospect we know that was not a plan at all. We’ve come a long way since then in terms of safety protocols, decision making and fire behavior knowledge. Yet between then and now we have lost countless firefighters in similar circumstances where they have not calculated the time window in their decision. If we place ourselves in situations that give us few options with a closing window, our reaction is drastically narrowed to which way do we run….
Bryan Scholz, former Hotshot Foreman and Ochoco National Forest District Assistant Fire Management Officer – I learned from a wise old fire guy that perspective is everything. South Canyon, seen from the air in photos, looks huge. But seen from the ground for the first time, firefighters commonly observe how much smaller it is than they thought (it gets bigger when they start hiking up from the bottom). By comparison, Mann Gulch to me looks huge. A big place under Montana's Big Sky. From the bottom of the draw up to the ridgetop that the jumpers were trying to reach, it looks like an impossible distance on an impossibly steep slope. And that slope gets steeper the closer you get to the top, the footing dicey on loose rock and slick grass. A struggle for them, a struggle for me.
Interesting that almost every time the veterans of South Canyon return for a staff ride, they learn something new. This after 30 years. In Mann Gulch we too had questions and debate (Was this their lunchspot? Was the escape fire lower in the draw or higher? What were they thinking?). In both places firefighters struggled, shocked by a rapid, unexpected change in circumstances. In visiting these places and searching for truth we show the universe that these people are not forgotten, and that valuable lessons were learned and continue to be learned from their struggle. And some of those lessons are the same; over-communicate with your people, and don't get above your fire.