 Definition. Rotating vertical plume. A large fire world tornado-like event usually generated by large fires. Main ingredients, heat and a source of vorticity, rotation that depends on channeling from hills and ridges. Before dissipating, these towering structures can move for quite some time across the terrain, traveling a long distance away from their original heat source. If you are a wildland firefighter, do you know what this is? If you saw this phenomenon on one of your own wildland fire assignments, would you know what to do? During a wildfire burnout operation in extremely dry fuels, firefighters suddenly observed this growing rotating plume. This massive rotating vertical plume, captured on videotape that you are now seeing, is moving along the east edge of their burnout. Unfortunately, the crews who watch it swirl across this ridge line don't see the plume as an imminent threat to adjoining forces. They never envision it ever being able to travel down off this ridge. But these people will not underestimate the potential power of a rotating vertical plume ever again. Neither should you. For in less than an hour, members of a nearby engine crew completely unaware that this potentially fatal plume is bearing down on them, are suddenly hit by it. Now, a 1,000 foot wide and 1,500 foot high F1 scale tornado-like phenomenon. As they try to flee its 70 mile per hour turbulence of embers and heat, firefighters must deploy their shelters. People are seriously burned. Over the past few years, these extremely large fire worlds known as rotating vertical plumes have occurred on several wildland fire incidents across this country. These events have resulted in severe injuries and even death. As this Indians fire incident now shows us, the potential hazards of these turbulent rotating vertical plumes should never be downplayed or ignored. In the next several minutes, as you see how firefighters on the Indians fire responded to the hazard of this rotating vertical plume, pay special attention to the lack of Always establishing and fully maintaining situational awareness. L C E S, especially posting lookouts and establishing and maintaining communication and always ensuring that full PPE is maintained. As you are about to see, if people on the Indians fire would have paid more attention to these core firefighting rules of engagement and mindsets, they probably would have avoided this potentially fatal entrapment and burn injuries. It is June 11th. The Indians fire has been burning for three days in extremely dry chaparral fuels. At 1533, as he fires out along Milpitas Road, a hotshot squad boss sees a rotating vertical plume pop up north of the road. After another 30 minutes, the Division C night shift supervisor captures the same growing vertical plume with his video camera. Two different hotshot superintendents also observe this plume of embers and wind, now approximately 1,000 feet wide at its base. An entire hotshot crew also sees it. Everyone is taking pictures of it. No one is reporting it on the radio. After 10 more minutes, the Division C night soup now says that the plume is like a freight train. Even so, not that far away, the five people on Engine 71 still have no idea that this freight train has their name on it. At 1615, parked on Milpitas Road, Engine 71 crew member 3 removes his gloves to eat a sandwich. Four minutes later, Engine 71's captain takes off his gloves to roll up the mobile attack hose on his engine's front bumper. He leaves his gloves in a bumper box. No one has told him anything about the now full-grown rotating plume that at this very moment is increasing in size and velocity just to the north of his road. In the next two minutes, his crew learns of a spot fire on the south side of their road, approximately 500 feet back behind them. The captain tells the engine operator to turn the vehicle around. Crew member 1 helps direct this maneuver. The captain and crew members 2 and 3 walk down the road toward the spot fire, thinking that their engine, with their gloves and tools, will quickly be tying back in with them. But remember, two of these people are not wearing gloves. Firefighter 3 will later tell the accident team, As we started walking towards the spot, conditions seemed the same as they had all day. Once the fire engine operator, or FEO, turns the engine around, crew member 1 hurries down the road to catch up with the others. In the next few minutes, the leading edge of the spinning 70 mile per hour rotating vertical plume suddenly slams across Milpitas Road. These sudden winds are ripping down huge oak limbs. The branches from a big falling limb hit crew member 1. The severe winds also pelt him with golf ball-sized rocks. His upper body is peppered with cuts, scrapes, and bruises. The falling branches, embers, and wind start several spot fires. As the FEO tries to drive the engine, smoke totally engulfs him. He can't see anything beyond the engine's hood. With the roar of the wind and flying debris hitting the truck, he tries to get the captain on his radio. But it is just too loud for anyone to hear the radios. For the four engine crew members who are away from the engine, hearing, seeing, walking, and even breathing is suddenly extremely difficult. As the increasing heat begins to hurt and burn exposed skin, the captain tells the two firefighters with him to pull out their fire shelters. Struggling in the wind to shield their shelters around them, they crouch and try to move in the blinding smoke, ash, and heat down the middle of the road. Away from the crash of falling limbs. Crew member 3, who has become separated from the others, is lost inside the thick smoke and choking ash. The heat and embers are burning him. But he's having difficulty getting his fire shelter out of his pack. He tries to shield his face with his arms and jams his bare hands up into his armpits. The hot air begins to burn his throat. He tries to hold his breath and run. Fortunately for them, all of the firefighters, per chance, are saved by vehicles. First, crew member 3 is picked up in the engine by the FEO, who successfully backs the rig out of the firestorm. Twenty seconds later, the division supervisor, driving through the smoke and fire on Milpitas Road, suddenly sees and rescues the engine captain and crew members 1 and 2. The two engine crew members who aren't wearing gloves receive second and third degree burns on their hands. The captain's neck and cheeks also suffer third degree burns. In addition, three engine crew members receive from superficial to serious burns on their faces, ears and necks. They are all transported to hospitals. One firefighter spends 10 days in an area burn center and endures months of physical therapy. On all fires, you must always have all LCES elements in place. On Division C of the Indians Fire, there were no posted lookouts. No one was designated to watch for potential hazards from a vantage point away from the active burnout. In addition, limited information was shared between suppression resources and overhead, and no one spoke up to warn adjacent crews of the rotating vertical plume. The necessary life-dependent situational awareness for firefighters was therefore severely compromised. On Division C of the Indians Fire, everyone underestimated the true hazards of the rotating vertical plume. We should all therefore remember why. On all fires, at all times, it is so vital to recognize changing conditions, communicate this information and adjust tactics accordingly. And remember, whenever you are in a fire area, you must always maintain full safety awareness and protect yourself and your body with full PPE at all times. If all of the firefighters suddenly entrapped by the rotating vertical plume on the Indians Fire had been wearing gloves and shrouds, they probably would not have received such severe burn injuries. What's more, if they all would have stayed with their engine, they would have been safe inside their mobile escape route. They could have driven together to the spot fire, assessed the sudden extreme conditions and backed out. Thank you for watching this. As a wildland firefighter, we hope that these insights from this rotating vertical plume entrapment will help to ensure that such an ordeal never happens to you. Please stay heads up and remember these important lessons learned this fire season and every fire season.