 The Cart Creek incident was one of several incidents between 1976 and 1979 that led to the issuance of fire resistant clothing and the requirement for all firefighters to carry a fire shelter. But the lessons learned from this incident go far beyond that. We continue to run into trouble when our predicted fire behavior doesn't match up with the actual fire behavior. This last season, 65 firefighters on 22 different incidents were either entrapped or burned over. During these incidents, 19 fire shelters were deployed and they resulted in 7 of the 24 fatalities we suffered. Minimizing the difference between our predicted fire behavior and what actually occurs is everyone's responsibility. And the only way to do this is by being diligent students of fire and constantly evaluating our predictive abilities given the conditions we're faced with. Experience can be excellent training, but only if we look at every scenario as a potential training opportunity and continuously fine tune our fire behavior prediction skills. Additional information on the Cart Creek fire can now be found on the leadership website in the Staff Ride Library. Now before we close this module, we need to talk about some other hazards we face. When we think about wildland firefighting, most people see the fire itself as the most direct threat. However, when we look at the statistics, we realize that most injuries and fatalities occur not during suppression action, but during the mundane operations of travel, transport, and mopping up. In 2006, there were three devastating aircraft accidents that claimed the lives of eight firefighters. There was also 20 accidents involving vehicles or heavy equipment, including 14 rollovers. A listing of last year's statistics is included in your student workbook, along with a short write-up on driving safety. The importance of safe driving practices cannot be overstated. Before we conclude this module, let's listen to the mother of a victim of a fatal engine accident. Talk about listening to our inner voice and heightening our sense of awareness. I know she had that inner voice that day. I know she did. She called her husband after her first shift, her first night shift, and said, you know, Sean, this is too dangerous. I'm not comfortable with this. There's something wrong. She was talking about driving on that particular road. It was very hard, because it was so narrow, and she did. I know she did. I don't know what she did about it other than to talk to Sean, but she did go out on that next night shift. And even though her captain, who was sitting next to her, said, this is going to be our last pass, this is too dangerous, that was their last pass. They didn't make it back. They were listening, but didn't act soon enough. And all of those things that were, all those little things that were wrong, that weren't quite right, lined up. And she got a little too close to the edge of the road. That gave way, and they tumbled down. Accidents do happen, so you have to, absolutely have to, be constantly aware of everything around you and inside you. I wish with all my heart she'd listened harder, sooner. There's always hope that young men and women will really try to be aware all the time, and not be afraid, and not second-guess themselves when they think something's wrong. Because you don't ever want the cops coming to your mother's door, or your wife's door, and saying, sit down, would you? We need to talk to you for a minute. You know what they're going to say. You know what it is. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I don't want that to ever happen again. I don't want another family to ever have to go through what my family went through, ever again. If you're injured, or God forbid, if there's a fatality on a fire, everyone suffers. The co-workers suffer. The people in the community, where the incident happened, suffers. Families suffer. What we've been through following Heather's death, I wouldn't wish him a worst enemy. It's every parent's nightmare. It's out of order. Children should not die first. You should not be bearing a child. And it will never go away. The memories, the thoughts are always with us. When I always feel Heather's spirit around me, she's in the faces of all the firefighters I see, and it will never go away. It gets better. It gets easier. My husband is very fond of saying, even a guy with one arm learns to shave with the other one, but it's never far from my thoughts. I wake up in the morning, and I might think, well, I have this appointment today, and I've got to get ready for work, and I have to do this, and I have to do that, and oh, Heather, good morning, sweetie. I hope it's good for you in heaven today. It's always there. It'll never go away. The horror of it is dimmed. The impact of it is no longer like someone is ripping my heart out, but it's there. And until the day I die, I'm going to miss her. It's our hope that the review of the Cart Creek Fire and last year's accident statistics will serve as a reminder to us all that we need to prepare both mentally and physically for this upcoming fire season. Remember to expect the unexpected, maintain situational awareness, and keep thinking safety first.