Ashleigh Stewart at Global has a story out today examining some of the meteorology and fire behaviour in Wainwright on the day of the fire. BLUF; probably this was more foreseeable than had been suggested so far. The fire had been burning for hours, the shift in weather was largely forecast, and the impacts of sudden cold front winds on existing grass fires are a well known risk.
Weather records, satellite observations and expert analysis suggest the deadly CFB Wainwright fire was growing for hours before it overran soldiers.
globalnews.ca
Saw the same article and have met several of the sources cited in the article.
I am also looking at this from a pure wildland fire perspective.....and that means how you act with trained wildland fire staff....is different than what the CAF trains for. I might enjoy the opportunity to do some target shooting personally but I am not trained on CAF procedures or range management especially on multi-mission training areas like CFB Wainwright.
Rather than second guess report details, imagery interpolation or fire growth modelling.....all of which need detailed investigation and/or specialized SME re-creation I'll leave you with this article instead which documents some common factors in Wildland fire fighting:
It's not just flames. To learn from and prevent tragedy fires, we should consider ourselves and add human factors to the fire environment that lead to tragedy fires. Here we offer insights and an updated list of "Common Human Factors on Tragedy Fires" from a seasoned Hotshot Superintendent.
www.iawfonline.org
And for the record it happens to trained fire fighters too. There are too many names out there on the memorial...and this list is not complete especially for the Canadians.
The Fallen Browse by decade to honor the fallen through the years. 2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s Earlier 2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s Earlier Pilot Ryan Cutter – Fly Precision Helicopters – Oregon Based Contracted to Payette National Forest, Price Valley Helibase – Idaho September 20, 2026...
wffoundation.org
I will wait for the full report before I start guessing more on the events on the ground. The events at CFB Wainwright are a terrible tragedy but unfortunately, despite the best of our intentions and wishes, not everyone makes it home all the time. And each name learned at the ultimate cost reminds of what a veteran is - a person who signed their name on the line for the service of the country. A local kid is one of the injured and many in our sleepy community are finding out how close to home the events at CFB Wainwright are.
At this point we will learn from the events regardless of the uniform we wear, remember the names, and try to share the knowledge to prevent reoccurance.
I've said it before but my condolences to the CAF as a whole. It will not be a forgotten event and I'm sure I'll be learning much more about the event post investigation as lessons learned in future.
www.baytoday.ca
