Wag Dodge was the crew...
Illustration
Wag Dodge was the crew leader assigned to the Mann Gulch fire in 1949 -- the tragic fire that killed 13 smokejumpers and spared only three. Although he hadn't worked closely with many of the men on his crew, Wag was experienced and knowledgeable about forest fires -- and his crew knew it. So, when he saw that the fire had jumped the gulch and that his crew was in danger, he turned the crew quickly and headed them toward the only remaining exit -- a very steep slope covered with tall, dry grass. Unfortunately, the weather was too dry, the grass too tall, and the wind too fast that day. The fire was advancing on the crew, and they were tiring quickly in this uphill run for their lives. The fire was gaining momentum. So, with the 30-foot wall of fire only 45 to 60 seconds behind them, Wag set an escape fire that would burn itself out quickly and provide a sort of safe haven for his crew that the main fire would have to jump. Upon setting the fire, Wag called to his crew to join him in the embers of the burned grass. Then he lay down in the burned grass, his mouth and nose covered by a wet cloth, thrust into the embers.
The crew did not heed his words or follow his lead. The escape fire must have seemed like folly to them, for they continued their desperate run up the steep slope, legs aching, lungs burning, hearts pounding fiercely.
Within two or three minutes, eleven men were dead. Two had escaped over the ridge, ahead of the main fire and the escape fire. Two others survived the scorching blaze but died within hours. The other eleven were strewn across the steep slope, killed in the midst of their vain attempt to outrun the fire.
Wag Dodge survived. His escape fire, an untried tactic that could have saved the entire crew, was questioned by the Forest Service and others for years. Now, almost fifty years later, the wise technique has saved the lives of other firefighters -- although his simple but unusual invitation to life went unheeded on that tragic day in 1949 when 13 men died.
-- Spencer
The crew did not heed his words or follow his lead. The escape fire must have seemed like folly to them, for they continued their desperate run up the steep slope, legs aching, lungs burning, hearts pounding fiercely.
Within two or three minutes, eleven men were dead. Two had escaped over the ridge, ahead of the main fire and the escape fire. Two others survived the scorching blaze but died within hours. The other eleven were strewn across the steep slope, killed in the midst of their vain attempt to outrun the fire.
Wag Dodge survived. His escape fire, an untried tactic that could have saved the entire crew, was questioned by the Forest Service and others for years. Now, almost fifty years later, the wise technique has saved the lives of other firefighters -- although his simple but unusual invitation to life went unheeded on that tragic day in 1949 when 13 men died.
-- Spencer
