Sedona AZ (June 11, 2014) – The following is an open letter to the community dated June 11, 2014, from Sedona Fire District Fire Chief Kris Kazian:
What an amazing and challenging two weeks we all experienced during the Slide Fire. At about 3:45 PM on Tuesday, May 20, 2014, the Sedona Fire District experienced a large fire in Oak Creek Canyon. From the minute we received a notice of smoke and then a report of flames in the Canyon, everyone knew this could be the “Big One”. Fire crews took immediate action by sizing up appropriate fire attack options, evacuation needs within the Canyon, and the need to facilitate interagency cooperation from our state and federal agencies to get appropriate resources to assist in this fire.
The fire was named by the United States Forest Service (USFS) as they worked in a unified command with SFD (Sedona Fire District) personnel during the initial attack stages of the fire. Everyone – local, regional, or national – all agreed, this fire was a significant event and the fact no structures or lives were lost is a testament to the great effort put forth by the agencies who initially responded.
I must emphasize to each and every one of you the incredible actions I witnessed firsthand – from the initial attack efforts to the dedication of the people who were deployed here from across the southwest. I can say, emphatically, that everyone cared about our precious jewel – Oak Creek Canyon – and great attention to detail was paid in all aspects of the operation. At more than 21,000 acres, the Slide Fire is the largest fire in the history of the Coconino National Forest. Much of the area, while being subjected to fire, was burned at low heat intensity which in many ways will be good for the eco-system.
We also know there were areas which suffered significant heat and burn to the land. A team called the Burn Area Emergency Response Team will be working to identify the areas of concern post-fire and will be a valuable resource to determine how future storms will affect the region.
There was an immediate effort launched to begin planning for post-fire effects. I am proud of the cooperation I have seen between Yavapai and Coconino Counties, as well as the City of Sedona, USFS, and other national and state agencies work to be best prepared. While we cannot predict exactly what will happen, all of us believe it is best to be prepared and ready for high probability events. Each agency is taking on a role and we can expect the outcome to be a continuation of the coordinated effort we all witnessed over the past few weeks.
I continue to be amazed at all of the great resources and leadership this area has to offer. While I can only speak for Sedona Fire, we are continually working to make sure you get the best possible emergency services. As a resident of the community, I assure you the men and women of Sedona Fire are constantly working to keep all of us safe.
Please do not forget, we still have opportunities to make our community fire safe – this is inside your home and through FireWise efforts. We have established a fund to which people can donate to help make strides towards improving our wildfire response readiness. During the Slide Fire, many people donated water, Gatorade, and protein bars, and SFD was inundated with food and drinks. We wanted to allow for the outpouring of support to be directed towards the betterment of the Sedona Fire District community and reduction of fuels in hopes of reducing the likelihood of fire spreading the next time a wildfire starts.
For information on how to donate, visit the Sedona Fire District website at www.sedonafire.org. We are excited to announce we have received two $5,000 and one $1,000 donations establishing “seed” money of $11,000 to begin, but the more donations we have, the better fuels reduction program we can begin.
I am available at any time to talk with you, your service group, or your neighborhood, just give me a call at 928-282-6800 or an email to kkazian@sedonafire.org.
Thank you once again for letting me serve as your Fire Chief and to work towards improving safety in our community.
For the best Arizona news and views, read www.SedonaEye.com daily!
On Facebook: Attached is a slideshow taken by Sedona Fire District Battalion Chief Jason Coil while working inside the dangerous Slide Fire. I thought you all would appreciate seeing these photos. For those that are not local to Sedona, it’s truly amazing when I tell you that not one home was lost, not one person was seriously injured.
We are so proud of our Sedona Fire Firefighters and the USFS Hot Shots.
Awesome photographs – taken by Jason Coil
http://www.jaysoncoil.com/slidefire/slideshow
Sign Up Now for Emergency Alerts! City of Sedona encourages you to be prepared and sign up now to receive alerts from the City and Coconino or Yavapai County, depending on which county you live in. To sign up, please click on the red link “Sign Up For Emergency Alerts” located on the homepage at http://www.SedonaAZ.gov. It is important to sign up for both the City and a county, as there may be emergency notifications sent by the City that are not a county issue and vice versa.
The City of Sedona utilizes Sedona Citizens Connect, a free smartphone application that supports the Reverse 311 push notifications and notifies the community of emergency situations or critical alerts. For example, Sedona Citizens Connect was utilized during the Slide Fire incident. In the future, it can be used for urgent updates such as flooding, road closures, and emergency community meetings. In addition, it allows Sedona residents to help improve their neighborhoods and the City by reporting non-emergency civic issues, such as potholes, abandoned vehicles, and loose animals. Coconino and Yavapai Counties utilize CodeRED as their Emergency Notification System. CodeRED is a free service that alerts residents and businesses about time-sensitive general and emergency situations that are either imminent or occurring in their communities. Both counties are using the service to keep residents informed about emergencies, including flooding, severe weather, or wildfires. In addition, those signing up for CodeRED notifications can receive them through land-line and cell phones, text messages and/or e-mails. CodeRED allows geographically based delivery, which requires a street address to ensure that information is delivered to the proper individuals in a given situation. For more information, please contact the City Manager’s office at 928-204-7127.
Abe Koniarsky, Wendy V Tanzer and Craig Cushenberry liked this article on Facebook.
About a week after the Slide Fire started I sent out an email (reprinted at the end of this long comment) to a small number of people, passing along an eyewitness account of the fire in its very early stage. The account is at odds with the Sedona Fire Department’s narrative. My email found its way to Sedona Fire Chief Kris Kazian and the following exchange ensued. SedonaEye readers may find it interesting.
—– Forwarded Message —–
From: Warren Woodward
To: Kris Kazian
Cc: Board
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 7:36 AM
Subject: Re: Follow up to your email concerns
Kris Kazian,
You wrote: “I would have called to speak to you directly but, I could not find a phone number for you.”
Because my phone number is listed in all the local phone books as well as in online directories, I see your introductory statement as at best nonsensical, at worst dishonest, and in either case a credibility destroyer.
If I were to speculate as to your motivation for making that statement I would guess that you wanted to have damage control in writing that could be sent to the Sedona Fire District (SFD) Board – which is what actually occurred.
It is also of interest that you evidently had time enough to write almost 1,500 words but not 15 seconds to look up my number.
Your windy narrative contains straw man type arguments and concomitant mischaracterizations of my email. For example you wrote: “… maybe you can send out an email recanting the unverified account of events that you proclaimed to be what happened last Tuesday.”
I did not “proclaim” anything. I have nothing to “recant.” I merely passed along an account of the fire in its early stage. And there is nothing “unconscionable” about that. Neither you nor I were there. So both of us are relying on hearsay.
I’ll add that, while I do not know the eyewitness personally, I do know who he is. He holds a position of responsibility and authority in Sedona. To me, he is credible.
I also know that he made a statement to the U.S. Forest Service about what he saw, but I was told by a USFS law enforcement officer that all witness statements are unavailable to the public at this time due to the ongoing investigation of the fire and possible criminal charges being made.
As for being “heroes,” I never said that the moniker was “self-dubbed.”
Additionally, I found it amusing that while you appeared to feign humility – “… we typically are humble about our self-proclamation of heroic deeds ….” – you also included promotional material such as “… we are asked to perform life and death activities like a wildfire in Oak Creek Canyon or perform a rescue when we are dangling from the bottom of a helicopter from a rope or we are on an EMS incident where we are performing lifesaving procedures ….”
You wrote: “I could go on and on about the way to fight a wildfire but I will save that as I am sure you are not interested in all of the details.” Do not assume. I actually have both interest and experience in wildfire fighting, having operated a tanker truck hose while helping extinguish the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfire, which at that time was Australia’s deadliest bushfire.
To get back to the more important issue of what really happened at the start of the fire, in addition to the eyewitness previously mentioned, here are several videos from other early witnesses, tourists who happened to be passing through Oak Creek Canyon: http://fntxvyg.blogspot.com/2014/05/slide-fire.html?m=1 .
In one of the videos of the fire’s very early stage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAO7Xgsjimw) there is the astonishing sight of a SFD truck just sitting in the road doing nothing. I contacted the tourist and asked him what he made of that, and if he saw any SFD employees actually doing anything that was not captured in the videos. Here is his response:
We had very brief interaction with a firefighter or two, and he stated they could not get at the fire in the canyon, so would be awaiting aerial support. In our brief time at ground zero at the beginning of the fire, we did not witness firefighters attempt to combat the fire in any way from the ground. Rather the emergency response we witnessed was police officers, highway patrol, and sheriffs’ deputies racing to the scene by the scores to exert their authority, “secure” the area, and close down roads.
I am not a firefighter and have no insight into the type of equipment the local department has at their disposal. I also am not from Arizona and I’m not overly familiar with the lay of the land in Oak Creek Canyon, sources of water nearby, nor standard forest fire fighting protocol. That being said, I have been saying since the first night of the fire, that I cannot understand why they were not hitting the fire in its infancy from highway 89A with some sort of water cannon or high pressure hose while still very small. In my layman opinion water could have been supplied first from a tanker which I believe nearly every fire department to possess, then when that was exhausted, drawing from Oak Creek or whatever body of water appeared quite obvious to me to be running down the middle of the canyon. Again, I am not a firefighter but truly believe this could have been fought and perhaps nipped in the bud at 1-5 acres given availability of appropriate equipment, not the 17,000 acres or whatever this has spread to encompass.
Sincerely,
Warren Woodward
From: Kris Kazian
To: “w”
Cc: Board
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2014 5:57 PM
Subject: Follow up to your email concerns
Mr. Woodward,
As you can imagine, I have been busy over the last week or so but I am taking time to answer the email you have apparently sent to multiple people. I would have called to speak to you directly but, I could not find a phone number for you. I am a little bit concerned on the allegations and the fact you have felt compelled to share a story third hand from what your friend’s neighbor “witnessed.” I know who you are based on the posts in the Blogs and your interest in smart meter issues. I appreciate your passion for your concerns and interests, but this email has some concerning untruths from start to finish.
Slide Fire Emergency Response
I was there early in the operation so I have a vantage point of what transpired from my first-hand experience and I have talked to the actual crews that were first on the scene. We have first-hand accounts of the actions that were taken and the decisions that were made as part of recording and documenting of the incident, so my email is based on facts and real data.
First, I have to tell you that unless you have a wildland firefighting background, it might be difficult to understand the tactical decisions and the mechanics of wildfire spread and suppression tactics. Crews responded to the fire with no delay. They actually received a report of a passerby of seeing smoke in the area of Slide Rock. A response was initiated and upon first sign of a potential fire, the response was upgraded and more units called. Initial crews had a fire, that upon arrival was not able to be put out. I can assure you with 100% certainty that this fire was not able to be extinguished or it would have been. We had a red flag day (high winds), the fuel was at extremely dry conditions, and the topography is such that access is limited and promotes the rapid spread of fire in that area. These were all mitigating facts that lead to the crew initiating resources to assure that loss of life was avoided at all costs and an evacuation was immediately initiated. The second arriving engine took a stand on 89A as they drove through fire that was “blowing” over the road and kept the fire from spreading to the east side of the canyon- another action that was critical in reducing the chance of losing any lives and structures. The incident commander, a Battalion Chief, was right there as well and took command of the incident and assisted with the command and control of units on scene and responding. Ironically, the mention of USFS participation is another part of our components of this incident resulting in not losing any lives or structures. They are dispatched immediately by Sedona Regional Communication Center with SFD units. They were on scene moments after our units and we operated under SFD command for the first 2 or 3 hours and then USFS took over and SFD units worked under their command. A little example of how well we work together and the lack of anyone waiting for actions to begin towards suppression as stated in your email. To further clarify, from the minute we initiated the response, there have been fire crews (hundreds and eventually over 1,200 firefighters) working 24 hours a day on the fire lines. This was an all hands on deck event and it had the utmost attention of everyone who was involved from every agency that responded. We also worked to maintain adequate staffing at SFD by the early evening through a recall of all off duty SFD staff.
I can also tell you that all people who were on the scene were dressed exactly the same- we all had on yellow jackets and green pants. No one would really know an SFD person from a USFS person without having time for a thorough inspection or interrogation of where they work- I can assure you no one at the scene had time for interviews by passerby’s. While I have not had time to go through the actual time stamped summary of the incident to determine at what point we had 15 people on scene, I can address your friend’s assertion that 15 people were all “standing around” – it never happened so I am not going to waste my time trying to figure it out.
If there was an opportunity for someone to see anyone standing around, it would be in the staging area where I was the staging manager. I was located in Slide Rock State Park and no one except emergency units were in that area. The way it works is all units respond to a designated area so that there is a coordinated effort to distribute resources in the most effective manner. Sometimes, as a plan is being developed and the best application of resources are being determined, there can be a period of time where people are waiting for an assignment.
I could go on and on about the way to fight a wildfire but I will save that as I am sure you are not interested in all of the details. I will share with you that the ability to do what we call a direct attack on a fire in this fuel type in this topography with these winds would not have been possible. In an indirect attack, we anchor and flank the fire- something very difficult, maybe I could step out and say impossible in this situation. Additionally, we have to maintain a safety zone that includes escape routes and other required tactical considerations when fighting a wildland fire. The Fire Service prides itself on taking Lessons Learned and trying to not repeat tragedies, I do not think I have to remind you what happened at Yarnell Hill 11 months ago.
If you find that I have a sense of concern about your email flippantly making accusations that are downright false, you should because the efforts of the people who worked this fire from start to finish have done so with pride, professionalism and with a passion for doing the best job they possibly can. I cannot imagine that if they were to see your email they would not personally feel the lack of insight to what we do and the considerable efforts that were made were done so with a chance that one email could be disseminated to a group who might actually believe what is being said and is so contrary to what actually happened. I think in many ways it is unconscionable.
Hero Status
I can tell you that the moniker of “Hero” is something that was never self-dubbed in the fire service and it certainly is not the case for why firefighters join the fire service. As a matter of fact, while many of our actions get the attention of people, we certainly make a difference in the lives of folks and we typically are humble about our self-proclamation of heroic deeds. The profession we have chosen allows us to make a difference in the lives of many people that we are lucky enough to get to serve, and in those people’s eyes we might be considered “heroes”.
I would ask that you have a meeting with me and bring your neighbor and your neighbor’s friend so we can sort this out, or if it is easier- maybe you can send out an email recanting the unverified account of events that you proclaimed to be what happened last Tuesday.
I pride myself on being available 24/7/365 and that is via phone, email or in person. I take the responsibility of being the fire chief of Sedona Fire District very seriously and revere the reputation we at SFD and in the fire service work so hard to maintain. While we are not perfect, we certainly try when we are asked to perform life and death activities like a wildfire in Oak Creek Canyon or perform a rescue when we are dangling from the bottom of a helicopter from a rope or we are on an EMS incident where we are performing lifesaving procedures- you only get one chance in many cases and there is no margin for error- for us as workers or the people we are serving. If there is still a doubt about my account, I will make myself available to you at your earliest convenience so we can get resolution on this matter.
If you feel this email may not accurately portray the events of May 20th at just before 4:00 PM, I encourage you to contact former SFD volunteers and Oak Creek Canyon residents, Gary Garland or Dave Watters, to get a true understanding of the dynamic situation and our response.
Kris Kazian
Fire Chief
Sedona Fire District
928.204.8924
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
John Quincy Adams
To ensure compliance with the open meeting law, recipients of the message should not forward it to other Members of the Board. Members of the Board may reply to this message, but they should not send a copy of their reply to other members of the Board.
This communication may contain confidential and/or proprietary information and may not be disclosed to anyone other than the intended addressee. Any other disclosure is strictly prohibited by law. If you are not the intended addressee, you have received this communication in error. Please notify me immediately by call 928-204-8924 and then destroy the communication including all content and any attachments.
From: Warren Woodward
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2014 11:54 AM
To: undisclosed recipients:
Subject: eyewitness = SFD watched
Sending this out to just the few of you who I think can handle it.
A friend’s neighbor eye-witnessed SFD, about 15 of them, standing around watching the fire burn when it was but a brushfire. He actually stopped his car and watched with them as they explained they were waiting for USFS and not doing anything because it was USFS turf. The fire at that time could have been easily put out in his opinion.
There are people here who worship SFD as “heros”. Over the years, I have heard too many stories like the one above to be among the hero worshipers.
@Eyewitnesses tells different Slide Fire story.
Having reviewed all videos provided in the lengthy exchange w/Fire Chief Kris Kazian, how could anyone dispute manner in which the fire was combated? Even the printed captions from “Fantastic Falcon Voyage” emphasizing increasing high winds suggest a handful of firemen standing idly by wouldn’t have had a chance to extinguish the blaze at the rate it was moving.
It’s stated “I’ll add that, while I do not know the eyewitness personally, I do know who he is. He holds a position of responsibility and authority in Sedona. To me, he is credible.” Why would a person holding “A position of responsibility and authority in Sedona” be unwilling to remain unidentified? Doesn’t remaining anonymous reduce this alleged person of credibility to the level of the numerous others who use Sedona Eye as a mask for their own personal agendas?
Anyways, thank you very much for the amazing videos and on the scene insight. Watching the real deal most assuredly has added to the credibility of our “hero” firefighters as well as the other writings previously offered on Sedona Eye explaining methods by which skilled professionals are trained to deal with emergency situations.
@Warren
Wow Warren. I watched your “friends neighbor’s” video and know almost the exact area that the video was taken. I’m just wondering how any fire fighter would have been able to pull those big heavy hoses down a crazy steep incline, without falling or killing him/her self? Unless the fire was within a safe reach of the road or one of those water sprayers type trucks, I don’t see how any fire person would have been able to put it out like you say. From watching the video, aside from the fire being a good distance down the incline and away from the road, with that much smoke, the fire must have been huge by that time.
Why don’t you take pot shots at something that you know about, like those smart meters. After reading your rants to our fire chief, I’m thinking that you don’t know as much as you say you do. I’m guessing you just like blowing SMOKE up people butts.
In your letter to the fire chief you say:
“I am not a firefighter and have no insight into the type of equipment the local department has at their disposal. I also am not from Arizona and I’m not overly familiar with the lay of the land in Oak Creek Canyon, sources of water nearby, nor standard forest fire fighting protocol”. (sounds like an awful lot of NOTS to me)
and then you say:
“That being said, I have been saying since the first night of the fire, that I cannot understand why they were not hitting the fire in its infancy from highway 89A with some sort of water cannon or high pressure hose while still very small. In my layman opinion water could have been supplied first from a tanker which I believe nearly every fire department to possess…
So if you don’t know what you’re talking about, why don’t you ask someone who does instead of talking out of your butt and trying to make yourself sound like you know that you’re talking about.
Oh and BTW, with all of your knowledge of Smart Meters, maybe one of those suckers were installed in the canyon and started the darn fire.
Just Sayin’
to: Woodward
I first want to thank Fire Chief Kris Kazian for keeping us all updated, and taking his precious time to respond to yet another one of Woodward’s nonsensical emails. Call Me crazy but during an emergency like a fire in the canyon I would tend to rely on the training, experience, expertise and prior coordination with other agencies that Chief Kazian has, then with some guy from somewhere who once operated a tanker truck hose in some other country.
When Woodward says to Chief Kazian ‘Neither you nor I were there.’ I would tend to believe the Chief who had professionals fill Him in when He did arrive vs. hearsay speculations from somebody’s friend, that Woodward got, who never was there.
I thought from Woodward’s link I would see a bunch of firemen standing around, but instead there is smoke, fire and gusting winds way down in the canyon with a tourist statement saying ‘Firefighters showed up quickly and realized they would not be able to get manpower into the canyon to fight the fire from the ground. We were advised that the canyon would likely be evacuated shortly so aerial crews could come in and begin battling the fire.’
This comment could go on and on, but I’ld rather close it saying, some people Do, while others sit in their easy chair and criticize in hopes of becoming an armchair hero.
@ Just Sayin’ — You are majorly confused. The video was taken by tourists, one of whom also made the statements you quoted and wrongly attributed to me. It was his opinion (and that of the anonymous witness) that the fire could have been nipped in the bud. I am just passing on that information.
@Peter — You ask why someone would want to remain anonymous? Lots of reasons but mainly the hassle I’d think. Shooting messengers is good sport. You ask if it reduces his credibility. Perhaps, but that’s for each to decide. For me, it does not reduce it as much as someone who BS’s me about my phone number.
@ Just Sayin’
The quotes you are referring to are from the tourist who shot the video, not the writer. Focus.
Just sayin’……
You do bring up a good point. Where was our water sprayer truck in all this? The SFD is specially trained in wildfire. Shooting water into the area from the road would have helped while it was smaller. So where was the water sprayer truck?
http://www.sedonafire.org/what_wildland.php
Do we store it in the canyon in that little garage(station 7?) or at Station 5? One would assume these would be the best strategic locations during our ongoing drought in the middle of the dry forest.
Anybody care to comment?
@Peter
Doesn’t remaining anonymous reduce this alleged person of credibility to the level of the numerous others who use Sedona Eye as a mask for their own personal agendas?
No, it does not.
Most people who are commenting anonymously are current on events but Sedona citizens have a record of judging and killing the messengers. All the while not really participating themselves, armchair activists. So opposite of what this town markets itself as.
@Warren & HUH
I agree, the video was taken by a tourist. But, Warren IS the messenger and should have seen the video for what it was. It didn’t show a single firefighter standing around. If there were even there, it didn’t show any real flames, just a whole lot of smoke. Warren is making some very inflammatory statements with nothing to back them up.
One other point, HUH. The photo pictured in your posting is not a water sprayer truck like you’re asserting, that is a bulk water truck. Perhaps you should focus.
I believe that it’s used for storing water and when needed, quickly takes it from point A to point B and dumping it as a water supply. It shows in your picture to be filling something, it’s not spraying it. Even the simplest minded person knows that just because a big truck is red doesn’t mean that it really a “fire truck” there are many different types of trucks used to help, in some way put fire out. They don’t all spray water.
The fire Chief didnt look up the Great I am Warren Woodward’s phone number!! Guess what Warren i just tried to look it up online and did’nt find it either. Not as important as you think you are i guess.
If I was the Chief i would of replied in an open letter like he did for all to see.
Much better to spend time writing a detailed letter of the events as they actually occurred then to go digging through a phone book looking for a guys phone number whose ego tells him he is far more important then he actually is.!!!
@ Joe T West Sedona — The fact that you could not find my number on line has nothing to do with my importance or lack of importance. It has everything to do with your inability. Here it is online, found in seconds: http://www.dexpages.com/guide/AZ/Sedona-Cottonwood-Verde_Valley/White_Pages/165.php
Additionally, the issue is not whether Kazian looked up my number or not. If he’s going to write an email, fine. But telling me he could not find my number is, as I said, ” … at best nonsensical, at worst dishonest, and in either case a credibility destroyer.”
@ Just Sayin’ — Your reading skills still need brushing up. Since the video was unclear to me I emailed the person who took it and asked for clarification. I printed his response.
Note that the subject of my original post is “Eyewitnesses tell different Slide Fire story” not “Warren Woodward tells different Slide Fire story”.
http://fntxvyg.blogspot.com/2014/05/slide-fire.html?m=1
From looking at it videos it appears a manageable fire when Sedona Fire arrived on Scene. They arrived on scene with a fire engine that is capable of putting out fires without assistance or hydrant. It also has pumps and filters to be able to draw from a creek or lake. The fire fighters sat in the truck. They did not immediately deploy, or apparently deploy at all.
Sedona fire gets US Forest reimbursement and lots of double overtime once the fire becomes a US forest service problem.
Like all government, bigger is better, even fires.
Gee, it got out of control. That’s what happens to fires if you don’t put them out quickly.
Look at the videos yourself.
Fire engines like the one shown(yes that’s a fire engine Not a fire truck) have a 500 gal booster tank filled with water…. I’ll take the FD’s opinion on how best that was gonna be used… Like stopping the fire from spreading on the other side of 89a… 500 gal doesn’t last long and drawing water from the river to replace it is a time consuming task…. So shut the blank up. ntil you ask an expert who knows what’s he’s taking about instead of some tourist and people who wish they grew up to be fireman but couldn’t hack it or keep thier job..