Critics Say Forest Service Battles Too Many Fires

[Desperadoe]

By JIM ROBBINS

ISSOULA, Mont. — As the wildfire burned furiously toward two firefighters clearing trees in the mountains near Cramer Creek, Idaho, they repeatedly called over their radio for a helicopter to get them off the rocky slope.

"Oh God, we've got fire down below us," one firefighter, Jeff Allen, told the dispatcher. "Just make them hurry up."

But the helicopters were refueling and by the time they arrived, the smoke was too thick to land, sealing the fate of Mr. Allen, 24, and Shane Heath, 22.

In January, an investigation by the United States Forest Service concluded that the incident commander for the fire last summer had violated all 10 standard orders to ensure firefighter safety, including posting lookouts and identifying escape routes, a breakdown that led to the deaths of the two firefighters.<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/08/national/08FIRE.html