Memorial Boards at Iron Base Camp
Incident: Iron Alps Complex Wildland Fire
Released: 8/23/2008
As the sixth and hopefully, final Incident Mangement Team at the Iron/Alps Complex, we felt it was appropriate to share images (see image section) of the memorials here at base camp before they are disassembled. Although the New Mexico Incident Management Team was not here when these tragedies occurred, we were deeply affected by this loss to our fire family.....a loss experienced by all who share this unexplained passion for wildland firefighting. Among the many condolences written by firefighters, we felt these letters to Andrew Palmer's family were worth sharing:
Mr. and Mrs. Palmer,
My name is Patrick Hesters, and I am a firefighter with the City of San Diego. I was assigned to the Iron Complex on July 21st in the Communications Unit. On the night of Thursday, July 24th, I was off duty and decided to go down to the river with my fellow radio operator, Tom Hanneman, to go fishing. When we got down to the river, we found three firefighters sitting by the water. It was Andy and his crew. We started talking to them, and found out that their engine had broken down and they were "staged". They had all their saws and gear with them in a mini-van, and talked about how they were more than ready to go to work. A "mini-van task force" is what they called it. We talked about fishing and the different techniques used on the Trinity River. I told them about Roe Balls, a type of bait that is used for Salmon fishing. One of Andy's partners exclaimed "roe ball, that would be a GREAT name for the "Rookie", referring to Andy. We all had a good laugh.
As we were setting up our lines, my buddy Tom was having a terrible time tying his hook. Andy jumped up to give him a hand. I was impressed by how quickly he offered to help. After a few minutes of fishing, I remembered that I had another pole in the truck. I gave it to the crew and they began taking turns fishing. Andy was the last one to fish, and within a few casts, he had the line hung up on a stump on the bottom of the river. We watched him for several minutes to try to free the line. It was really stuck. Andy said that he was very sorry, but he was going to have to cut the line. As he cut the line, I joked with Andy that my grandfather had made me the lure when I was a kid, it was irreplaceable, and so on. Just kidding with him in true firefighter fashion. We finished up fishing, and as we left, I told him the truth about a local fisherman giving me the lure the day before. Again, we had a good laugh.
The next morning, Friday July 25th, before our shift started, Tom and I went back to the river to fish. Just before we finished, my line got hung up on something. As I pulled it in, I saw that I was hooked up on another line. As I pulled the line on in, what did I see It was the very lure that I had joked with Andy about the day before. Tom and I found it hard to believe that it came loose from the stump and we got it back.
I only knew Andy for a short few hours before we lost him, but I will carry his memory with me for a lifetime. I am truly sorry for your loss, and I hope this little story of Andy will help ease your pain. Please accept this lure in memory of our brother Andrew.
Sincerely,
Patrick Hesters
San Diego, CA 92129
Dear Palmer Family,
I'm with the crew Eagle Pass Reforestation. We were the ones that helped Andy down the hill to the helicopter.
The last thing I can remember was Andy looking up with his big blue eyes and thanking us.
I feel for your loss. I feel as if I lost a close friend when I found out he passed. I'm proud that he has a loving family and for a brief moment in his life, I was able to share.
With Great Respect,
Ryan "Rambo" Shook
·This week, $550 was collected at the Iron/Alps Complex and donated to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.
www.wffoundation.org
