Erik Apland and Travis Dotson explore “outliers” in wildland fire – unusual incidents that highlight less-discussed hazards and how we prepare ourselves to respond to events we don’t expect.
To read more about each of the incidents mentioned, follow the links below:
Three Creeks Fire Electrical Shock: https://lessons.wildfire.gov/incident/three-creeks-fire-electrical-shock-2025
Oregon Mop Up Electrical Shock: https://lessons.wildfire.gov/incident/oregon-mop-up-electric-shock-2025
Ninetyeight Fire Boating Accident: https://lessons.wildfire.gov/incident/ninetyeight-fire-boating-accident-2025
Controller Bay Airboat Incident: https://lessons.wildfire.gov/incident/controller-bay-airboat-incident-2025
Aggie Creek Fire Spike Camp Hit by Tree: https://lessons.wildfire.gov/incident/aggie-creek-fire-spike-camp-hit-by-tree-2025
Trees Falling on Tents Blog Post: https://wildfirelessons.wpcomstaging.com/2025/08/26/trees-falling-on-tents/
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Episode 41 - Lessons on Structure Protection Operations
Structure Protection Specialist Hunter Bell III discusses his unusual career trajectory into wildland fire, and shares lessons on structure protection principles and the use of sprinklers to effectively protect structures without causing water damage.
This discussion is a follow-up to Hunter’s blog post: https://wildfirelessons.wpcomstaging.com/2025/06/02/structures-get-flooded-can-we-rethink-our-tactics/
Download Hunter’s Structure Protection Handy-Dandy: Structure Protection Tactics Guide | Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center
Sprinklers for Wildland Fire Structure Protection Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QloMXNhsBA0
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Episode 40 - Humble Accountability
Crew Captain Ben McLane describes what values-based leadership in the wildland fire service can look like in 2025. Listen in for some tangible tips on leading in a way that produces high-quality performance and maximizes well-being.
This discussion is a follow-up to Ben's blog post: https://wildfirelessons.wpcomstaging.com/2025/05/20/humble-accountability/
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Episode 39 - The Importance of New Perspectives
Orlando Genao and Erin Hurley discuss their recent multi-month detail experiences at the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center (LLC) with Travis Dotson, the LLC’s Analyst. Orlando served as the LLC’s Acting Director, and Erin worked as the LLC’s Acting Operations Manager. Listen as they share their expectations, experiences, and takeaways from time spent working at the LLC.
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Episode 38 - Lessons from 2024
Erik Apland and Travis Dotson discuss stories and insights collected by the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center in 2024. This episode focuses on the specific takeaways highlighted by events in the field over the past year.
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