Unit 9 Railroad Fire Case Study Hutton / Shasta Case Northern California Siskiyou Ranger Unit California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

fires Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad Fires

History firesAll carbon caused fires3 carbon, 2 spin outs fires5 carbon, 1 track spin, 1 railroad car fire firesAll carbon caused firesAll carbon caused fires11 carbon, 4 dynamic brake grid fireHutton Fire carbon caused

CORP Fires & Acres

Mary’s Peak 2000 Cooley # Cooley # CORP Track Road

State of California vs. Central Oregon Pacific Railroad (CORP) Charges: California state law: 1.Unlawfully causing a fire 2.Maintenance of a public nuisance 3.Continuance of a public nuisance after a legal order to abate 4.Negligently causing a fire 5.Burning lands of another 6.Operating machinery in area where burn permits are required 7.Failure to maintain railroad right of way 8.Failure to remove flammable vegetation from RR right of way 9.Failure to maintain a working spark arrester

Hutton Fire June 14, degrees 1717 hours 11% humidity Fuels: grass was cured. Vegetation at origin was in Ponderosa pine litter and duff

Utility poles. Fire origin near left pole

CORP track

Threatened structures

Hutton fire origin Wind direction Origin area 6’-9’ from outside rail Origin area 6’-9’ from outside rail

Sequence of events Air attack confirmed train at California/Oregon border Command center notified CORP to stop train at next siding at Mt. Ashland Oregon. Investigator flagged off the fire origin to provide security of the site. Drove to train location Made contact with engineer and performed inspection of external exhaust stacks and internal carbon traps

Inspection of locomotives 7 locomotives 2 locomotive’s arresters were dirty All were in use pulling the hill 7 locomotives 2 locomotive’s arresters were dirty All were in use pulling the hill

Close up of spark arrester trap cap

Case report preparation Contact CORP –Maintenance history of locomotives were retrieved from the mechanical department. –No event recorder printout was available. They were in process of installing them in the equipment –Photo or scan of document

CORP on duty locomotive engineer records ID of person. Union engineer card. Non photo ID Had their numbers. Didn’t state what company they worked for. Keep list of business cards of people you dealt with -- they change a lot!

Agency Records ALL Dispatch Records Fire Reports Cost reports Air attack photos List of contacts made to CORP

Records All inspection records for past fire inspections and spot inspections. CORP’s Policy on maintenance of locomotives.

Railroad records Track profile Daily locomotive log located in the locomotive cab

Weather data Remote Automated Weather Data Lightning activity record

Elimination of other potential causes Other reasonably potential causes near origin –Considered –Analyzed –Addressed –Excluded or included –Partially excluded or partially included

Case timeframes First week –Case prep – final document Meetings with State Prosecutor –Discuss charges –Prepare for deposition and multiple copies of all documents for discovery Assemble full cost package

Taking of depositions Occurred fall 2001 Lead investigator spent 28 hours being deposed

Prepare for court Provided the Special Prosecutor with all background information of the case Provided all investigative records Curriculum vitae Used newspaper articles to educate Special Prosecutor

Settlement CORP plead guilty to three misdemeanors. Posted a one million dollar bond for violations of probation. Paid $512, in fines and suppression costs. Paid restitution to any citizen who suffered loss. CDF to have input for train operation time during May 1 to November 1 fire season. Clearance of 25 feet for one quarter mile each side of each railroad fire that had occurred in Siskiyou County during the last five years. CORP to phase in turbo charged locomotives for use in California. Provide spark arrester maintenance plan for CORP locomotives. Semi annual meetings between CORP and CDF. Memorandum of Understanding for purposes of fuel reduction on the railroad right of way. CORP to name someone in their management that would be a contact person for CDF.

Lessons learned

Today Maintenance program in place One fire in 2003 –One locomotive was not cleaned properly – isolated case. –Overall reduction of fires

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