Safety Industry Mourns Loss of Arizona Wildfire Firefighters

The deaths of 19 heroes battling an Arizona wildfire serve as a tragic reminder to continue the efforts to provide advances in safety, equipment, training and code compliance to reduce firefighter and occupant deaths. Historically, lessons learned from past fire disasters have been turned into advances in fire safety.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the 19 firefighters, Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo and the community of Prescott, Ariz., as we mourn the loss of the wildland crew from Prescott,” said International Code Council Board Member M. Dwayne Garriss, Georgia State Fire Marshal. “Fire can be such a destructive, devastating and unforgiving force even to those who have been trained to deal with its energy.”

Eleven on-duty firefighters died in association with wildland fires in 2012, the same as 2011 and 2010, according to provisional 2012 firefighter fatality statistics from the U.S. Fire Administration.

“Our deepest condolences go out the families, fire departments and communities of the 19 firefighters who lost their lives battling the Arizona wildfire,” said Code Council Board Member Robert Drexler, Greece, N.Y., Fire Marshal. “May the nation pause and recognize the tremendous commitment these true professionals gave while performing their duties. We pray for the safety of the others still battling this fire and wish all a safe return back home.”

States and jurisdictions wanting to evaluate the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code for use in their communities, can review the code for free (http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/iwuic/2012/index.htm?bu=IC-P-2012-000011&bu2=IC-P-2012-000019).

The International Code Council is a member-focused association. It is dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.