Congressional Panel Reconvenes to Delve into Events of the Station Fire
Pasadena, CA– Today, a congressional panel to further investigate the circumstances surrounding the Station Fire reconvened to delve into the events of the first day of the Station Fire, which cost the lives of two brave firefighters, and threatened or destroyed the homes of a great many constituents in the 29th District and surrounding communities.
“Today’s panel discussion provided the opportunity for us to hear from representatives of the Forest Service and other responding agencies, as well as outside experts and critics, and shed additional light on firefighting procedures and techniques -- how they were applied during the Station Fire, and how they should be revised to improve outcomes in the future,” Rep. Schiff said. “My hope is that this airing of the issues and the GAO investigation to follow will help to ensure that all steps are taken to avoid another devastating tragedy like the Station Fire.”
Note: A previously scheduled panel had to be postponed when Congress was call back into session unexpectedly in early August.
Invited speakers:
Panel 1:
William Derr, retired Forest Service employee
Don Feser, retired Angeles National Forest Fire Chief
Duncan Baird, homeowner, Vogel Flats Fire Recovery Alliance
Jody Noiron, Forest Supervisor, Angeles National Forest
Will Spyrison, (retired) Division Chief, Angeles National Forest
John Tripp, Chief Deputy of Emergency Operations, L.A. County Fire Department
Panel 2:
Tom Harbour, Director of Fire and Aviation Management, Forest Service
P. Michael Freeman, Chief, L.A. County Fire Department
Bob Cavage, President, Wildfire Research Network
David Gillotte, President, Intl. Assoc. of Fire Fighters, Local 1014
Casey Judd, Federal Wildland Fire Service Association
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