Story Archive

Responsible Commanders

In July, Col. Ron Johnson faced a crowd and said the U.S. Army had accidentally started a wildfire in interior Alaska — at 80,000 acres and $5.5 million in firefighting costs, it was the most expensive fire in Alaska this year. Johnson commands Fort Wainwright, and his fire department had advised against an artillery training exercise. It was dry and windy, and a “red flag” fire warning had been issued. But Army headquarters near Anchorage allowed the training to proceed — and just days after Johnson took responsibility, with more than 1,000 people being evacuated because of the fire, Army officials stepped back. The cause hadn’t been determined, the Army said, but if it were found responsible, people could submit claims for fire losses. After investigating for 14 weeks, the Army has concluded the fire was started by (you guessed it) the Army, which (you guessed it) should not have practiced with high explosive shells in the face of the red flag warning. The report suggested using non-incendiary shells in such circumstances. (AC/Anchorage Daily News) ...Which is more responsible: stepping up promptly, carefully investigating first — or just not practicing with incendiary explosives when there’s a fire warning?