KELOWNA, B.C. – An owner’s manual outlining the required use of approved safety helmets, seatbelts and cab netting for the operation of a utility vehicle was found near the scene of a rollover accident that resulted in the death a BC Wildfire Service firefighter, says a workplace investigation report.
The WorkSafeBC report says the driver and passenger in the utility vehicle, known as a UTV, were not wearing helmets, the cab netting retention system was damaged and at least one of the people was not wearing a seatbelt in last summer’s crash east of Pink Mountain near Fort St. John, B.C.
The report into the July 28 death of 25-year-old Zak Muise, employed by contractor Big Cat Wildfire, said the wildfire service didn’t adequately supervise use of the utility vehicles, lacked procedures and training about their operation and didn’t ensure they were inspected for safety.
Muise was helping to battle the Donnie Creek wildfire in northeast British Columbia, one of the largest wildfire’s in provincial history.
It’s the second WorkSafeBC report into the deaths of B.C. wildfire firefighters in recent days.
A report Wednesday into the death of firefighter Devyn Gale, 19, last July cited ineffective hazard management by the BC Wildfire Service, inadequate supervision, training and orientation of young workers, unsafe work procedures and normalization of risk.
Both reports were initially obtained by the CBC under freedom of information requests.
“A copy of the manufacturer’s owner’s manual was found at the incident site,” said the report reviewing the accident in which Muise died. “The owner’s manual clearly outlines the requirement to use … helmets, seatbelts, and cab nets (retention netting) when the vehicle is in operation.”
The report into Muise’s death said he and his supervisor were riding in the UTV near Fort St. John when it was driven through a ditch to avoid an oncoming truck.
But the UTV driver, whose identity is obscured by redactions in the report, was unable to stop before driving off a steep four-metre embankment, resulting in a rollover crash that killed Muise and left the supervisor with unspecified injuries.
“As the UTV went over the steep embankment, the driver-side front tire dug into the side of the embankment, causing the UTV to shift,” said the report. “This resulted in the rear of the UTV swinging around and crashing into the ground, and the UTV rolling onto the passenger side.”
The report said a netting system to keep occupants inside in the event of a rollover was damaged and ineffective, something that would likely have been identified if a pre-use inspection had been carried out.
“BC (Wildfire Service) did not provide adequate supervision of the operation of UTVs and thus did not ensure the health and safety of the workers performing work at the workplace,” the report said.
WorkSafeBC’s Occupational Health and Safety incident investigation report cited safety regulation violations that included, allowing an operator to use a vehicle where a worker was not wearing the complete seatbelt assembly and a failure to ensure the safety of its workers.
Gale died when a burning tree fell on her northeast of Revelstoke last July, despite the cedar having been identified by colleagues as dangerous before the accident.
A WorkSafe BC report into that accident said “no actions were taken to eliminate or mitigate the risks” posed by the tree.
Firefighters on B.C.’s northern wildfire frontline wore black bandanas last August, while others carrying helmets and axes marched in Penticton during a memorial procession to honour Muise.
First responders, including municipal and forest firefighters, police, paramedics and others formed a procession at the Okanagan city’s Skaha Lake Park, followed by an outdoor public memorial for Muise, who grew up in Ontario and was the youngest of six siblings.
Muise and Gale, who was honoured with a memorial procession in Revelstoke, were among four wildland firefighters who died last July across Canada.
It was one the deadliest fire seasons in recent memory.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 2, 2023.
