Off road safety

[pls7809]

Just a reminder, be mindful of what you are driving over or look under your truck when you stop off road. My company just lost a truck when the crew drove over some dry brush off the side of a road and got stuck in the sand. This was out near Laughlin, NV. The dried bush caught fire and destroyed the truck. The fire engulfed the cab of the truck and the engine block and was put out before it moved into the bed where we had a wooden box and tons of wood items (lathe, tripods, hubs, etc.). The instrument and GPS were saved when the guys immediately grabbed those items out of the cab before they couldn't get in there anymore. Luckily it was the only dried bush in the area, so the fire didn't become worse. Thankfully, no one was injured.

[Steve Martin]

I drove past the aftermath out in the desert one time after a survey crew stopped on the side of the road (not ours), decided to burn the trash in their metal waste bucket. Some embers must have got loose and next thing they knew, 20 acres or so, are instantly on fire. CDF responded big time and got it under control. Luckily no one got hurt, but it must have cost a fortune with all of the units responding.

Moral of the story: Burining trash out in the desert, or at work at all, is not a good idea.