UTAH, April 20, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Twin Peaks Handcrew members were honored Thursday with the USDA Secretary’s Act of Valor Award and the Intermountain Regional Foresters Award for their role in the Moose Fire Aircraft Response Group and for their willingness to risk personal injury in an attempt to perform lifesaving actions during a disaster response.
“It is an honor to see the heroic efforts of our very own recognized at the highest level,” said Jamie Barnes, director/state forester for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, according to a news release issued on the ceremony.
“People ask me what a hero is like, and anyone can describe a hero, but in our division, a hero wears Nomex and carries a fire pack. The heroic actions on that day are truly amazing, and we are proud that you work for us.”
While assigned to Idaho’s Moose Fire, in the Salmon-Challise National Forest last July, members of Draper-based Twin Peaks Conservatory Center crew witnessed an aircraft accident that resulted in the loss of life for the two pilots onboard.
“Members of the crew, including Supervisor August Foreman and others assigned to the fire, rushed to the site and risked injury to themselves by diving into swift water and hazardous conditions to attempt lifesaving actions,” the news release says.
Jesse Trembly, Lone Peak manager for the division, also spoke at the awards ceremony:
“This was one of those incidents you can’t train for. We train for a lot of scenarios, but we can’t train for a helicopter to go down in the way that it did. That is something that we can’t cover. We are proud of the way Twin Peaks responded and how they thought on their feet in a very rapid fashion.”
Twin Peaks is a type 2 hand crew that is part of the Lone Peak Conservation Center and represents the state as a national resource in responding to wildfire incidents across the Great Basin Region and the United States.
The USDA Secretary’s Act of Valor Award is given only in outstanding circumstances, the statement says.
