'The pipes and bells now toll for you': Prescott remembers the Granite Mountain Hotshots
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This past Friday marked a grim anniversary for Arizona. It has been10 years since 19 wildland firefighters were killed while battling the Yarnell Hill Fire.
Hundreds gathered on the lawns of the Yavapai County courthouse Friday afternoon to honor them.
Doug Copenhaver, with Central Arizona Firefighters Pipes and Drums gathered with others to rehearse their role before the ceremony.
"Our job is unique. It’s important to recognize that it is unique. Our families are affected by it. We’re affected by it. That’s why we have to be the brotherhood, the family support system for us. That’s what it’s all about," he said.
Prescott Fire operations chief Ralph Lucas warned of the dangers firefighters face. Then he read the names of the 19 fallen, intoning each with a crisp bell ring.
"Your duties have been well done. The pipes and bells now toll for you," he intoned before calling out each firefighter's name.
Brendan McDonough was the unit’s 20th firefighter. He served as the lookout that day and was the only survivor. He read the "Hotshots Prayer," the same he read 10 years ago at the first memorial.
"Let my skills and hands be firm and quick. Let me find those safety zones, as we hit and lick. For if this day on the line I should answer death's call, Lord bless my hotshot crew my family one and all," he said.
And then 16-year-old Ryder Ashcraft took the stage. He’s the son of Andrew Ashcraft, one of the Granite Mountain Hotshots.
"Picture a dark room. Peaceful, quiet. Then picture my dad, Andrew," Ryder began.
He slowly told the story of the last time he saw his father alive.
"He shook me awake and spoke softly, making sure not to wake my two brothers. And he told me, son, you’re the man of the house while I’m gone. Take care of our family. Protect mom, and I love you," he said.
He showed a white bracelet he wears on his wrist. A gift from his dad, one he says that’s guided him through tough life moments.
"He gave each of us in our family a bracelet and called them our be better bands. He wore his faithfully, as a commitment to live every day of his life better than the one before," said Ryder.
An investigative report found that the Hotshots were well trained and qualified when the Yarnell Hill Fire broke out. It was the first major fire in the area in 45 years, the landscape was prime to erupt. The fire chased them and overtook them as they deployed shelters. The temperatures reached 200 degrees.
Radio communications were challenging. There was a gap of more than 30 minutes when the crew tried to get to safety.
"We need to support our wildland firefighters, especially after the season," said Scott Briggs, director of operations for the Wildland Firefighters Foundation.
"A lot of these guys are cast aside and see you next year," he said.
He’s seen some improvements in communications. But the stresses of fighting wildland fires are extreme. Briggs said now important work is being done to help firefighters not only in the wilds, but when they are home.
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