By Tove Tupper
August 8, 2008
WHITE CITY, Ore. -- Grayback Forestry held a news conference Friday to discuss Tuesday's helicopter crash over the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in which seven of it's firefighters died, and three were injured.
Prior to the news conference, President Mike Wheelock spoke with two fire crews who arrived in Southern Oregon Friday from fighting fires in the Plumas National Forest.
"If you know firefighters, they are very family oriented group of individuals that care for their brothers. Some have elected to stay out there at this time," says Wheelock.
Wheelock said many of their fire crews in Montana and California have decided to return to Southern Oregon at this time. He also said Grayback's focus these last few days has been supporting family, friends and each other.Firefighters say they are leaning on each other to get through this terrible time.
"The impact overall obviously is very difficult. Everybody has their own ways of dealing with the angst, anger, sadness, however you deal with it," says Grayback Firefighter Jessie Kiene.
"I'm very sad, I really am, but I believe that we're gonna get through this period and that we'll go back to doing what we've always done, and that's putting out the best crews we can and then go do our part to fight fire," says Grayback Firefighter Ed Floate.
Those seven Grayback firefighters killed in the crash are:
Shawn Blazer, 30 from Medford, Ore.
Scott Charleson, 25 from Phoenix, Ore.
Matthew Hammer, 23 from Grants Pass, Ore.
Edrik Gomez, 19, from Ashland, Ore.
Bryan Rich, 29, from Medford, Ore.
David Steele, 19, from Ashland, Ore.
Steven Renno, 21 from Cave Junction, Ore.
The three injured are: Jonathan Frohreich, 18, is in UC Davis Medical Center in good condition. Michael Brown, 20, is in good condition also being treated at that hospital. Rick Schoeder, 42, is in fair condition at Mercy Medical Center in Redding. All three are from Medford.
The two pilots on the plane flew for Carson Helicopters, based in Grants Pass. The pilot presumed dead is 54-year-old Roark Schwanenberg of Lostine from northeastern Oregon. The other is William Coultas of Cave Junction. Carson says he is in critical condition at UC Davis Medical Center.
The U.S. Forest Service also confirmed Friday the check pilot who died was Redding-area resident Jim Ramage. He was 64-years-old.
