JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. (Aug. 18, 2022) – Oregon Department of Forestry and Bureau of Land Management officials are sadden to announce the death of 25-year-old wildland firefighter Logan Taylor of Talent, Oregon.
On Thursday, August 18, 2022, shortly after 4:00 p.m., dispatchers received information regarding a wildland firefighter that was critically injured after being struck by a tree on the Rum Creek Fire, located north of Galice. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue (SAR) immediately deployed a helicopter and personnel to the fire and airlifted Taylor out of the mountainous terrain to an awaiting Mercy Flights helicopter, which transported him to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford. Despite lifesaving efforts by firefighters and EMS personnel assigned to the fire and responding medical staff, Taylor succumbed to his injuries. He was the operator of Sasquatch Reforestation, an ODF-contracted firefighting company.
“We are extremely saddened by the passing of Logan Taylor. This loss is deeply felt by our ODF family and throughout the wildland fire community as a whole,” said Tyler McCarty, ODF Southwest Oregon District Forester. “Safety remains our top priority. ODF and our partners are committed to learning from this accident and to doing everything we can to reduce the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future.”
“A loss of a firefighter’s life impacts the whole firefighting community, and we send our condolences to the family friends and coworkers,” said Elizabeth Burghard, BLM Medford District Manager. “Safety is the number one priority for the BLM and our wildland firefighting partners. We want every firefighter to come home safely each day.”
The incident is under investigation and more details will be released as they are confirmed.