Report finds fire engine crashed on ‘extremely slick’ road
A Dec. 6, 2024, single-vehicle rollover crash left two Selkirk Fire & Rescue personnel with minor injuries and destroyed a fire engine. A contracted investigator found the firefighter driving the vehicle to be at fault while noting that hazardous conditions were present.
Photo courtesy SELKIRK FIRE, RESCUE & EMS
CAREYWOOD — Selkirk Fire, Rescue & EMS shared the details and outcomes of a December 2024 fire engine crash in a report made public Tuesday.
A contracted investigator found that while the firefighter driving the truck was at fault for the single-vehicle crash, road conditions in the area were hazardous. The investigator recommended enhancing training and bolstering vehicle inspection compliance in the future.
According to the report, two Selkirk Fire personnel were traveling on a frontage road about 5 miles south of Careywood on the morning of Dec. 6, 2024, en route to a vehicle accident.
When the driver braked to slow down, they lost control of the vehicle, and the truck crashed into a roadside ditch and rolled over. Both occupants were transported to a Coeur d’Alene hospital and treated for minor injuries; the vehicle was a total loss.
The Idaho State Police officer who responded to the incident observed “extremely slick” road conditions due to black ice. The officer reported that both occupants said the vehicle was traveling about 25 miles per hour in a posted 45 mile per hour zone.
The investigator found that the truck’s tires were compliant with the recommended level of wear, and attributed blame to the driver based on an Idaho law that prohibits travel at a speed greater than is reasonable under the conditions. The responding officer listed “speed too fast for conditions” and “failed to maintain lane” as circumstances that contributed to the crash.
In the report, Selkirk Fire Chief Jeff Armstrong expressed gratitude that both firefighters involved in the incident are healing and expected to fully recover.
Selkirk Fire has collected an insurance settlement for the wrecked vehicle, he stated, and the department will receive a replacement engine in the coming months.
Armstrong also shared a commitment to improving driver preparedness and examining the agency’s policies and practices. Since the accident, Selkirk Fire has initiated driver training sessions and implemented a new system that documents vehicle inspections conducted every other day, according to the investigator.
“The fact that that community provides the funds for our fire apparatus means they are essentially yours,” Armstrong stated. “We owe it to you to ensure we reduce the risk of something like this ever happening again.”