Fire at Mann Gulch

Zainab Irfan

21110223

1. What were the causes of the tragedy?

• Possibility that the crew foreman Wagner Dodge demonstrated poor
leadership
• Panicked reaction of the inexperienced crew.
• Inadequate resources such as radio.
• Dodge’s order to Hellman not to go to the gulch bottom, as a result of which
the crew became separated and confused.
• Hellman had trouble keeping everyone moving at a steady pace.
• When the fire approached close, some smokejumpers had already discarded
their tools, while others did not heed Dodge’s orders.
• The crew’s failure to understand Dodge’s intentions when he lit the escape
fire.
• The crew’s failure to heed Dodge’s efforts to get them to go into the escape
fire area.
2. Analyse Dodge’s leadership at Mann Gulch. What mistakes did he make as leader?

Dodge had a personality in which it was hard to be able to tell what he was thinking.
Dodge also did not have a very good understanding and interaction with his crew
members, which almost created a power distance between them. At a point, Dodge
conceded to Cooley’s experience and judgment without questioning his judgment. At
another point, he left charge of the crew with Hellman and went to eat, even though
Hellman was not experienced enough to handle the crew. He also kept only the river
as the possible backup route, when in fact he should have considered other alternate
options as backup. Furthermore, since he was serving as the leader of the crew, he
should have undertaken the responsibility to ensure that there were adequate
resource supplies with the crew, such as extra radios.

3. What are the lessons for business executives?

Business executives can take lessons from Dodge about how to sustain a healthy
relationship with team members. There were instances where the crew members
were unable to understand Dodge’s commands or the intent behind them. For
business executives to be effective in their leadership, it is imperative that they first
establish a thorough understanding with their crew members about how decisions
would be made and enacted. Business executives must also have backup plans for
every project they undertake, in order to avoid the kind of chaos that Dodge’s crew
had to face.