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By CHARLES S. JOHNSON Missoulian State Bureau
HELENA - Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., pointed across the Billings airport Sunday and accused a member of an elite firefighting team of not doing “a God damned thing” and charged that crew members just “sit around” on the job, the original version of a state report said. Most of Burns' highly critical comments, made to state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation employee Paula Rosenthal, were omitted from the version of her report released to reporters Wednesday and Thursday. The Lee Newspapers State Bureau on Thursday obtained the original version of “incident report” written by Rosenthal about her meeting with Burns. On Thursday night, Burns, a Republican facing a stiff re-election challenge this year, issued a written apology for his comments. He said he shouldn't have criticized the hard-working firefighters for how the fires were handled. Burns was at the Billings airport Sunday and approached some members of the Augusta (Va.) Hotshots, who were also waiting to catch a plane. In what the report called “an altercation,” Burns told them they had done “a poor job” fighting the 92,000-acre blaze near Billings and should have listened to the concerns of local ranchers. His comments prompted some U.S. Forest Service officials at the airport to call Rosenthal to come to the airport immediately to meet with Burns.
Rosenthal's original report of the incident recounted how Burns pointed to a member of the Augusta Hotshots crew across the airport waiting area and telling her: “See that guy over there? He hasn't done a God-damned thing. They sit around. I saw it up on the Wedge fire and in northwestern Montana some years ago. It's wasteful. You probably paid that guy $10,000 to sit around. It's gotta change.” Rosenthal wrote in both versions: “I offered to the senator that our firefighters make around $8-$12 per hour and time-and-a-half for overtime. He seemed a little surprised that it wasn't higher.” Burns issued the apology after the Lee Newspapers State Bureau faxed his office a copy of Rosenthal's original report. “In retrospect, I wish I had chosen my words more carefully,” Burns said in a statement. “My criticism of the way in which the fire was handled should not have been directed at those who were working hard to put it out. Without a doubt, firefighters do the hard, tough job of battling one of Mother Nature's toughest beasts. I have nothing but admiration for them and the work they do. “My frustration came from meeting with landowners who were critical of the way the fire was handled. Whatever the reason, I should have simply thanked those who worked hard to put out the fire. “I have since addressed my concerns to the proper officials about the way in which fires are handled. Please accept my apology for any hard feelings that my comments may have caused. I have the utmost respect for the job firefighters have done in Montana.” Rosenthal, reached Thursday night, said she made the decision to delete Burns' quote from her final report after discussing it with state Forester Bob Harrington. Some names and phone numbers of firefighting officials also were deleted in the interest of privacy, she said. “It's an inflammatory remark,” she said of the Burns quote. “I thought the remark was captured in the other comments. It had nothing to do with any politics. ... There was absolutely no coercion or pressure from anybody (to delete it).” She said the report was intended as an internal management tool “and not fodder for the press.” “I wanted to present accurate information, including his concerns and examples, so they could respond,” she said. “I thought it was going to be a productive working document for the management.” Rosenthal, who is based in Missoula but was the public information officer for the Billings-area fire, said she went to the airport to talk to Burns because “I saw it as an opportunity to listen to his concerns and provide some information on a fire I was assigned to.” The Augusta Hotshots are a 20-person crew formed in June 2001. After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, they spent time in New York City helping the crews at ground zero. Last year, the Augusta Hot Shots were called out 35 times, a Forest Service spokesman told the Staunton, Va., News Leader in a story Thursday. “They're very sought after, very well trained,” Jo Beth Brown of the Forest Service told the Virginia newspaper. Burns' Democratic opponent, state Senate President Jon Tester of Big Sandy, issued a statement that didn't mention Burns but praised firefighters. “During this dangerous fire season, all Montanans are grateful for the thousands of firefighters who are on the front lines protecting our homes, property and wild lands,” he said. “These dedicated professionals are to be commended for their bravery, hard work and sacrifice. Until the rains come, Montana will remain at risk, and it is the responsibility of every Montanan to support our firefighters and let them do their job.” Montana Democratic Party Chairman Dennis McDonald, a Melville rancher, said, “Senator Burns' outrageous insults to the brave men and women who battled the dangerous fire near Billings requires an immediate apology. As a rancher, I fully appreciate the sacrifice of these firefighters. These brave firefighters, who do not even live in Montana, come in to help us save ranches and lives here and they put their own lives at risk.” Kurt Bushnell, president of the Montana State Firemen's Association, said Burns always has access to the state and federal officials who decide on firefighting strategy and tactics. “So why in the backdrop of an airport in eastern Montana, bash the brave men and women on loan to us, whose only responsibility on the fire was to take orders?” Bushnell asked, adding later: “When those fires ignite during the dry months of July and August, I don't think most Montanans would turn their back on a firefighting crew willing to help out, regardless of the outcome. It's too bad Senator Burns doesn't share that mentality anymore.”
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