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Conrad Burns Issues Apology for Altercation with Firefighters


By Courtney Lowery, 7-28-06

Sen. Conrad Burns has issued a written apology for having an "altercation" at a Billings airport last weekend with members of a hot shot firefighting crew about the management of a 92,000-acre blaze in eastern Montana.

Jennifer McKee of the Lee State Bureau broke the story on Thursday, reporting on an account from state firefighting operations that Burns criticized a member of the Augusta Hot Shots from Virginia for doing a "poor job" and not listening to ranchers.

Today, Lee's Chuck Johnson reports on the Burns apology and includes this little nugget of a quote from Burns in the original report from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation: Burns, pointing across the airport at a hot shot is quoted as saying, “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.’’

At www.wildlandfire.com, firefighters across the nation are reacting to the Burns comments.



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By Courtney Lowery, 7-28-06 | comments (1) | email story | print story

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Comments

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By Daniel Morse, 8-28-06
What a jerk. This "Senator" not only is a poor leader, a poor republican, he has never been in a fire situation. I personally wish to thank the brave firefighters that saved our homes and lives last month. We were told to evacuate twice last month. I never saw a firefighter run for safty! If this senator showed up at my doorstep, it would be hard not to slap him. I would not of course, but, I would give hime something to think about. DM

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