Incident Name: FM219, Hamilton TX
Date: 11/22/05
Personnel: Clint Dewayne Rice
Age: 28
Agency/Organization: Carlton Volunteer Fire Department
Position: Firefighter
Summary: Clint Dewayne Rice, 28, was driving a tractor-trailer water tender as his department was providing mutual aid to the Hamilton, TX fire department in fighting a large grass fire located west of Hamilton on Highway 36. At about 1430 hrs, Rice lost control while rounding a turn on Farm-to-Market Road 219, causing the truck to overturn. Rice was ejected from the truck when it flipped and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt. Rice-a 3 month member of the Carlton Volunteer Fire Department is survived by his wife Stephanie. The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the accident.
According to the State Fire Marshal’s Investigation Report released later, “Due to the forces involved in the crash, it is not possible to determine if safety belt use would have prevented Rice’s fatal injuries.”
Accident Location
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Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- Lives Lost and Lessons Learned — The 2005 -2006 Texas and Oklahoma Wildfires(4.56 MB pdf). For Clint Rice’s story, scroll down to page 32. For Lessons Learned, including lessons in the use and maintenance of equipment like Water Tenders, see pages 33-35.
- State Fire Marshal’s Firefighter Fatality Investigation: Investigation Number 06-139-11, Firefighter Clint Dewayne Rice
- NIOSH Report: Volunteer Firefighter Dies in Tanker Rollover Crash — Texas
- SAFENET on the Importance of Wearing Seat belts: from 2007
- Concerns raised for continuing intense grass fires in OK and TX: Texas FirestormsYou Tube from TFS Southern Plains Outbreak Weather Pattern Fires with footage from 2005-06 firestorms and a description of the pattern that was identified. A “MUST SEE”.
- USFA Memorial Database: Clint Dewayne Rice
Wildlandfire.com Links:
December 1, 2005 OBITUARY: Clinton Dewayne Rice
Clinton Dwayne Rice, 28, died Nov. 22, 2005. Funeral services were held Nov. 25, in the Riley Funeral Home Chapel. Burial was in the Carlton Cemetery with Rev. Marvin Andrews officiating.
Mr. Rice was born August 7, 1977 at Andrews, the son of James Bruce and Lola Novak Rice. He graduated from Hamilton High School in 1995 where he was active in FFA, judging lambs, and land judging management. After graduating from high school he entered the Air Force serving in Alaska, Korea and Iraq.
After returning home he was married to Stephanie Burkeen on January 6, 2001 at Hamilton. Mr. Rice loved to fish, ride his dirt bike and restore old cars and was in the process of restoring two 1967 Mustangs. He was a member of the Carlton Volunteer Fire Department and a mechanic for Blackwell Electric.
Survivors include his wife, Stephanie Rice of Carlton; parents, James and Lola Rice of Carlton; maternal grandparents, Stan and Vern Novak of Graham; paternal grandparents Lula and Robert Avery of Granbury; a sister, Jennifer Hilbert and her three children; James, Stanley and Micah Hilbert, all of Prairie Hill; a half sister Kathrine Goins of Zephyr and one half brother Jason Rice of Fort Worth as well as a host of other family members and friends.
Pallbearers were Damon Thompson, Bobby Pafford, Greg Thompson, David Slocomb, Lynn Smith and Dewaine Murphy.
Riley Funeral Home.
Contributors to this article: Tim Stubbs (NMAirBear)
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