Assistant to the Deputy Warden Sandra JoAnn Bachman, Arizona Department of Corrections, Arizona

Assistant to the Deputy Warden Sandra JoAnn Bachman

Arizona Department of Corrections, Arizona

End of Watch Tuesday, June 26, 1990

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Sandra JoAnn Bachman

Assistant to the Deputy Warden Sandra Bachman was killed in a wildfire while overseeing prisoners who were detailed as a firefighting crew.

The crew had been deployed to a large wildfire in the Tonto National Forest near Payson, Arizona. They were overtaken by the a fire storm and suffered severe smoke inhalation. Assistant Bachman and five inmates died as a result. Several other inmates and firefighters suffered severe injuries.

Assistant Bachman had served with the Arizona Department of Corrections for seven years and was assigned to the San Pedro Unit at Perryville. She was survived by her mother, sister, and grandmother.

Bio

Age 43
Tour 7 years
Badge Not available

Incident Details

Cause Fire

wildfire

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Sandy was not aactually assigned to the San Pedro Unit. She worked as the Administrative Assistant to the Associate Warden, in Admin at Complex.

I was a Perryville firecrew member when we got the callout for the Dude Fire. I had begged the crew boss to go on this fire but was turned down because I was still officially on original probation. The crew boss told me it was because if anything happened I wouldn't be covered. This haunts me to this day.

RIP Alex, Joe, James, Curtis, James, and Sandy.

CSO Scott D. Lord
ASPC-Perryville-San Pedro Unit Wildland Firecrew

July 3, 2024