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

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

Most Recent Reflection

View all 3 Reflections

I was not a citizen of Arizona at this time, and I was unaware of Deputy Bachman's sacrifice. I am thankful for her service to the state. And I must also say, the inmates who died were an unfortunate loss as well. They wouldn't have been in fire service if they were not inmates in good standing.

Stan Jefferson
Citizen of Arizona,

June 26, 2017