Gearing Up for Wildfires

Gearing Up for Wildfires

DEPARTMENTS

Training Notebook

Every year, more than 20-million acres of wildlands burn across the nation. This inflates suppression costs into the millions of dollars and endangers many lives, especially the lives of firefighters. While there is little that can be done to reduce costs, we can reduce the risks to lives.

It has been proven time and time again in the fire service that knowledge is vital and ignorance is costly. This is especially true when you are preparing to combat wildfires. You must train before a dangerous incident occurs to avoid becoming trapped on your fire control lines, which can lead to serious injuries.

This training and preparation not only benefits those agencies responsible for forest or range lands, but it also helps any department that has within its jurisdiction fast burning vegetative fuels, such as weeds, grasses, and brush or heavily concentrated vegetation. This includes a portion of nearly every department in the fire service.

Probably the most dangerous situation firefighters will encounter involves constructing a fire control line downhill towards a fire, or fighting fire on a hillside where rolling materials can ignite the vegetative fuel types below the point of operation.

Although it is sometimes necessary to construct fire lines downhill to gain control of a fast-spreading fire, it is an extremely hazardous practice, especially in fast-burning vegetation. This situation increases the danger of the fire crossing the slope below the firefighters and then sweeping uphill to trap them. This type of fire-line construction should not be attempted unless there is no suitable alternative for controlling the fire.

If the situation demands downhill fire-line construction, take the following precautions:

  • Be sure that the toe of the fire is anchored. By “securing” one edge of the fire to a natural barrier, a road, or a fire break, it will prevent a flare-up from behind that could cut off escape.
  • Do not construct a fire control line adjacent to a chimney or chute that could burn out while firefighters are in the vicinity. Chimneys or chutes are steep, narrow draws that collectively trap and hold unburned fire gases and can flashover when conditions allow.
  • Establish prompt communication between firefighters working downhill and those working towards them. If none of the firefighters can observe the fire adequately, post a lookout where the fire’s behavior can be observed and communication with those on the scene can be maintained.
  • Determine escape routes before the incident and make sure everyone is aware of them. Be alert, keep calm, think clearly, and act decisively, maintaining control of your crew at all times. Every firefighter should be able to reach a safety zone from any point along the fire line in case the fire unexpectedly crosses below them. Set up alternate escape routes in case one or more of them become blocked off due to changes in fire behavior. The burned area where the fire has passed through often provides an effective means of escape since the fuel load has been reduced or eliminated altogether.
  • Firefighters working downhill should work along the fire’s edge whenever possible. Avoid working away from the burned area where terrain and cover make travel difficult and slow. By staying to heavy cover with unburned fuel between firefighters and the fire, the whole crew can be easily trapped before reaching a safety zone.
  • Another dangerous situation to watch out for is when you are working in an area where you are unfamiliar with local factors that influence fire behavior. This is especially hazardous when you are working in terrain that you haven’t seen in daylight. The lay of the land will dictate the fire spread, wind direction, and pockets of accumulated, unburned fire gases. In this situation, it is essential to take the following precautions:

  • Keep informed of local fire weather conditions and forecasts while on the line. Thunderclouds passing overhead can create turbulence and erratic flame spread. In addition, lightning strkes can lead to more spot fires.
  • Note when the wind begins to increase or change direction. Also pay close attention to areas that are getting hotter and drier. While the area may not look as though it would hold a pocket of unburned fire gases, such warning signs clearly indicate that conditions are ideal for a flashover.
  • Base all suppressive actions on current and expected fire behavior. Always observe what the fire is doing. Post lookouts and maintain communication between them. It is suicidal to work near the main fire without the ability to observe it and to be out of communication with anyone who can.

The most common mistake made by firefighters at these types of incidents is when they attempt frontal assaults on wildfires with pumpers. Being overconfident in their pumper capabilities has often trapped members and apparatus. Escape routes in frontal assaults are virtually nonexistent. Even the safety of the burned area is blocked by active flame spread.

In large wildfires, huge convection currents draw the available air from all sides, causing pumpers to stall and be stranded in the wake of the flames. If you find yourself caught in a frontal assault, do the following:

  • Maintain communication with lookouts and nearby engine companies for backup. Know your pumper capabilities. If it’s hard for you to breathe, assume that the pumper’s need for air is greater, and back out.
  • Make sure all assignments are clear and understood. There is little room for error in a frontal assault.
  • Be aware of the frequency of spot fires throughout the lay of fire control lines. These are new fire starts that precede the main fire. They are caused by fire brands or embers dropped from convection currents. The large wildfires create their own air drafts that pull the smaller spot fires toward them and box in operating units.
  • When working a frontal assault, stage back-up units to the rear to pick up spot fires. It is more important to gain control of these small fires in their early stages than to maintain the main fire. If the frequency of spot fires is more than the available companies can handle, you should BACK OUT.

It is unfortunate that the knowledge acquired from these hazardous situations was learned at the cost of many lives. It is even more unfortunate that the continual loss of life and injury during wildfires is because firefighters fail to heed the above warnings.

Hopefully, the information in this article will reduce the risk that each one of us must confront every day. The time to prepare is now, when knowledge is your greatest weapon. Remember, ignorance will cost you!

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