exam 2

Question 1

when to use direct attack

Answer 1

• Fire burning in light fuels or fuels with high moisture
• Fire with low intensity
• Spot fire from prescribed burn or from

Question 2

direct attack

Answer 2

any treatment applied directly to burning
fuel such as wetting, smothering, or chemically quenching the fire or by physically separating the burning from unburned fuel

Question 3

parallel attack

Answer 3

fireline is constructed approximately
parallel to and just far enough from the fire edge to enable firefighters to work effectively

Question 4

indirect attack

Answer 4

fireline is located some considerable distance away from the fire’s active edge, done in the case of a fast-spreading or high-intensity fire

Question 5

kestrel

Answer 5

Measures Weather Quickly:
* Temperature
* Relative humidity
* Wind speed
* Air pressure

Question 6

anchor point

Answer 6

an advantageous location, usually a barrier to fire spread, from which to start constructing a fireline

Question 7

undercut

Answer 7

constructing a fireline at the bottom of a slope. keeps burning fuels from rolling downhill. deeper trench.

Question 8

hot spotting

Answer 8

A specific method of Direct Attack in which portions of the fire are targeted by crew. May be hot portions of spot fires or parts of the fire that are likely to escape or grow in intensity.

Question 9

lookouts

Answer 9

• One or more crew members continuously monitor fire
• Lookouts should be able to see the fire and the firefighters
• Communication channels with burn boss and crew

Question 10

communication

Answer 10

• Burn boss, lookouts, and all crew members
• Radio contact
• Burn boss, lookout, crew chief
• Vocal communication

Question 11

escape routes

Answer 11

• Route firefighters take to reach a safety zone if threatened by
  advancing fire
• Identify escape routes before attacking fire
• Identify at least two escape routes
• Do not position escape routes above (uphill of) fire
• Constantly reassess conditions as fire progresses

Question 12

safety zones

Answer 12

• Areas with little or no combustible vegetation, accessible by escape
  route at any time
• Radius equal to at least four times flame length
• May be natural areas (rock barrens, water bodies, meadows)
• May be constructed (mechanical scraping to mineral soil, burning out
  an area)
• Avoid dangerous topography; roads are often NOT large enough to
  serve as safety zones

Question 13

handcrews

Answer 13

20-person teams construct firelines around wildfires to control them, burn out fire areas, and mop up after fires.

Question 14

hotshots

Answer 14

these are the most highly skilled type of handcrews and are typically assigned to work on the most challenging parts of wildfires.

Question 15

engine crews

Answer 15

these teams of two to ten firefighters work with special wildland fire engines that carry special equipment to spray water and foam.

Question 16

smokejumpers

Answer 16

highly trained, experiences firefighters parachute from airplanes to provide quick initial attack on wildland fires in remote areas.

Question 17

helitack crews

Answer 17

firefighters are transported by helicopters to wildfires and maybe land near them.

Question 18

LCES

Answer 18

lookouts
communications
escape routes
safety zones

Question 19

drip torch

Answer 19

dispenses fuel mix for lighting fires. 3pt diesel, 1pt gasoline.

Question 20

ICS

Answer 20

incident command system. chain of command for a burn/fire suppressing crew

Question 21

incident commander

Answer 21

the only position that is required to be filled under the ICS

Question 22

direct attack disadvantages

Answer 22

• Firefighters hampered by heat, smoke and flame
• Firelines can be long and irregular
• Embers may be accidentally spread across line
• Doesn’t take advantage of natural or existing barriers

Question 23

indirect attack

Answer 23

• More acres will be burned
• More dangerous – firefighters are some distance
  from the fire
• Fire may cross line before it is burned out
• Burning out may leave islands of unburned fuel
• Burning out requires more experience

Question 24

fire behavior 1-3 (10 standard firefighting orders)

Answer 24

1. keep informed on weather conditions and forecasts
2. know what your fire is doing at all times
3. base all actions on current and expected behavior of the fire

Question 25

fireline safety 4-6 (10 standard firefighting orders)

Answer 25

4. identify escape routes and safety zones
5. post lookouts when there is possible danger
6. be alert. keep calm. think clearly. act decisively

Question 26

organizational control 7-9 (10 standard firefighting orders)

Answer 26

7. maintain prompt communications with your forces, supervisor, and adjoining forces
8. give clear instructions and be sure they are understood
9. maintain control of your forces at all times

Question 27

10th standard firefighting order

Answer 27

fight fire aggressively, having provided for safety first

Question 28

burn plan steps

Answer 28

1. know your site
2. define objectives (what you want to accomplish)
3. fire behavior (to accomplish your objectives)
4. create prescription (what conditions and techniques will be used)

Question 29

backing fire

Answer 29

Fire spreading or ignited to spread into (against) the wind or downslope; fire spread on level ground with no wind

Question 30

head fire

Answer 30

Started against a firebreak and allowed to rapidly move with the wind or topography

Question 31

strip-headfire

Answer 31

A series of lines of fire ignited near and upwind (or downslope) of a firebreak or
backing fire so they will burn with the wind (or upslope) to the fire break

Question 32

flanking fire

Answer 32

Treating an area with lines of fire set into the wind which burn outward at right angles to the wind

Question 33

ring fire

Answer 33

Igniting the full perimeter so the ensuing fire fronts converge towards the center of the burn

Question 34

spot (point source) fire

Answer 34

Ignition points are set individually at a predetermined spacing and timing throughout burned area

Question 35

aerial ignition

Answer 35

Ignition of fuels by dropping incendiary devices or materials from aircraft

Question 36

mixing height

Answer 36

he height to which smoke will be dispersed based on atmospheric conditions; the Clean Air Act suggests 1700 ft as a minimum mixing height

Question 37

firing crew

Answer 37

igniting the fire; could be one person

Question 38

holding crew

Answer 38

‘holding the line’ to ensure fire does not cross firebreaks

Question 39

suppression crew

Answer 39

task of responding to spot fire or escape

Question 40

wildfire

Answer 40

any “unplanned” wildland fire burning in the wildland environment.

Question 41

10am rule (1934)

Answer 41

stated that all fires were to be controlled by 10am the day following being reported. formally ended in 2008

Question 42

big burn of 1910

Answer 42

3 million acres burned, towns destroyed, over 85 people killed, hurricane-force winds, 1,736 fires in western u.s.

Question 43

wui

Answer 43

wildland-urban interface: zone of transition between wilderness and developing land. settlements in wui are at a greater risk of catastrophic wildfire.

Question 44

landscape-scale burning

Answer 44

increasing in use to generate variable post-fire conditions

Question 45

tek

Answer 45

traditional ecological knowledge- preserving land as it was used for long ago, tribal and local significance