exam 2 Flashcards
when to use direct attack
- Fire burning in light fuels or fuels with high moisture
- Fire with low intensity
- Spot fire from prescribed burn or from
direct attack
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
parallel attack
fireline is constructed approximately
parallel to and just far enough from the fire edge to enable firefighters to work effectively
indirect attack
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
kestrel
Measures Weather Quickly:
* Temperature
* Relative humidity
* Wind speed
* Air pressure
anchor point
an advantageous location, usually a barrier to fire spread, from which to start constructing a fireline
undercut
constructing a fireline at the bottom of a slope. keeps burning fuels from rolling downhill. deeper trench.
hot spotting
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.
lookouts
- 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
communication
- Burn boss, lookouts, and all crew members
- Radio contact
- Burn boss, lookout, crew chief
- Vocal communication
escape routes
- 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
safety zones
- 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
handcrews
20-person teams construct firelines around wildfires to control them, burn out fire areas, and mop up after fires.
hotshots
these are the most highly skilled type of handcrews and are typically assigned to work on the most challenging parts of wildfires.
engine crews
these teams of two to ten firefighters work with special wildland fire engines that carry special equipment to spray water and foam.
smokejumpers
highly trained, experiences firefighters parachute from airplanes to provide quick initial attack on wildland fires in remote areas.
helitack crews
firefighters are transported by helicopters to wildfires and maybe land near them.
LCES
lookouts
communications
escape routes
safety zones
drip torch
dispenses fuel mix for lighting fires. 3pt diesel, 1pt gasoline.
ICS
incident command system. chain of command for a burn/fire suppressing crew
incident commander
the only position that is required to be filled under the ICS
direct attack disadvantages
- 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
indirect attack
- 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
fire behavior 1-3 (10 standard firefighting orders)
- keep informed on weather conditions and forecasts
- know what your fire is doing at all times
- base all actions on current and expected behavior of the fire
fireline safety 4-6 (10 standard firefighting orders)
- identify escape routes and safety zones
- post lookouts when there is possible danger
- be alert. keep calm. think clearly. act decisively
organizational control 7-9 (10 standard firefighting orders)
- maintain prompt communications with your forces, supervisor, and adjoining forces
- give clear instructions and be sure they are understood
- maintain control of your forces at all times
10th standard firefighting order
fight fire aggressively, having provided for safety first
burn plan steps
- know your site
- define objectives (what you want to accomplish)
- fire behavior (to accomplish your objectives)
- create prescription (what conditions and techniques will be used)
backing fire
Fire spreading or ignited to spread into (against) the wind or downslope; fire spread on level ground with no wind
head fire
Started against a firebreak and allowed to rapidly move with the wind or topography
strip-headfire
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
flanking fire
Treating an area with lines of fire set into the wind which burn outward at right angles to the wind
ring fire
Igniting the full perimeter so the ensuing fire fronts converge towards the center of the burn
spot (point source) fire
Ignition points are set individually at a predetermined spacing and timing throughout burned area
aerial ignition
Ignition of fuels by dropping incendiary devices or materials from aircraft
mixing height
he height to which smoke will be dispersed based on atmospheric conditions; the Clean Air Act suggests 1700 ft as a minimum mixing height
firing crew
igniting the fire; could be one person
holding crew
‘holding the line’ to ensure fire does not cross firebreaks
suppression crew
task of responding to spot fire or escape
wildfire
any “unplanned” wildland fire burning in the wildland environment.
10am rule (1934)
stated that all fires were to be controlled by 10am the day following being reported. formally ended in 2008
big burn of 1910
3 million acres burned, towns destroyed, over 85 people killed, hurricane-force winds, 1,736 fires in western u.s.
wui
wildland-urban interface: zone of transition between wilderness and developing land. settlements in wui are at a greater risk of catastrophic wildfire.
landscape-scale burning
increasing in use to generate variable post-fire conditions
tek
traditional ecological knowledge- preserving land as it was used for long ago, tribal and local significance
