Fireline Safety

1. Fireline Safety Heather Heward

2. A state of mind • Safety is a state of mind • Safety is always the first priority • Safety is your responsibility

3. Overview • Physical fitness • Proper equipment • 10 standard firefighting orders • 18 watchout situations • Hazards • Situational awareness

4. Physical Fitness • Fire fighting is a demanding job which required you to be both mentally and physically fit • 2 parts of fitness • Aerobic fitness – related to oxygen intake, regulates work capacity • Muscular fitness – includes both strength and endurance • Being fit will allow you to be more tolerant of heat, acclimate faster, work with lower hart rates and body temperatures

5. Fitness levels • Pack test is the only physical requirement • 3 miles • 45 pounds • 45 minutes • Recommended line crew

6. Physical fitness • Fitness tests • Fatigue • 2 to 1 work to rest • Heat stress and dehydration • Water and electrolytes • Smoke and carbon monoxide • Food and nutrition • 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day

7. Heat stress

8. Proper equipment • PPE • Wear it right • Fire shelter • Line gear • Personal gear

9. PPE – required • Flame resistant shirt and pants • Made from Nomax or Kevlar • clean, no holes or tears and has no gas or oil stains. • Boots and socks • leather 8 inch (no steal toe) • cotton or wool socks • Hard hat • plastic, light weight… • Gloves • Leather, no gap between glove and shirt • Chaps • Hearing protection • Eye protection

10. PPE – recommended • Wear a 2nd layer - typically cotton • Goggles • Hood or Shroud

11. Fire Shelter • A fire shelter is a required piece of safety gear • Protects you by reflecting radiant heat and trapping air • THE SHELTER IS A LAST RESORT ONLY!!!

12. Preparing for a wildland fire (line gear) • Nomex Shirt and Pants • All-leather 8” Boots with nonskid soles • Hardhat w/ headlamp clips and chin strap • Neck shroud • Headlamp and batteries • Fire Shelter • Radio and harness • Leather gloves • Eye protection • Hearing protection • Fuseesand lighter • Compass and/or GPS • Canteens • Extra batteries • First aid kit • Task book • MRE or other food • Fire line handbook • Map/IAP • TP • Warm layer • Rain gear • Flagging • Parachute cord • Knife

13. Preparing for a wildland fire (personal gear) • 2 set of nomex • Underwear, t-shirts, socks • Washcloth, towel, soap, shampoo • Toothbrush, tooth paste • Medications/vitamins • Money • Camera • Bathing suit • Flashlight • Knife • Hat and gloves • Warm layers • Shower shoes • Tent and sleeping bag • Extra boot laces • Handkerchiefs • Book • Street clothes

14. 10 standard wildland firefighting orders • Developed in 1957 • Are absolute • Common reasons for breaking one of the orders • Ignorance – lack adequate training • Over confidence – excessive “can do” attitude • Lack of empowerment – thinking someone else will take care you • Work on making the firefighting orders instinctive

15. 10 standard wildland firefighting orders FIRE BEHAVIOR • Keep informed on fire weather conditions and forecasts • Know what your fire is doing at all times • Base all actions on current and expected fire behavior FIRELINE SAFETY • Identify escape routes and safety zones, and make them known • Post lookouts when there is possible danger • Be alert. Keep calm. Think clearly. Act decisively ORGANIZATIONAL CONTROL • Maintain prompt communication with your forces, your supervisor and adjoining forces • Give clear instructions and be sure they are understood • Maintain control of your forces at all times IF YOU CONSIDER 1-9, THEN • Fight fire aggressively, having provided for safety first

16. 10 standard wildland firefighting orders • Keep informed on fire weather conditions and forecasts • 2 types of weather information • Tactical – fire weather observations • Strategic • Spot weather forecasts • Long range forecasts

17. 10 standard wildland firefighting orders • Know what the fire is doing at all times • Keep track of: • the location of the fire perimeter • the rate and direction of spread • fuel cover • fire behavior • location of fuel breaks • spotting • Obtain information from: • personal observation • Lookout • Supervisor

18. 10 standard wildland firefighting orders • Base all actions on current and expected fire behavior • Constantly evaluate the fire behavior and detect subtle changes • 3 possible outcomes fire behavior: • stays the same • lessons • gets worse Make sure to have a plan for all three!

19. 10 standard wildland firefighting orders • Identify escape routes and safety zones and make them known • Safety Zone: refuge from an unexpected change in fire behavior • Void of fuels • Not a deployment zone • Escape route: way you get personnel from where you are working to the safety zone • quick safe passage from your work site to the safety zone

20. 10 standard wildland firefighting orders • Post lookouts when there is possible danger • Tasks: • Weather • Fire behavior • Smoke • Communications • Know crew location and tactics • Tools • Belt weather kit • Compass/GPS/Map • Binoculars • Radio and plenty of batteries • Extra foul weather gear (sun or rain) • Comfort • Lookouts should be knowledgeable in fire behavior and understand the significance of changes and identify hazardous situations

21. 10 standard wildland firefighting orders • Be alert. Keep calm. Think clearly. Act Decisively • The key is to understand and avoid what may cause you to be less alert, to get overexcited, or to become mentally disorganized • To counteract this you should: • Maintain self control • Eat and drink correctly • Get adequate rest • Develop contingency plans • Monitor the situation • Take regular breaks

22. 10 standard wildland firefighting orders • Maintain communications with your forces, your supervisor and adjoining forces • Ensures you can receive or report changes in instructions; warnings of changing conditions; changes in status; or progress reports. • extra batteries and a back up plan for communication

23. 10 standard wildland firefighting orders • Give clear instructions and be sure they are understood • Be concise and clear when providing instructions • Ask to have instructions repeated if you do not understand them

24. 10 standard wildland firefighting orders • Maintain control of your forces at all times • To help ensure this • Ensure your instructions are clear, concise and understood • Maintain communications • Know the location of your crew • Know the status of the fire • The key is to be prepared to react quickly and effectively to the unexpected

25. 10 standard wildland firefighting orders • Fight fire aggressively, having provided for safety first • If you can not ensure you can fight the fire on your terms stop and reevaluate • To fight fire aggressively you must: • Lookout • Communication • Escape Route • Safety Zone • IRPG

26. Watch out situations • Fire not scouted and sized up • In country not seen in daylight • Safety zones and escape routes not identified • Unfamiliar with weather and local factors influencing fire behavior • Uninformed on strategy, tactics and hazards • Instructions and assignments not clear • No communication link with crew members or supervisor

27. Watch out situations • Constructing line without a safe anchor point • Building fireline downhill with fire below • Attempting frontal assault on fire • Unburned fuel between you and the fire • Cannot see the main fire; not in contact with someone who can • On a hillside where rolling material can ignite fuel below • Weather becoming hotter and drier

28. Watch out situations • Wind increases and/or changes direction • Getting frequent spot fires across the fireline • Terrain and fuels make escape to safety zones difficult • Taking a nap near the fireline

29. Common denominators in fire fatalities

30. LCES • L – Lookouts • C – Communications • E – Escape routes • S – Safety zones • A simple way to help remember the key elements to survival

31. LCES • The Lookout has to: • Know the location of the escape routes and safety zones • Be experienced enough to properly evaluate the present and potential fire behavior • Take weather readings • Understand the tactics and strategy • Always be able to see the fire • Handle other fire communication tasks • Look at the bigger picture

32. LCES • Communications • See, track, record, interpret, anticipate and report. If the report is not made , all the other stuff is meaningless! • Fireline communication: • Incident name and IC • Immediate supervisor • Days plan • Days tactics • Safety zone and escape routes • Communication plan – channels and repeaters • AAR

33. LCES • Escape Routes • One or more ways to exit danger • clearly identified • be clear of obstacles • short in length • not go up hill if possible • Decision (trigger) points - when you move to safety • Timed and practiced • Think about alternatives

34. LCES • Safety Zones • A properly designated safety zone should not require the deployment of a fire shelter. • large enough to protect firefighters under worse than predicted fire behavior • As work progresses along the line new safety zones will have to be identified along with new escape routes. http://www.fire-ecology.org/research/images/small/_safety%20zone%205.jpg

35. Fireline Hazards • Smoke and Dust • Snags • Stump holes • Darkness • Footing • Rocks • Branches/overhead hazards • Weather • Stobs/roots • Pumps, tanks, hoses • Bucket/retardant drops

36. Vehicle hazards • Driving is the most dangerous component of fire fighting • Fatigue • Dust • Unfamiliar routes • Darkness • Bridge weight limits • Excessive traffic • Parking • Vehicle maintenance • Emergency response speed i.e. the speed limit • Local traffic laws • Horse play • Loose equipment on vehicle

37. Aircraft Hazards • At the air field • Enter and exit • Follow instructions • Fireline • Bucket/retardant drops • Sling loads • General recon • Rotor wash • Radio communications • Ground contacts

38. Other hazards • Ticks, snakes, and poison oak and ivy • Power lines • Hazmat • People • Animals • Propane and Utilities • Septic

39. Wildland urban interface hazards • Hazardous materials – dangerous gases from burning material • Propane tanks – can act as bombs • Traffic – can be a major issue so drive carefully • Panicked public – help public move form harms way

40. Human Hazards • Attitude • Physical conditioning • Training levels • Experience • Fatigue • Local knowledge • Crew dynamics • Chain of command • Span of control • Effective communications

41. Human Factors • Common barriers to good listening: • Perceived opinions • Distractions • Filtering information • Not listening • Having an attitude Every firefighter is responsible for open, effective communication

42. Five basic communication responsibilities • Briefings • The passing of general information • Debriefing • After an incident or event you ask questions of those involved to learn what happened • Warnings • Information about hazards is passed on • Acknowledge messages • You say you understand the information or orders • Questions • You ask for clarification

43. After you receive an order • You should be able to answer the following: • What task am I to perform? • What are the known hazards? • Where do I go to be safe? • How do I get to this place?

44. Situational awareness • Situational awareness is the gathering of information by observation or through communications • This means constantly reassessing the situation as things change • Factors that hinder your situational awareness • Inexperience • Stress • Fatigue • Attitude

45. Final thoughts • Remember: • It is YOUR responsibility to be safe on the fireline • There are no stupid questions, if you don’t know ask • Work on your situational experience by reflecting back on the good, the bad the ugly.

46. Review • Why is physical fitness important • List the main personal equipment items you need to be a safe firefighter • What are the categories of the 10 standard fire orders? What is the most important one? • What is the purpose of the 18 watchout situations and what should you do if you are breaking some? • What does a lookout do? • What is makes communication successful? • List several fireline, vehicle, aircraft, and human hazards • Situational awareness

47. The Incident Command System Heather Heward

48. ICS - Definition • Organizational management system based on: • Successful business practices • Decades of lessons learned • Developed in the 1970’s after a series of catastrophic wildfire in California. • Unclear chain of command • Poor communication between agencies • Failure to outline clear objectives and action plans • Lack of designated facilities • Inability to expand and contract to fit situation

49. ICS – Basic Features • Clear text and common terminology • Modular organization • Management objectives • Reliance on an Incident Action Plan (IAP) • Manageable span of control • Designated locations and facilities • Resources management • Integrated communications • Chain of command and utility of command • Unified command • Transfer of command • Accountability • Mobilization • Information and intelligence management

50. Incident Commander and Staff • Manage entire incident • Ensure incident safety • Provide information to stakeholders • Establish and maintain contact with other participating agencies • Support staff • Public information officer • Safety officer • Liaison officer