Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Wildland Fires SOG 400-05 PDF

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Standard Operating Guideline SOG 400-05 Wildland Fires Issue Date: 05/21/20...

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Standard Operating Guideline SOG 400-05 Wildland Fires Issue Date: 05/21/2018 Effective Date: 06/21/2018 PURPOSE: To establish a standard course of action for Wildland fire control. AUTHORITY:  Fire Rescue Administrator SCOPE: This standard operating guideline shall apply to all Emergency Operations personnel. PROCEDURE: These guidelines provide a basic framework for most incidents. For Wildland fires, the below general guidelines apply. 1. General a. Refer to the 100 series SOGs for all Pre-Incident Planning, Response and Communication Center guidelines. b. Refer to the 200 series SOGs for all Incident Management System, Communication and Accountability guidelines. c. Refer to the 300 series SOGs for all General Operations guidelines. d. Refer to the 400 series SOGs, paying particular attention the 420 series for tactical guidelines. 2. Response a. While responding, the Communication Center may be able to provide additional information, such as hydrant availability and location. b. The first arriving unit may request additional units based on: i. Visible or reported conditions ii. Knowledge of the Wildland fire area iii. Water supply in the area iv. Other unusual circumstances c. Wildland fire response should include the response of both the Brush Truck and the Engine as a combined Task Force. The Company Officer may elect to respond on either unit. d. During dry brush season, additional units may respond per the Communication Center Protocols. SOG 400-05 Wildland Fires Page 1 of 4  3. Arrival Report a. The first arriving unit shall give an Arrival Report (refer to SOG 420-01 Fire Attack Operations). In addition, the Arrival Report shall include: i. Acreage involved ii. Access routes iii. Direction of fire spread iv. Exposures v. Type of vegetation involved b. Additional resources may be requested through the Communication Center (i.e., additional units, Light and Air, Tender(s), Special Operations, Second Alarm, etc…). c. The need for additional assistance should be recognized and requested early into the incident. 4. Wildland Fire Tactical Considerations a. The location and movement (direction and speed) of the head of the fire is a critical factor in all other decisions. b. Wildland fires have three types of Fire Attack: i. Flanking Attack 1. Offensive Mode 2. Safest method 3. Working along the flanks from an anchor point towards the head of the fire. ii. Direct Attack 1. Offensive Mode 2. Most dangerous method 3. Requires a stop of the forward progress of a rapidly advancing fire. iii. Indirect Attack 1. Defensive Mode 2. Exposure protection is primary goal 3. Allow the fire to burn to a location better suited for fire control, while protecting exposures. c. Whenever possible, apparatus and personnel should operate from within the burned portion of the fire. d. During Wildland fire operations, an identified escape route shall always be maintained. e. Always be prepared to move apparatus quickly in the event of a wind change. f. Be alert and use extreme caution to prevent or minimize the chance of: i. A tire being punctured ii. A vehicle becoming stuck iii. A vehicle becoming disabled g. Natural barriers such as canals, roads or clearings should be utilized as fire breaks. When such barriers are not present or inadequate, the Division of Forestry should be utilized to plow control lines as needed. h. Burn Out (backfiring) should be used by experienced personnel to set a fire inside a control line to consume fuel between the edge of the fire and the control line. SOG 400-05 Wildland Fires Page 2 of 4  i. Class A foam should be utilized to enhance the effectiveness of fire suppression. Batch mixing may be utilized to accomplish this task. j. To ensure the fire is extinguished, personnel should mop up the incident by wetting down all fuels within fifty (50) feet of the control line. k. Water application is more effective when applied to burning material instead of wetting fuel in advance. l. Use foam according to SOG 410-02 Use of Firefighting Foam. m. Reserve apparatus should be used if long pumping operations are required. 5. Safety Considerations a. The terms LCES are important safety considerations in Wildland fires: i. L – Lookouts (firefighter with wildland fire and fire behavior knowledge) ii. C – Communication (note changing fire conditions) iii. E – Escape Routes (select most appropriate escape route) iv. S – Safety Zones (area of safe refuge) b. PPE Selection i. Personnel working at a Wildland fire should wear wildland gear. ii. A Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) should be worn when conditions warrant (refer to SOG 220-03 Situational Awareness). iii. At a minimum the following shall be worn: 1. Firefighter Helmet 2. Firefighting Gloves 3. Bunker Pants or Forestry pants 4. Structural Boots iv. It is recommended that personnel wear a Bunker Coat or Forestry jacket. v. Overheating of personnel is also considered a potential hazard and shall be considered when selecting Personal Protective Equipment. c. Rehabilitation i. Drinking water should be provided immediately to prevent dehydration. ii. During extended operations: 1. Rehabilitation shall be established. 2. If necessary personnel should be rotated every thirty (30) minutes. 3. Reserve Unit 930 may be requested to support Rehabilitation. d. Thunderstorms i. Operating on a Wildland fire during thunderstorms requires the following safety considerations: 1. Avoid grouping together. 2. Stay in vehicle during periods of lightning. 3. When there is no shelter, avoid tall objects (such as lone trees). 4. If no shelter is available, and only lone trees are nearby, the best protection is to crouch in the open. SOG 400-05 Wildland Fires Page 3 of 4  6. Responsibilities a. First Arriving Unit Responsibilities i. The first arriving unit shall establish Incident Command and manage the incident until Incident Command is transferred or terminated (according to SOG 200-02 Incident Command Sequence). ii. The first arriving unit must provide a sufficient scene size up to determine the extent of the problem before committing resources. b. Incident Command Responsibilities i. The Incident Commander shall: 1. Manage the incident (refer to SOG 200-02 Incident Command Sequence) 2. Ensure Benchmarks are performed and communicated (refer to SOG 210-01 Communications). 3. Assign an Incident Safety Officer. 4. Ensure all personnel on scene are wearing appropriate personal protective equipment. 5. Ensure personnel accountability is in place and being followed (refer to SOG 220-01 Personnel Accountability). ii. The Incident Commander should: 1. Obtain frequent weather updates to anticipate changing conditions. 2. Request aerial recon (this may be performed by Law Enforcement helicopter or a Fire Rescue drone). 3. Request the Division of Forestry, based on a. Size of fire b. Direction of travel c. Exposures 4. Coordinate all backfiring efforts with the Division of Forestry. 5. Consider requesting a single unit resource to assign as a Water Supply Officer, if the Wildland fire is in an area with no hydrants. c. Company Responsibilities i. Each Company Officer is responsible for communicating benchmarks and progress reports (according to SOG 210-01 Communications). d. Firefighter Responsibilities i. It is the responsibility of each firefighter to perform in a safe manner and following all applicable SOG’s. ii. Firefighters operating off of Brush Trucks must have a fire shelter with them. iii. Firefighters should operate in plain view of the Brush Truck driver, either walking beside the unit, or riding in an approved front-bumper cage. iv. Firefighters shall not: 1. Ride on top of a booster tank. 2. Operate a hand line while walking in front of a moving vehicle. Supersession History 1. SOG #2220, issued 04/01/1994 2. SOG #2220, issued 03/28/2016 3. SOG 400-05, clerical 05/01/2018 4. SOG 400-05, issued 05/21/2018 SOG 400-05 Wildland Fires Page 4 of 4