Wildland Incidents PDF

RIVERSIDE FIRE AUTHORITY FIELD OPERATING GUIDELINES WILDLAND INCIDENTS All wildland incidents shall follow the LCES safety procedure:  L - Lookouts - Post lookou...

RIVERSIDE FIRE AUTHORITY FIELD OPERATING GUIDELINES WILDLAND INCIDENTS All wildland incidents shall follow the LCES safety procedure:  L - Lookouts - Post lookouts in potentially hazardous situations.  C - Communications - Maintain communications with supervisor, crew members and adjoining forces. Communications should be prompt and clear.  E - Escape Routes - Establish escape routes, make sure everyone knows where they are.  S - Safety Zones - Establish safety zones large enough for all users. All personnel must be made aware of the zone location. FIRE SIZE-UP AND ATTACK En Route To A Fire: Arrival On Fire Scene: Gather information about the fire situation from the The first arriving company officer shall initial dispatch. Some items to consider are: take command and address the need for  Firefighter safety additional resources beyond the initial  Fuels: fuel moisture, size and shape, fuel response in their size-up. A good size-up loading, horizontal continuity, vertical should contain these elements: arrangement.  Location and size of the fire  Weather: Temperature, wind, relative humidity,  Fuels the fire is burning in expected weather changes.  Rate and direction of spread  Topography: Aspect (direction the slope faces),  Fire behavior (i.e., smoldering, slope, position of the fire (top, middle or bottom creeping, running. Approximate of slope or on flat ground), shape of the country flame heights) (narrow canyons, steep slopes).  Special instructions such as  Water sources access points, water sources,  Access to the fire hazards etc.  Values at risk DIRECT ATTACK: Control efforts are put on or immediately adjacent to the edge of a fire. The flames may be knocked down by dirt or water and the fire edge is generally treated by a follow-up fire line. Or, a fire line is constructed from a safe anchor point flanking the fire with any fuel between the line and the fire burned out as the line is constructed. Direct attack works well on low intensity fire (flame lengths less than four feet) which enables firefighters to work close to the fire. A major advantage of direct attack is firefighter safety. Firefighters can usually escape back into the burned area for a safety zone. This is known as “keeping one foot in the black.” INDIRECT ATTACK: In an indirect attack the control line is located along favorable breaks in topography or man-made barriers such as roads. The line may be some distance from the fire and is generally used on hot fires with high rates of spread where direct attack is not possible. Preparing structures to withstand a fire attack is an example of indirect attack. COMBINATION ATTACK: In a combination attack the fire is large and/or complex enough to use both direct and indirect attack modes.