Essentials of Brush & Wildland Firefighting Updated August-2019

References Essentials of Fire Fighting, Chapter 15 5th Edition National Wildfire Coordination Group (NWCG) Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior 1

Specific Objectives 1. Influences on wildland fire behavior: fuel, weather, and topography. 2. Describe terms of reference of a wildland fire. 3. List wildland protective clothing and equipment. 4. Describe methods used to attack wildland fires 2

Wildland Fires Common Wildland Fires in Virginia Beach Fire Pits in backyards Burning Leaves Brush - First Landing State Park Brush - Owl’s Creek Golf Course Mulch Crops - Pungo, Blackwater Wetlands - Great Dismal Swamp Courtesy of National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). 3

Fire Triangle Fire triangle consist of Oxygen, Heat, & Fuel. Take away any of the three and combustion stops. 4

Heat Transfer Radiation: heat generated from burning object affecting adjacent object. Convection: is the transfer of heat through the movement of liquid or gas. Wildland fires the gases often rise on a column. Conduction: Heat transfer from one object to another from direct contact. Wildland fuels are NOT a good conductor of heat. 5

Wildland Fires - Fuel Surface Fuel Surface fuels burn on the forest floor. Fuels include ground debris, grasses, leaves, vegetation, brush, young trees and lower branches of standing timber. The spread rate of surface fires depends on the density, size, slope of the terrain, and weather conditions. With surface fires, fire suppression usually includes direct attack with water and removal of fuels. Mop-up may vary from easy to difficult depending on the terrain and fuel types. 6

Wildland Fires - Fuel Subsurface Fuel Subsurface fuels consist of duff (topsoil, partially decayed leaves, peat and tree needles) and decayed woody material at a depth that may vary from 3-4" in dry areas and 3' in wet areas. Because these types of combustible material are compact, they have limited oxygen supply and are protected from wind, a persistent slow burning fire is produced and both fire suppression and mop-up become difficult. 7

Wildland Fires - Fuel Aerial Fuel Aerial fuels burn in the upper foliage and the crowns of standing timber in conjunction with surface fires. In some cases, a running crown fire may develop. This is a fire that travels through the tops of the trees ahead of the surface fire, and generally travels as fast as the wind pushing it. 8

Wildland Fires - Weather Wind - Increases supply of oxygen Drives convection heat into adjacent fuels Influences spread direction and spotting Carries moist air away replacing it with drier air Dries Fuels Temperature Effects fuels and the firefighter Relative humidity As RH increases, fuel moisture increases Precipitation Increases fuel moisture 9

Wildland Fires - Topography Steepness of slope affects both rate and direction of a wildland fire’s spread Fires will usually spread faster uphill than down; steeper the slope, faster fire spreads Courtesy of Tony Bacon. 10

Wildland Fires - Parts 11

Wildland Fires - Parts 12

Wildland - PPE PPE should meet NFPA® 1977 Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting NFPA® 1500 specifies the minimum PPE Helmet, Gloves, Goggles or Safety Glasses, Boots, Shirt, Pants, 13

Wildland - PPE Brush Certified Technicians will be provided NFPA 1977 compliant wildland gear. Firefighters and Brush Certified Technicians are required to wear all wildland fire protective clothing provided to them. 14

Wildland - Hand Tools Shovels Rakes Axe Brush Axe Chain saw Pulaski tool Indian Can 15

Wildland Fires - Methods Perimeter control Flanking Firebreak Control lines - maybe near the perimeter edge or a distance away. May also completely encompass the fire. Backfire or Backburning Aerial Knockdown Mop-up 16

Wildland Fire - Approaches Direct attack is action taken directly against the fire at the edge or closely parallel – most common method of attack Indirect attack is action taken at varying distances to control the advancement of the fire Cutting a fire break Setting back fires Because wildland fire is constantly changing, attack methods may change 17

Cutting a Fire Break 18

Successful Fire Break 19

Wildland Fires - Backfires A backfire or controlled burn is a fire that is set deliberately in the path of an oncoming fire. The backfire consumes fuel, thereby depriving the primary fire of fuel when it reaches the site. 20

Brush 8 - Equipment 21 200 gallon water tank / 250gpm Pump Onboard diesel pump 200ft 1” booster reel 150ft 1½” pre-connect w/fog nozzle 50ft 1½” line for floating pump 200ft 1½” forestry hose 600ft 1” forestry hose 625ft 2½” supply line POK nozzles – Class A&B foam sticks Indian cans Hand tools, brush rake, axe, shovels Chain saw Floating pump with 1½ supply Indian Can 3 5’ sections of 2½” hard drafting hose & strainer EMS Jump Bag, Backboard, BBP/Disease Kit, C-Collar’s Onboard winch and recovery gear 21

UTV-8 - Equipment 70 gallon water tank Onboard electric start pump POK nozzles 100ft 3/4” booster reel Hand tools, shovels, rake, axe Water can 200ft 3/4” forestry hose 50ft 1½” supply line 4 5’ sections of drafting hose & strainer 22

Wildland Fires - Standards Keep informed on fire conditions - know what the fire is doing at all times Keep informed on weather conditions and forecasts Keep informed on you and your crews location as pertained to the incident Maintain communications with your crew Make sure you know where your crew is at all times Maintain communications with IC or your assigned command Provide clear/precise communications, make sure communications are understood Fight the fire aggressively, providing for safety first Base your actions on current, expected behavior of the fire 23

Wildland Fires - Standards Post lookouts if necessary or when there is possible danger Unpredictable winds Rapidly changing weather conditions Identify escape routes and safety zones, make sure they are known Be alert, keep calm, think clearly, act decisively 24

Summary Attacking wildland fires early in their development is an important aspect of a successful fire fighting operation. Selecting and applying the most effective fire attack strategy and tactics are important. Water supplies and water management are crucial to wildland firefighting. Failing to do any of these things can result in a fire growing out of control, an increase in fire damage and property loss, and possibly firefighter injuries. 25

Summary Firefighters and Brush Certified Technicians are required to know how to use the fire fighting tools and techniques adopted by their departments. They need to know how to safely and effectively attack and extinguish wildland fires. 26

Review Questions 1. What are the different types of wildland fuels? 2. How does weather affect a wildland fire? (wind, temperature, humidity, precipitation) 3. What are the terms of reference for a wildland fire? 4. What is a direct attack of a wildland fire? 5. What is a indirect attack of a wildland fire? 27

Review Questions 6. Name 5 common wildland fire hand tools? 7. Name 4 wildland firefighting methods? 8. Name the three types of heat transfer? 9. What is the most common type of heat transfer in a wildland fire? 10. What are the two NFPA standards that pertain to protective clothing and minimum PPE? 28

Continued Training 1. Complete the Brush Technician training syllabus 2. Perform continued minimum training on Brush 8 3. Perform continued minimum training on UTV 8 4. Perform continued minimum training on wildland firefighting 5. City of VB trailer course (8 hours) 6. Complete National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NCWG) online classes - (S-110 & S-190) https://onlinetraining.nwcg.gov/ 29