CODE OF CONDUCT

Code of Conduct for Fire Suppression: Firefighter safety comes first on every fire every time. The 10 Standard Firefighting Orders are firm…we don’t break them; we don’t bend them. All 18 Watch Out Situations must be mitigated before engagement or re-engagement of suppression activities. Every firefighter has the right to know that his or her assignments are safe. Every fireline supervisor, every fire manager, and every administrator has the responsibility to confirm that safe practices are known.

WHERE DO WE START! What skills do we use to avoid potential danger? Ability to gain good situation awareness. Ability to anticipate fire behavior. Ability to select effective strategy and tactics. Ability to make decisions about when to engage a fire. Ability to recognize good safety zone and escape route.

WATCHOUT SITUTATIONS 1. Fire not scouted and sized up. 2. In country not seen in day light. 3. Safety zones and escape routes not identified. 4. Unfamiliar with weather and local factors influencing fire behavior 5. Uninformed on strategy, tactics, and hazards. 6.Instructions and assignments not clear.

WATCHOUT SITUATIONS 7. No communication link between crewmembers and supervisors. 8. Constructing line without safe anchor point. 9. Building line downhill with fire below. 10. Attempting frontal assault on fire. 11. Unburned fuel between you and the fire. 12. Cannot see main fire, not in contact with anyone who can. 13. On a hillside where rolling material can ignite fuel below. 14. Weather gets hotter and drier. 15. Wind increases and/or changes direction. 16. Getting frequent spot fires across line. 17. Terrain or fuels make escape to safety zones difficult. 18. Taking a nap on the fireline

1.Keep informed on FIRE WEATHER conditions and forecasts. 2.Know what your FIRE is doing at all times. 3.Base all actions on current and expected BEHAVIOR of the FIRE. 4.Identify escape routes and safety zones, and make the known. 5.Post lookouts when there is a possible danger. 6.Be alert, Keep calm, Think clearly, and act decisively. 7.Maintain communication with forces. 8.Give clear instructions, and insure they are understood. 9.Maintain control of your forces at all times. 10.Fight fire aggressively, having provided for safety first. Fire Orders

L C E S LOOKOUTS Experienced/Competent/TrustedExperienced/Competent/Trusted Enough lookouts at good vantage pointsEnough lookouts at good vantage points Knowledge of crew locationsKnowledge of crew locations Knowledge of disengagement trigger pointsKnowledge of disengagement trigger points Map/Weather Kit/Watch/IAPMap/Weather Kit/Watch/IAP

COMMUNICATIONS L C E S Radio frequencies confirmed.Radio frequencies confirmed. Communicate hazards.Communicate hazards. Communicate weather,Communicate weather, forecasted and current. forecasted and current. Sound alarm early Provide updates on any situation change.Sound alarm early Provide updates on any situation change.

More than one escape route Avoid uphill escape routes Scouted: loose soils/rocks/vegetation Timed: slowest person/fatigue and temperature factors Marked: flagged for day or night Evaluate: escape time vs. rate of spread Vehicles parked for escape L C E S ESCAPE ROUTES More than one escape route Avoid uphill escape routes Scouted: loose soils/rocks/vegetation Timed: slowest person/fatigue and temperature factors Marked: flagged for day or night Evaluate: escape time vs. rate of spread Vehicles parked for escape

More than one escape route Avoid uphill escape routes Scouted: loose soils/rocks/vegetation Timed: slowest person/fatigue and temperature factors Marked: flagged for day or night Evaluate: escape time vs. rate of spread Vehicles parked for escape L C E S SAFETY ZONE Survivable without a fire shelter Back into clean burn Natural features: rock area/water/meadows Constructed sites: clearcuts/roads/helispots Scouted for size and hazards The more heat impact- the larger the safety zone required. required. Consider location of safety zone: Upslope? Downwind? Heavy Fuels? Upslope? Downwind? Heavy Fuels? Escape time and safety zone size requirements will change as fire behavior changes. change as fire behavior changes.

HUMAN FACTORS

COMMON DENOMINATORS (These are the common denominators for fatal or near- miss fires) Denominators Most of the incidents occur on small fires or isolated sections of large fires. In some fire cases tragedies occur in the mop-up stage. Flare-ups generally occur in light fuels. Accidents occur in chimney’s, gullies, or on steep slopes. When there is a unexpected shift in wind direction or on speed. When fire responds to topographic conditions and runs up hill. Why? Firefighters underestimate the fire potential. Firefighters did not recognize changes in weather conditions or fire behavior. Firefighters underestimated the extreme rate of spread, in light fuels and steep topography. Firefighters not following there set TRIGGER POINTS.

ENTRAPMENT AVOIDANCE

Firefighter Entrapment Avoidance Entrapment: A situation where personal are unexpectedly caught in a fire behavior- related, life threatening position where planned escape routes or safety zones are absent. An entrapment may or may not include deployment of a fire shelter. These situations may not result in injury. They include “Near Misses”.

Avoid Entrapment Question: What Resource can help you stay out of this situation? Follow the Risk Management Process Standard Firefighting Orders and recognize Watch out situations. If you follow the Risk Management Process and use your IRPG or Fireline Hand book as a reminder it should prevent you from getting into a entrapment situation.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! PLEASE HAVE A SAFE FIRE SEASON!