1 / 53

S-185 Fire Entrapment Avoidance

S-185 Fire Entrapment Avoidance. Course Outline. 2-3 hour classroom training session. Target Audience. Province of British Columbia staff Local government staff First nations groups Industry personnel Contractors. Text Page: 1. Course Outline.

andersonb
Download Presentation

S-185 Fire Entrapment Avoidance

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. S-185 Fire Entrapment Avoidance

  2. Course Outline • 2-3 hour classroom training session. • Target Audience • Province of British Columbia staff • Local government staff • First nations groups • Industry personnel • Contractors Text Page: 1

  3. Course Outline • This course is recognized by the BC Ministry of Forests as required training for any person to participate as a wildland firefighter in the province of BC. • Individuals will be evaluated on this course using the following criteria: • Written exam (30 minutes). • 70% mark for successful completion. Text Page: 1

  4. Course Objectives • Fire Entrapment Avoidance • Fireline Safety – The Safety First Attitude • Fire Entrapment Avoidance ‑ Basic Procedures • Fire Entrapment Avoidance – Supervisor Role • Safe Work Procedures & LCES • Situational Awareness & Fire Entrapment Avoidance Text Page: 1

  5. Course Objectives • Fire Entrapment Survival • Emergency Escape – Move to Safety Fast • Survival Zones & Fire Entrapment Survival Actions • Vehicle, Heavy Equipment & Building Entrapments Text Page: 1

  6. Overview -Wildland fire – powerful + unpredictable… fire entrapment is a key hazard. Use of safe work procedures – such as LCES = fire entrapment avoidance. Text Page: 2

  7. Overview Fire entrapment — fireline personnel are threatened by a sudden change in fire conditions and are unable to use escape routes to access safety zones — is a life- threatening situation. During a fire entrapment incident, fireline personnel must utilize ‘last resort’ tactics such as emergency escape or fire entrapment survival action. Text Page: 2

  8. BCFS + Fire Shelters BCFS fireline personnel were trained in fire shelter use and required to carry fire shelters (1995 to 2005). In 2005 – fire shelter use by BCFS fireline personnel was discontinued for a variety of reasons . This decision brings BCFS wildland fire suppression safe work procedures in line with those of other Canadian firefighting agencies. Text Page: 2

  9. S-185 Course Revisions March, 2006: S-185 Fire Entrapment Avoidance training materials revised. -Fire shelter deployment information deleted. -Fire entrapment avoidance information updated. -More information on fire entrapment avoidance safe work procedure, technical research, escape and fire entrapment survival actions. Text Page: 2

  10. Fireline Safety — The 'Safety First' Attitude Most fireline injuries and fatalities, including those resulting from fire entrapments, are the result of fireline personnel not following safe work procedures. Fireline personnel must approach every fireline situation with a ‘safety first’ attitude. Remember that no fire suppression tasks are considered sufficiently urgent to justify any risk-taking or shortcuts with safe work procedures. Text Page: 3

  11. What is Fire Entrapment? Fire entrapment is a life-threatening situation where fireline personnel are threatened by a sudden change in fire conditions and are unable to use escape routes to access safety zones. Text Page: 4

  12. What is Fire Entrapment Avoidance? Fire entrapment avoidance is the use of fire suppression strategies and tactics that take into consideration current and predicted fire behaviour so as to avoid fire entrapment. Fire entrapment avoidance requires that fireline personnel recognize the fuels, weather and topography that can cause hazardous fire behaviour and make use of lookouts, communications, escape routes and safety zones to prevent fire entrapment. Text Page: 4

  13. Hazardous Fuels Fuels that can spread fire quickly include: -Fine fuels -Dead or diseased fuels -Closely spaced fuels -Unburned fuels between fireline personnel and fire edge -Unburned fuels below fireline personnel on steep slopes Text Page: 4

  14. Hazardous Weather Weather factors that contribute to unpredictable and/or high rates of spread include: -Wind increasing or changing direction -High temperatures and low humidities -Prolonged drought—low fuel moisture -Thunderstorms can cause strong and gusty winds, wind shifts and downdrafts Text Page: 4

  15. Hazardous Topography Topography that increases fire rate of spread includes: -Steep slopes -Aspect—south facing -Chimneys, gullies and canyons Text Page: 4

  16. Who is responsible for Fire Entrapment Avoidance? Fire entrapment avoidance is the responsibility of both supervisor’s and firefighters – everyone on the fireline must maintain a constant awareness and monitor escape routes and weather conditions to anticipate potentially hazardous conditions that could lead to entrapment. Text Page: 4

  17. Situational Awareness -Constant monitoring of the fire environment -Critical for making decisions on: -whether or not to fight the fire; and later on… -whether to stay engaged or disengage from the fire and move to safety zones; Text Page: 4

  18. Fire Entrapment Avoidance – Supervisor Role Supervisors are: -trained to recognize critical fire behaviour -required to monitor fire conditions on a regular basis. -regularly communicate information on fire behaviour conditions to all fireline personnel. Text Page: 5

  19. Fire Entrapment Avoidance – Supervisor Role Supervisors are: -Responsible for issuing clear instructions and ensuring that fireline personnel understand instructions. Fireline personnel must follow instructions at all times… …Where fireline personnel feel unsafe or unsure instructions should be questioned for clarification. Text Page: 5

  20. Fire Entrapment Avoidance – Supervisor Role Supervisors will: -Provide a pre-work safety briefing and ongoing updates, to make sure that fireline personnel are kept informed of specific information on safe work procedures including fire entrapment avoidance. Text Page: 5

  21. Pre-work safety briefing will contain: -The chain of command -Designated lookouts (if any) -Communications plan -Two escape routes that lead to adequate safety zones identified -Known fireline hazards -Safe work procedures to be used Text Page: 5

  22. Pre-work safety briefing will contain: (cont.) -Current and expected fire behaviour -Fire suppression strategies, current fire activities and progress -Suppression tasks the crew will be accomplishing -Individual work assignments Text Page: 5

  23. Safe Work Procedures and 'L C E S' Fire entrapment avoidance involves continuous assessment of the fire environment. LCES safe work procedures assist fireline personnel to: -continuously assess and monitor fire condition (lookouts) -update all fireline personnel on hazards (communications) -move quickly out of potential entrapment situations (escape routes and safety zones). Text Page: 6

  24. Safe Work Procedures and 'L C E S' LCES is a safety system used by fireline personnel to protect themselves and work as a team with others. LCES is put in place before firefighting work starts: -select a lookout or lookouts, -set up a communication system, -choose escape routes and select safety zone(s). Text Page: 6

  25. Safe Work Procedures and 'L C E S' -LCES is a self-triggering mechanism. -Lookouts assess and reassess the fire environment and communicate threats of safety to fireline personnel. -Fireline personnel use escape routes to move to safety zones. Text Page: 6

  26. Safe Work Procedures and 'L C E S' LCES is built on two basic guidelines: 1. Before safety is threatened, each firefighter must be informed how the LCES system will be used, and; 2. The LCES system must be continuously re-evaluated as conditions change. Text Page: 6

  27. Situational Awareness and Fire Entrapment Avoidance Situational awareness is being aware of everything that is happening around you and the relative importance of everything you observe — a constantly evolving picture of the state of the environment around you. Text Page: 6

  28. Situational Awareness and Fire Entrapment Avoidance Situational awareness - observe fuel, weather and topography factors that can cause hazardous fire behaviour Situational awareness - consider how other factors like firefighter tactics, aircraft / heavy equipment use and structural or hazardous material involvement may affect fire behaviour and/or contribute to potential fire entrapment. Text Page: 6

  29. Situational Awareness and Fire Entrapment Avoidance Situational awareness is challenged by: -fatigue, -insufficient information, -task overload and; -group mindset. High or extreme levels of fire activity further challenge fireline personnel in maintaining effective situational awareness. Text Page: 6

  30. Lookouts Lookouts are experienced fireline personnel that continually size-up a fire keeping fireline personnel advised of fire behavior or weather changes. Lookouts are located at a good vantage point with an overview of the entire area where fireline personnel are located, including escape routes and safety zones. Text Page: 7

  31. Lookouts More than one may be required. -Fire environment characteristics and fire behaviour are used to establish an effective lookout system. Must be good communicators Must have a solid knowledge of fire behavior and other environmental hazards. Text Page: 7

  32. Lookouts Supervisor appointed where there is the potential for extreme fire behaviour (eg. fire intensity Rank 4 or higher). Lookout will: -monitor fire behaviour and threats of entrapment. -immediately communicate increased fire behaviour and any risk of entrapment to the supervisor/crew. -report to the supervisor/crew at least hourly (more often with increased fire behaviour) Text Page: 7

  33. Lookouts Lookout should be equipped with: -radio and extra batteries. -compass. -binoculars -belt weather kit -copy of the Incident Action Plan (IAP) with map Text Page: 7

  34. Lookouts – Key Points -Posted anytime there is possible danger -Experienced / competent / trusted -Knowledge of crew location -Knowledge of escape and safety locations -Map / Weather Kit / Watch / IAP Text Page: 7

  35. Communications – Supervisor Role Supervisors will: -give clear instructions (eg. pre-work safety briefing) -ensure instructions understood by all fireline personnel. -communicate increased fire intensity or risk of fire entrapment without delay to fireline personnel. -receive confirmation from fireline personnel that they have received and understood communications. Text Page: 8

  36. Communications – Fireline Personnel Role Fireline personnel will: -remain in constant communications with fireline organization -ensure that all information is understood and passed on -warn other fireline personnel of identified fire hazards Working alone or out of earshot of other crewmembers is not allowed. Text Page: 8

  37. Right and Responsibility to Disengage Fireline personnel have a right and a responsibility to disengage from fireline activities when, in their opinion, the risks of fire entrapment may be an undue hazard due to fire behaviour, or other significant factors such as loss of communications. Fireline personnel must immediately communicate to the supervisor that they are disengaging from fireline activities. Text Page: 8

  38. Radio Communication Procedures Fireline personnel must understand: -how their radio unit is operated -proper net and frequency selection -line of sight restrictions -unit/antenna positioning Text Page: 8

  39. Radio Communication Procedures Fireline personnel must: -be brief and clear when transmitting and -confirm that relayed information is received + understood -minimize background noise during transmissions -follow check-in procedures -understand emergency communications procedures -always carry spare batteries Text Page: 8

  40. Communications – Key Points -Brief others – ask if you don’t know. -Radio frequencies confirmed ‑ check-ins established. -Communicate hazards to others and update on any situation change. -Acknowledge messages. -Sound alarm early – not late. Text Page: 8

  41. Escape Routes -Provide rapid access to safety zones when fireline personnel retreat from a threatened fireline position. -Effectiveness changes due to fire behaviour. -Must be more than one escape route that leads to a safety zone – a single escape route may be cut off -Must be scouted, trimmed and flagged and timed. Text Page: 9

  42. Escape Routes -The most common escape route is the fireline - when fire jumps over the fireline - escape route options can be severely reduced. -Unless safety zones have been identified ahead as well as to the rear - retreat may not be possible. Text Page: 9

  43. Safety Zones -Planned locations where fireline personnel, threatened by fire hazards, may find adequate refuge from danger. -Allow all fireline personnel to shelter from heat, smoke, rolling debris, falling timber and snags etc. Text Page: 9

  44. Safety Zones -The burned area may be the best and simplest – safety zones located “in the black” must be ‘clean burned’ with the majority of aerial and surface fuels burned off. -Other good choices include large bodies of water, or large areas cleared of flammable vegetation. Text Page: 9

  45. Safety Zone Size -For radiant heat only - minimum distance between fireline personnel and flames must be at least four times the maximum flame height on all sides if the fire has the ability to burn completely around the safety zone. -Wind and/or terrain influences will increase this requirement. -Safety zone size has to be adequate for all present resources. Text Page: 9

  46. Safety Zone Size Factors that will reduce safety zone size requirements include: -reduce flame height by thinning or burnout operations in adjacent fuels. -shielding from flames by locating on the lee side of ridges or other geographic structures -reducing flame temperatures by applying water or fire retardant on adjacent fuels Text Page: 9

  47. Safety Zone Locations Avoid locating safety zones downwind from the fire, in chimneys, saddles, or narrow canyons or in locations that require a steep uphill escape route. Safety zone locations must be continually reassessed in relation to line work progress, fatigue, changes in fire behavior, and arrival of additional resources. Text Page: 9

  48. Escape Route & Safety Zone Requirements Escape time and safety zone size requirements will change as fire behaviour changes. Fireline personnel must: -know escape routes and safety zone locations -confirm escape routes + safety zone locations with supervisor -withdraw to a safe location if there are no escape routes Text Page: 9

  49. Possible Safety Zones -Large water sources, marshes and bogs -Large rocky areas -Large clearings -Large areas with sparse fuel -Large deciduous patches -A large burned over area, and/or; -Down slope from the fire Text Page: 9

  50. Escape Routes & Safety Zones – Key Points -There must always be more than one escape route that leads to an effective safety zone ‑ a single escape route may be cut off. -Escape routes must be scouted, trimmed/flagged + timed. -Safety zones include the burned area, large bodies of water or large areas cleared of flammable vegetation. -Safety zones located “in the black” must be ‘clean burned’. Text Page: 10

More Related