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Once a fire is discovered in the
wild, fire captains are notified and decide what type of
crews and equipment to send out to fight the fire. They
make this decision based on terrain, vegetation,
location, and soil type. It helps if there are natural
barriers to stop the fire, such as a river, or unnatural
barriers, such as a road. Certain types of equipment
cannot operate in certain areas. For instance- a
bulldozer cannot go up a steep slope of a mountain to
clear out a bunch of brush. A fire captain’s job is
important. If a piece of equipment or a wrong type of
crew is sent out, the fire may spread and flare out of
control.
A crown fire,
north of Sula, Montana
Source:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/wildfire.htm
Types of
preventative techniques
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Hot Shot Crews
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Helicopters
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Thinning
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Prescribed Fires
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Pruning
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Mowing
Hot
Shot Crews
Hot Shot Crews prevent fire from
spreading by removing fuel and laying down water. They
remove fuel by prescribed burning and line
construction. Prescribed burning is setting a fire to
an area to burn out the fuel (vegetation) before a fire
reaches the area. It is a controlled fire and is only
meant to burn out the smaller trees and brush so that
the fire cannot migrate upwards to cause crown fires.
Line construction is the major prevention technique that
hot shot crews do. A line is basically cut out of the
forests, in a perimeter around the fire so that when the
fire reaches the line, there is no fuel to burn and it
burns out. Lines are constructed by using chain saws
(used to cut down the trees), pulaskis (a type of axe to
pull out stumps), rhinos (a bent shovel to remove brush
and turn over soil), and a broom (to sweep up anything
left behind).
click picture to
view larger image
Chain Saws
A Pulaski
A Rhino
A Broom
The person/persons with the brooms
have the most important job because they have to make
sure that all of the brush is clear and that every one
ahead of them did their jobs correctly. After the line
is constructed hot shot crews sometimes spray water on
it.
Helicopters
Helicopters are also used to
prevent fires from spreading. The helitorch is a
helicopter with, basically, a flame thrower attached to
it. It flies over areas and starts fires to remove
vegetation. Helitorches are used to remove a lot of
fuel in a short amount of time. Helicopters are
also used to dump water on fires, or to lay a retardant
on the trees to prevent fires from spreading.
A helitorch starting a fire
A helicopter laying retardant on a forest
Source:
http://www.mnics.org/Images_galleries/Aircraft/Helicopters/images/Helitorch_JPG.jpg
&
http://www.fs.fed.us/nwacfire/wedge/gallery/photos/general/r-drop.jpg
Thinning
Thinning is a process used to
remove small, weaker trees and decrease the
concentration of trees in a certain area so that flames
cannot jump from tree to tree. The stronger and older
trees can withstand the fires easier because they have
thicker bark.
Thinning
A thinned forest
Pruning
Pruning is a method that is used to
prevent fires from migrating towards the crowns of
trees. Lower branches of the trees are cut off so that
the fire has nothing to catch onto to progress upwards.
Pruning can and should be done around all homes and
populated areas that are at risk of fires.
A man Pruning a
tree
Mowing
Mowing is a way to clear out a lot
of brush quickly. Big machines, such as bulldozers, are
brought in to clear out the brush. These vehicles
cannot operate on certain terrain, though, so it is very
important that the fire captains analyze the situation
before the fire arrives so that the proper techniques
can be instigated.
Mowing
Source:
http://www.ocagcomm.com/images/weed_method_flail_mowing.jpg
Fire fighting is a dangerous job
and an important one. Fire fighters and other
individuals use these techniques to help stop the fires
from progressing and reoccurring. In 1998, the U.S.
spent $1 billion on fire fighting practices. It is a
costly effort that not only takes money, but also
lives. 33 lives have been lost in efforts to stop
wildfires in the U.S.
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