6742 Ch 13 PowerPoint

1. Fire Department Incident Safety
Officer
Third Edition
Chapter 13 — The ISO at Wildland and I-Zone Fires

2. Knowledge Objectives (1 of 2)
‣ Identify actions or operations that will be altered,
terminated, or suspended to protect members’ health safety
if identified by the ISO.
‣ Identify imminent threats to firefighter safety.
‣ Classify types of imminent hazards into major categories.
‣ Describe the incident scene conditions that are monitored
as part of an ongoing incident.

3. Knowledge Objectives (2 of 2)
‣ Describe the incident scene conditions that are monitored
as part of an ongoing incident.
‣ D Define the wildland fire terminology relevant to fire
growth and behavior.
‣ Describe fire growth and blowup factors in wildland and
cultivated vegetation fires.
‣ List six situations that may require the appointment of an
assistant safety officer at the wildland fire.
‣ Define LCES.

4. Introduction: Into the Wild
‣ This chapter will provide the structurally oriented fire
officer with ISO insight as part of the initial response
to a wildland or I-Zone (WUI) fire
‣ The fire may grow beyond the resources of the local
fire department and its mutual aid assistance
‣ ISO functions are transferred to a safety officer
who is part of an incident management team

5. Wildland Fire Language (1 of 3)
‣ Language and phrases might conflict with municipal
firefighters
‣ A line is a barrier to fire spread
‣ Control line is the all-inclusive term for all constructed
or natural barriers
‣ Fire line is scraped or dug into mineral soil
‣ Scratch line is a preliminary control line hastily
constructed as an emergency measure
‣ Wet line is water or a water agent sprayed on the
ground as a temporary control line

6. ‣ Wildland fire suppression community rarely uses
typical control zone language
‣ Many of the “zones” used for wildfires are based on
the descriptive parts of the fire or features in the
fire area
‣ Head
‣ Flanks
‣ Origin
‣ Spots
‣ Occasionally, geographical features are used
Wildland Fire Language (2 of 3)

7. Wildland Fire Language (3 of 3)

8. Wildland Fire Concepts
‣ Structural and wildland fire control efforts are
different
‣ For wildland, create a 360-degree control line
around the fire
‣ Buildings are defensible or indefensible
‣ Fire attack will be direct or indirect
‣ A simple wildfire can turn into a potential firefighter
line-of-duty death (LODD)

9. General ISO Functions at Wildland Fires
(1 of 9)
‣ The ISO should quickly
grasp the potential for
firefighters being overrun
by the fire
‣ General factors to
consider include:
‣ Weather
‣ Topography
‣ Fuels
Courtesy of David Dodson

10. ‣ Hostile events in a wildland fire include:
‣ Blowup
‣ Sudden advancement and increase in fire intensity
attributed to wind, fuel, or topographical changes
‣ Fire storm
‣ Violent convection column caused by large continuous area
of fire
‣ Flare-up
‣ Sudden, short-lived rise in rate of spread or fire intensity
‣ Torching
‣ Burning of the foliage of a single tree, or small bunch of
trees, from the bottom up
General ISO Functions at Wildland Fires
(2 of 9)

11. ‣ Evaluating flame length
‣ Less than 4 feet (1.2 m): can generally be
attacked using hand lines
‣ 4 to 8 feet (1.2 to 2.4 m): a flanking attack with
increased gallons per minute may be effective
‣ 8 to 11 feet (2.4 to 3.4 m): the fire presents
serious control problems
‣ More than 11 feet (3.4 m): major fire runs are
likely; defensive measures are required
General ISO Functions at Wildland Fires
(3 of 9)

12. ‣ Reconnaissance efforts at wildland fires
‣ Recon vehicles, helicopters, and ASO field reports
all help
‣ Coordination is critical
‣ Define the principal hazards
‣ Rapid fire spread
‣ Physical exertion
‣ Traffic issues
‣ Hazardous energy
General ISO Functions at Wildland Fires
(4 of 9)

13. ‣ Environmental integrity
‣ Stable and not likely to change (subtracts from risk-taking)
‣ Stable but changing slowly (may add to risk-taking)
‣ Unstable and changing slowly (adds to risk-taking)
‣ Unstable and changing quickly (exponentially adds to risk-
taking)
‣ Defining other hazards
‣ Trip-and-fall hazards
‣ Animals, vermin, and noxious vegetation
‣ Burned-pit trees and dead limbs, known as snags
‣ Night-time operations
General ISO Functions at Wildland Fires
(5 of 9)

14. ‣ Resource effectiveness
‣ Resource allocation
‣ Task application
‣ Tools
‣ Team versus task
‣ Trip/fall/struck-by hazards
‣ Rapid withdrawal options
‣ Operational effectiveness
General ISO Functions at Wildland Fires
(6 of 9)

15. ‣ Risk-taking evaluation at wildland fires
‣ Good fire control efforts can prevent millions of
dollars in damage or lost revenue
‣ Intellectual aggressiveness
‣ Judging the pace of the incident is part of risk-
monitoring
‣ IC may become trapped in linear thinking
‣ The ISO must shore up the IC with cyclical
thinking
General ISO Functions at Wildland Fires
(7 of 9)

16. ‣ Safety system effectiveness at wildland fires
‣ Accountability systems
‣ Establish a command post
‣ Orchestrate a radio roll call
‣ Plot initial accountability on a map of the area
‣ Rehabilitation
‣ A central rehab station may not be effective or practical
‣ Physical demand requires rapid hydration and fueling
‣ Personal protection systems
‣ Different PPE plus LCES
General ISO Functions at Wildland Fires
(8 of 9)

17. ‣ Safety system
effectiveness at wildland
fires (cont.)
‣ Personal protection
systems
‣ Different PPE
‣ LCES + 10 standing
orders + 18 watch-
outs
Courtesy of David Dodson
General ISO Functions at Wildland Fires
(9 of 9)

18. Unique Considerations for Wildland Fires
(1 of 5)
‣ Traffic
‣ Smoke obscuration
‣ Divert traffic away from smoky areas
‣ Mobile brush patrol vehicles
‣ Keep headlights and flashing lights on at all times
‣ Escape routes (for vehicles)
‣ Safety zones

19. ‣ The need for an assistant safety officer
‣ Request an ASO at wildland fires in certain
circumstances
‣ Widespread geographical area
‣ A plans section has been established
‣ Fire has been (or is expected to be) active for more
than 4 hours
‣ Base camp has been established
‣ IC asks the ISO to develop safety plans
‣ The fire response involves air resources
Unique Considerations for Wildland Fires
(2 of 5)

20. ‣ The need for an assistant safety officer (cont.)
‣ ISO should develop a safety briefing sheet
‣ Brief overview of the IAP
‣ Active fire areas and anticipated weather/fire-spread
issues
‣ Known safety hazards
‣ Specific precautions
‣ Established safe zones and escape routes
‣ Established rehab/EMS standby locations
‣ LCES reminders
Unique Considerations for Wildland Fires
(3 of 5)

21. ‣ Interface with aircraft
‣ Being familiar with
helicopters and fixed-
wing aircraft is essential
‣ Seek out training
‣ Interagency Aviation
Training website
‣ Site safety visit
‣ Aircraft refueling location
‣ Resupply location
Courtesy of David Dodson
Courtesy of David Dodson
Unique Considerations for Wildland Fires
(4 of 5)

22. ‣ Incident escalation
‣ Once a fire becomes a Type 3, the ISO function
may be transferred to a regional or state SOF
‣ Good notes
‣ Chronological order of events
‣ Series of briefings and communication
‣ You may be assigned to the resource pool
Unique Considerations for Wildland Fires
(5 of 5)