In a previous article entitled "Communicating in the Wildland Interface," Rick Lynsky and I identified communication problems and solutions targeted at the equipment or the ways we use the equipment. Unfortunately equipment problems are probably only related to less than half of our overarching fireline communication shortcomings.
For this month's installment of Innovative Rigs on the Street we traveled out to the west coast to visit the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar which is located in San Diego, CA. MCAS Miramar is home to the Third Marine Air Wing, which operates over 500 fixed-wing and rotary aircraft at the airfield. The base encompasses over 25,000 acres of land with a working population of 13,500 with over 5,000 fulltime residents. The fire department protects over 300 buildings with an additional 3,800 residential housing units planned for the future.
Communicating during emergency operations is a constant challenge for those in the fire service. Nowhere does that become more evident than during a wildland urban interface (WUI) incident.
The intent of this article is to "tune-up" your understanding of wildland fire behavior. Understanding fire behavior allows for the correct selection of strategy and tactics. Similar to structural firefighting, knowing where the fire is, how it is behaving, and where it is going are critical. Also, anticipating how the fire will react once it gets to your location allows for safer engagement of the fire.
During much of our conversations around the country, particularly around smaller fire departments, we often ask, "What do you do or how do you handle problems with your interface?"
This year's fire activity has already been pretty severe in the number and magnitude of events we have experienced in the northwest. California is just starting to ramp up for their fire season.
While operations folks are getting geared up, are our prevention bureaus doing the same?
Looking back at the amount of training that a new firefighter received, it is evident that most of the material is aimed at structural firefighting with a very
Topic: Wildland Interface Issues
Time Required: 2 Hours
Materials:
• Appropriate audio-visual materials
References:
• Essentials of Fire Fighting, 4th ed., International Fire Service Training Association
