ESPM 134 -This week: Fire Suppression Prescription Fire Post-fire Restoration Fire Mitigation Fire Policy

Transcription

1 ESPM 134 -This week: Fire Suppression Prescription Fire Post-fire Restoration Fire Mitigation Fire Policy

2 Where we re going: Spinning up to look at how to apply fire as a forest management tool We need to learn how to : Put them out Restore forests afterward Use fire as a management tool Think about fire policy in the 21 st century

3 An Aside: Burning Exercise at Blodgett Experimental Forest Still Planning for it BFRS personnel are checking into the permitting Still up in the air: Size Location (probably near headquarters) Ignition planning This is a real-life life exercise and sometimes they go as planned, but more frequently, they don t Safety gear for anyone on active fireline is a must!!

4 On the fireline: Heavy boots (no nylon) Nomex PPE (festive!) Center for Forestry provided Gloves Anybody NOT wearing this gear will be required to stay back from active line

5 Historical forces: Fire Suppression - History Prior to 1911: Except in rare instances, fire was pretty much let burn Activity fuels from Logging operations were piling up, and Euro-american settlements were sprouting up all over the place

6 Historical, cont. In the mid 1800 s, some very large fires finally started drawing national ire & notice: 1846, 1853, 1865, 1868: Yachina, Nestucca,, Silverton, Coos Fires in Oregon (3 x 10 6 acres) 1871 Peshtigo, Wisconsin. 1.2 x 10 6 acres deaths. Same day & weather conditions as Great Chicago fire 1881: Great Michigan fire. 1.0 x 10 6 acres. 200 deaths 1894: Hinckley Fire, Minnesota x 10 6 acres. 418 deaths. Great Fire of 1910: Idaho & Montana. 3.0 x 10 6 acres. *6 deaths Major catalyst for the onset of active fire suppression

7 History, cont. Suppression had always been a part of forest activities: Logging Steam in the forest locomotives, steam donkeys Railroads Mills Fires were generally suppressed if: Feasible Threatened Real or Timber properties

8 Logging slashes milling wastes traditionally just left on site Remember: forestry generally cut & run up through the mid 1900 s These materials are felt to be major players in the listed fires, and numerous 20 th century burns.

9 The 1911 Great Burn forced the fledgling US Forest Service into institutionalizing fire suppression: Fire Management Almost military-like like approach to absolute suppression of fire within Federal resources, including Indian Lands (Interior & BIA) Park & Reserve Lands (Interior) Rangelands (BLM) State, County, and City resources. History, cont.

10 History World War II: The start of the techno- suppression era: Use of aerial attack Use of radios, coordinated teams Use of heavy equipment And the start of one of the worlds most effective ad campaigns:

11 History Pretty much the way things went through the 1980 s then a number of things started happening: Fire Ecology starts solid documentation of the role of fire in ecosystems The 1980s sees a increase in the number of extreme- behavior wildland fires thoughout the world Reagan-nomics nomics: : severe financial cutbacks

12 Modern Suppression

13 Modern Wildland Firefighting Incident Command System Finances forced inter-agency coordination on a national scale Need for standardized language, heirarchy,, increased information flow National logistics and manning coordination centers Standardized Firefighting organization (NIIMS: National Interagency Incident Management System) Frequencies Equipment Still a long ways away from complete standardization Structural firefighters are coming up to speed on wildland fires Hoses, Standpipes, etc. slowly being replaced with standardized materials

14 What are the Basics? How do you put out a fire? How can you do it without an endless source of water? How can you do this while providing for firefighter safety? How can you optimize resource & structure protection? Are these mutually exclusive?

15 Rundown: Separation of fuels from oxygen & heat Safety Water Supplies Tactics & Strategy Basics Handcrews Engines Dozers & Cats (Bulldozers & Caterpillars) Air Attack

16 Basics: How to put one out Fuels Removal: Separate the fire from the fuels. General Rule: fuels removal must be at least 1.5 times the height t of the fuels: 10 fuels height = 15 fire line Need to get down to bare mineral soils Prevents fire from creeping across the line Continue to separate fire & fuels Widening line Water, if available Goal: Containment: : getting a unburnable line around the fire Control: : lowering fire behavior to the point it will not spot or spreads

17 Fire triangle/ tetrahedron Need to separate fules from heat, oxygen & stop the chain reaction Water is very effective at removing heat, usable oxygen Not alot available in the forests Other Methods employed: Deprive fires of fuel Deprive fires of oxygen

18 Lingo: Initial Attack: : fire suppression & extingushing by first responders Incident: : Fires which require additional forces to suppress ( project( project ) Frontal and Flanking attack Frontal: : direct attack on the head of a fire Usually pretty iffy Flanking: : attack on the sides Direct Attack Right on the fire Indirect Attack Backing off to a advantageous site and building line there (parallel attack) Requires fuel removal between fire & line (backfiring)

19 Safety: All Important: No suppression activity, whatsoever, is worth a personal injury or death (Mann Gulch, Storm Mountain, etc.) PPE: Personal Protection Gear Wildland fire training now includes: Wildland Fire Behavior Watchouts LCES Lookouts, Communications, Escapes, Safe Zone Fire Orders 10 things to watch out for 18 things that Shout Watch Out! Mann Gulch 1949

20 Water Supplies: Don t t count on it Wildland fires far outstrip the energy output of a structure fire Amounts less than 1000 gallons can be provided by Engines/tankers More frequently used for Point attck Single few structure attack Mop-up: Cooling off the fire

21 Handcrew Operations Initial Attack & Ongoing Attack operations Standards: 3 24 person using handtools for suppression Shovel, McCleod,, Pulaski, Swatters, Chainsaws, etc These are the: Smokejumpers, helitack,, Hotshot, District Crews, Inmate crews Line construction varies with fuels 1 to 10 chains / hour (66 to 660 ), higher rates not unusual

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24 Engines Wildland Fire Engines & Tankers Carries personnel & equipment Hand Tools Chainsaws Pumps, water & hoses Foam Limited by: Terrain & Access Water Supply High Intensity Fires

25 Engines Useful in: Small fire direct attack structure protection & mop-up

26 Bulldozers and Tractor plows Effective initial attack & indirect attack Remember the fireline rule of thumb? Cut line at least 1.5x the height of the fuels? What happens when you have 150 fuels? Limited by: Dozers and Cats CATLINE: Terrain N.T.E. 55% slope, 45% sidehill operations Also very useful in post- fire rehabilitation

27 Line Width Example Tractor Plow

28 Air Attack Two types: Fixed Wing Helicopters

29 Air Attack: Fixed Wing Used for Initial Attack, Indirect Attack Capable of long line construction Tanks: Salvo, Trail, Split High value targets Limitations Air Density & Heat Tank Size Winds Cost$ Fire Intensity & Spotting Behavior Significant danger to ground personnel

30 Fixed Wing Aerial Tankers Defined by size, type of retardant Retardant: Water Short term: short duration effectiveness Long term: inhibits flame after evaporation Usually some form of ammonium w/ rapid decomposition

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32 Air Attack: Helicopter Best used for: Initial Attack / direct attack Transports personnel, supplies & water Short turn around (can be based at the fire) Limits: Weight: poor air denisty & heat performance Cost$

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34 More lingo: Backfiring: intentional ignition of fuels in between the fire-line and the fire Burn-out: (see backfire) common usage: a really, really big backfire, lit by pyrotechnics, or heli- torch

35 Modern Suppression Problems: Since 1988, there is a growing trend towards large, uncontrollable fires (climate, fuels, etc.) Costs are prohibitive 2007 costs: ~ $911 millon,, will exceed $1 billon by 2009 Most funding based on emergency normal normal logistic funding has been cut in half fires eat up budgets Suppression Backfire: 100+ years of suppression has added to fuel loads WUI: Wildland Urban Interface. Our housing is encroaching onto wildlands at risk The techo-fetishism mentality: Bigger more expensive toys will fix the problem, rather than long g term management for ecological balance