Wildland Firefighting (3Rd Edition)-Chapter 8 Terms

Wildland Firefighting (3rd Edition) Chapter 8 Terms Firefighter Safety & Survival

Escape Route Pathway to safety. It can lead to an already burned area, a previously constructed safety area, a meadow that will not burn, or a natural rocky area that is large enough to take refuge without being burned. When they deviate from a defined physical path, they must be clearly marked (flagged).

Fire Shelter Aluminized tent carried by firefighters offering personal protection by means of reflecting radiant heat and providing a volume of breathable air in a fire-entrapment situation.

Life Safety Refers to the joint consideration of the life and physical well-being of individuals, both civilians and firefighters.

National Wildland Fire Coordinating Group NWCG) Currently made up of the Department of Agriculture Forest Service (FS); four Department of the Interior agencies (Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWSI); the United States Fire Administration (USFA); and state forestry agencies through the National Association of State Foresters (NASF). The group's purpose is to coordinate programs of the participating wildfire management agencies to avoid duplication and to provide a means of constructively working together. Thus it facilitates the coordination and effectiveness of wildland fire activities and provides a forum to discuss, recommend action, or resolve issues and problems of substantive nature. Also, the certifying body for all courses in the National Fire Curriculum.

Rappelling Technique of landing firefighters from helicopters in hover, which involves sliding down ropes with the aid of descent- control devices.

Safe Refuge Recently burned area or one cleared of vegetation used for escape in the event a line is outflanked or a spot fire outside a control line renders the line unsafe. In firing operations, crews progress so as to maintain a safety zone close at hand, allowing the fuels inside the control line to be consumed before going ahead. Synonymous with Safety Island or Safety Zone.

Safety Island Recently burned area or one cleared of vegetation used for escape in the event a line is outflanked or a spot fire outside a control line renders the line unsafe. In firing operations, crews progress so as to maintain a safety zone close at hand, allowing the fuels inside the control line to be consumed before going ahead. Synonymous with Safety Zone or Safe Refuge.

Safety Officer Member of the command staff responsible to the incident commander for monitoring and assessing hazardous and unsafe conditions and developing measures for assessing personnel safety on the incident.

Safety Zone Recently burned area or one cleared of vegetation used for escape in the event a line is outflanked or a spot fire outside a control line renders the line unsafe. In firing operations, crews progress so as to maintain a safety zone close at hand, allowing the fuels inside the control line to be consumed before going ahead. Synonymous with Safety Island or Safe Refuge.

Shelter in Place Remaining in a structure or vehicle when a fire moves through rather than attempting to use roads that may be blocked or untenable because of fire; opposite of evacuation. Turbulence Irregular motion of the atmosphere usually produced when air flows over a comparatively uneven surface such as the surface of the earth; when two currents of air flow past or over each other in different directions or at different speeds.