NFIRS 5.0 Self-Study Program: Wildland Fire Module: NFIRS-8
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NFIRS 5.0 Self-Study Program Wildland Fire Module: NFIRS-8 Objectives After completing the Wildland Fire Module the student will be able to: 1. Describe when the Wildland Fire Module is to be used. 2. Demonstrate how to complete the Wildland Fire Module and identify appropriate other modules, given the scenario of a hypothetical incident. 8-1 Table of Contents Pretest #8 – Wildland Fire Module. 8-3 Wildland Fire Module Use. .8-4 Section A: FDID, State, Incident Date, Station, Incident Number, Exposure. 8-5 Section B: Alternate Location Specification . 8-6 Section C: Area Type . 8-6 Section D: Wildland Fire Cause, Human and Other Factors Contributing To Ignition, and Fire Suppression Factors. .8-6 Section E: Heat Source. .8-8 Section F: Mobile Property Type. .8-8 Section G: Equipment Involved in Ignition . 8-8 Section H: Weather Information. .8-9 Section I: Number of Buildings Ignited, Number of Buildings Threatened, Total Acres Burned, and Primary Crops Burned. 8-11 Section J: Property Management. 8-12 Section K: NFDRS Fuel Model at Origin. 8-13 Section L: Person Responsible For Fire, Gender of Person Involved, Age or Date of Birth, and Activity of Person Involved . .8-13 Section M: Type of Right-of-Way . .8-14 Section N: Fire Behavior. 8-15 Summary. 8-16 EXAMPLE: Grass and Brush Fire. 8-17 EXERCISE SCENARIO 8-1: Brush Fire Incident . 8-19 EXERCISE SCENARIO 8-2: Vehicle Fire on I-95. 8-22 NFIRS 5.0 Self-Study Program Pretest #8 – Wildland Fire Module 1. A Basic Module must be completed if the Wildland Fire Module is completed. (a) True. (b) False. 2. The Wildland Fire Module is a required NFIRS Module. (a) True. (b) False. 3. The Fire Module and the Wildland Fire Module can be completed for the same incident. (a) True. (b) False. 4. Buildings ignited as a result of a wildland fire are not exposure fires and therefore do not require separate exposure reports. (a) True. (b) False. 5. The Wildland Fire Module can be used for non-hostile fires such as controlled burning and prescribed fires. (a) True. (b) False. 8-3 NFIRS 5.0 Self-Study Program Wildland Fire Module Use istorically, NFIRS data have not proved useful in understanding the nature and magnitude of the Hwildland fire problem. The optional Wildland Fire Module attempts to rectify this by capturing data about: • the number of acres burned and the type of materials involved in these fires; • conditions which contribute to the ignition and spread of wildland fires; and • the resources needed to control and/or extinguish these fires. The purpose of the Wildland Fire Module is to document reportable wildland fires. A reportable wildland fire is any fire involving vegetative fuels that occurs in the wildland or urban-wildland interface areas, including those fires that threaten or consume structures. To better understand the role of fire on the wildland ecosystem, prescribed fires also are included in this definition of report- able fires. For the purpose of wildland fire reporting, note the following definitions: Prescribed Fire–Any fire ignited by management actions to meet specific objectives. A written, approved prescribed fire plan must exist prior to ignition (Incident Type 632). A prescribed fire that escapes management is a hostile fire (Incident type 141, Wildland Fire). Urban-Wildland Interface Area–The geographical area in which structures and other human devel- opment meet or intermingle with wildland or vegetative fuels. Urban-Wildland Interface Fire– Any fire, other than prescribed fire, where fire suppression tactics were influenced by a geographical area where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with wildland or vegetative fuels (Incident Type 141). Wildland–An area in which development is essentially nonexistent, except for roads, railroads, power lines, and similar facilities. Wildland Fire–Any fire other than a prescribed fire, involving vegetative fuels that occur in the wildland. A wildland fire may expose and possibly consume structures (Incident Type 141). The Wildland Fire Module permits wildland fires to be profiled in depth for resource allocation, incident management, and fire impact analysis. In addition, aggregated data on wildland fires will provide invaluable information that can be used by policymakers developing codes and standards, zoning ordinances, and forest management plans. Use the optional Wildland Fire Module when the Incident Type is coded as Forest, Woods, or Wildland Fire (Incident Type 141), or a Prescribed Fire (Incident Type 632). In these cases, the Wildland Fire Module would be used in lieu of the Fire Module. The Wildland Fire Module also may be used for the following incident types: • 140, Vegetation Fire, Other; • 142, Brush, or Brush and Grass Mixture Fire; 8-4 NFIRS 5.0 Self-Study Program • 143, Grass Fire; • 160, Special Outside Fire; • 170, Cultivated Vegetation, Crop Fire, Other; • 171, Cultivated Grain, Crop Fire; • 172, Cultivated Orchard or Vineyard Fire; • 173, Cultivated Trees or Nursery Stock Fire; • 561, Unauthorized Burning; and • 631, Controlled Burning (Authorized). CONTROLLED BURNING VERSUS PRESCRIBED FIRE Incident Type 631, Controlled Burning, is used for fires where the burning is authorized and under control. Controlled burns are typically agricultural in nature, and are managed by the property owner. In order to meet the definition of a Prescribed Fire (Incident Type 632), a written, approved prescribed fire plan must exist prior to ignition. Typically, these fires are carried out by a wildland management agency. Both types of fires are considered nonhostile, and both presume that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements are met prior to ignition. NOTE: A prescribed fire that escapes management is a hostile fire—Incident Type is 141 (Wildland Fire). A hostile fire cannot become a prescribed fire, but the management strategy (actions taken) may change. If it does not have a written, approved prescribed fire plan prior to ignition, it is not a prescribed fire, regardless of how it is managed (or how many times it escapes control). How the hostile fire is managed is the action taken. Section A: FDID, State, Incident Date, Station, Incident Number, Exposure MM DD YYYY Delete NFIRS–8 A Wildland Change FDID State Incident Date Station Incident Number Exposure Fire Alternate Location Specification Wildland Fire Cause Factors Contributing None ThisB information is consistent with theD 1Basic Module. You can use it to recallD3 to the Ignition incident from a com- Enter Latitude/Longitude OR Township/Range/Section/Subsection puterMeridian program if Section B on the or Basic to Module print is not completed a hard copy1 ofNatural an incident. source 8In anMisuse automated of fire #1 system, you can#2 enter a data 2 Equipment 0 Other element once and it may appear automatically3 in all theU fieldsUndetermined where thatFire information Suppression Factorsis required. Smoking D4 None • • 4 Latitude Longitude Open/outdoor fire #1 5 OR Debris/vegetation burn Enter 6 Structure (exposure) up to North East 7 Incendiary three #2 • South West factors Township Range Human Factors Contributing #3 2 D to Ignition None Check as many boxes as are applicable. Heat Source None Section Subsection Meridian E 1 Asleep C Area Type 2 Possibly impaired by alcohol or drugs 3 Unattended person F Mobile Property Type 1 Rural, farms >50 acres 4 Possibly mentally disabled 2 Urban (heavily populated) 5 Physically disabled8-5 Equipment Involved 3 Rural/urban or suburban None 6 Multiple persons involved G in Ignition 4 Urban-wildland interface area 7 Age was a factor Weather Information Number of Buildings Ignited H I1 4 Primary Crops Burned None I Number of buildings that were Identify up to 3 crops if any crops were burned NFDRS Weather Station ID ignited in Wildland fire Number of Buildings Threatened I2 Crop 1 Weather Type Wind Direction None Number of buildings that were threatened by Wildland fire but were not involved F° Check if Crop 2 Wind Speed (mph) Air Temperature negative Total Acres Burned I3 % % Crop 3 Relative Humidity Fuel Moisture Fire Danger Rating , , • J Property Management K NFDRS Fuel Model at Origin M Type of Right-of-Way None each Indicate the percent of the total acres burned for owner- Enter the code and the descriptor corresponding Required if less than 100 feet ship type then check the ONE box to identify the property owner- to the NFDRS Fuel Model at Origin ship at the origin of the fire. If the ownership at origin is Federal, enter the Federal Agency Code. Feet Horizontal distance Type of right-of-way from right-of-way Ownership % Total Acres Burned Fire Behavior L1 Person Responsible for Fire N U Undetermined % 1 Identified person caused fire These optional descriptors refer to observations 2 Unidentified person caused fire made at the point of initial attack Private 3 Fire not caused by person If person identified, complete the rest of Section L 1 Tax paying % Feet Gender of Person Involved Elevation 2 Non-tax paying % L2 1 Male 2 Female Public Relative position on slope L3 Age or Date of Birth % 3 City, town, village, local Aspect Age in Years Date of Birth 4 County or parish % 5 % OR State or province Feet 6 Month Day Year Federal % Flame length Federal Agency Code Activity of Person Involved 7 Foreign % L4 Chains per Hour 8 Military % Rate of spread % 0 Other Activity of Person Involved NFIRS–8 Revision 01/01/04 NFIRS 5.0 Self-Study Program MM DD YYYY Delete NFIRS–8 A Wildland Section B: Alternate Location Specification Change FDID State Incident Date Station Incident Number Exposure Fire Alternate Location Specification Wildland Fire Cause Factors Contributing None B D1 D3 to Ignition Enter Latitude/Longitude OR Township/Range/Section/Subsection Meridian if Section B on the Basic Module is not completed 1 Natural source 8 Misuse of fire #1 #2 2 Equipment 0 Other U Undetermined Fire Suppression Factors 3 Smoking D4 None • • 4 Latitude Longitude Open/outdoor fire #1 5 OR Debris/vegetation burn Enter 6 Structure (exposure) up to North East 7 Incendiary three #2 • South West factors Township Range Human Factors Contributing #3 2 D to Ignition None Check as many boxes as are applicable.