Training with a Practice Fire Shelter
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"Zero Tolerance" memo to all employees from Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt. " <- WASHINGTON ->:. '-".. ---.'1. S-.• THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOA TO ALLEMPLOYEES 1994 was a tragic year for wildland fire. Even more sobering is that without the judgment and commitment to safety demonstrated by fuefighting personnel throughout the Nation, our losses could have been even greater. Important lessons were learned, including an affinnation thar agency personnel at all levels. and not just those directly involved in fire suppression, must demonstrate a commitmentto safety. We are committed to "Zero Tolerance" ofcarelessness and unsafe actions. The commitment to and accountability for safety is a joint responsibility of firefighters. managers and administrators. No resource or property values are worth endangering people. All land management plans and all Dan Glickman suppression plans and actions must reflect this commitment. Individuals must be personally committed and responsible for their own performance and accountability. Please join us in adopting firefighting's code of safe practices: Safety Comes First on Every Fire, Every Time. The Ten Standard Fire Orders are Firm. We Don't Break Them; We Don't Bend Them. An Firefighters have the Right to a Safe Assignment Every Firefighter, Every Pireline Supervisor, Every Fire Manager, and Every Agency Administrator has the Responsibility to Ensure Compliance with Established Safe Firefighting Practices. ?!Z~ secretary of the Interior BruceBabbitt This issue of Fire ManagementNotes is Fire Management Notes is published by the Forest Service of the U.S. Department ofAgriculture, Washington, DC. the first of two focusing on the safety and The Secretary of Agriculture has determined that the publication of this periodical is necessary in the transaction of the public business required by law of this Department. health of wildland firefighters. Readers may also wish to read back issues of this Subscriptions ($7.50 per year domestic, $9.40 per year foreign) may be obtained from New Orders. Superintendent of publication for other discussions of these Documents, P.O. Box371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. A subscription order form is available on the back cover. important topics-in particular, volume Dan Glickman, Secretary Francis R.Russ 51, no. 2. Many thanks to all who contrib U.S. Department of Agriculture General Manager uted information and shared their experiences with the fire community. Jack Ward Thomas, Chief Donna M. Paananen Special thanks goes to David "Shag" Forest Service Editor Aldrich, safety and training officer on the Mary Jo Lavin, Ph.D., Director Rod Kindlund WO Fire and Aviation Management Staff, Fire and Aviation Management Submissions Editor for his advice and help during the production of these issues. lean L. Satterthwaite Contributing Editor The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race. color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.j Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDAOffice of Communications at (202j 720·2791, To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC20250, or call (202) 720-7327 (voice) or (202) 720-1127 (TDD).USDAis an equal employment opportunity employer. Disclaimer: The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement of any product or service by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Individual authors are responsible for the technical accuracy of the material presented in Fire Management Notes. VolumeSS·No.3·1995 CONTENTS Establishing an Effective Safety and Health Program for Firefighters 4 Stephen 1. Yellstrom Firefighter Safety in Changing Forest Ecosystems 6 Jerry Williams Personal Protective Equipment in Wildfire Entrapments 9 RichardJ. Mangan A Potential Life Saver-Training With a Practice Fire Shelter ...... 12 Kevin Lee Human Decisionmaking in the Fire Environment 14 Curt C. Braun andBuck Latapie Attitude Check 19 Bill Fish Does Firetighting Pose Reproductive Risks? 21 Entrapped firefighters deptoy their Brian 1. Sharkey fireshelters in a survivalzone during the Shelly incident in 1989 Yellowjackets: The Little Danger Under Your Feet 23 on the GilaNational Forestin New Billy J. Terry Mexico. Photo:Mark Erickson, Sitver City, NM, ©1995. 1 994 Wildfire Prevention Awards Presented 26 Rod Kindlund Fire Camps on the Boise National Forest Recycle 28 Darrel Van Buren SHORT FEATURES "Zero Tolerance" Memo 2 Dan Glickman and Bruce Babbitt Dear Firefighters 5 James R. Lyons Safety First-Every Fire, Every Time 8 Jack Ward Thomas Warning! Some Fire Shelter Training Techniques Are Dangerous 20 Richard1. Mangan NWCG Adopts Flagging Standard 22 Guidelines for Contributors 22 Aviation Management Triangle 25 John Chambers "It a Tree Falls"-Safety Video Now Available 27 Regional Analysis of Haines' LASI 30 Brian E. Potter We Are Each Responsible 31 Mary Jo Lavin ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAM FOR FIREFIGHTERS Stephen J. Yellstrom year has passed since the =-- = are likely to be greeted with hand South Canyon Fire took the "OSHA remains shakes, pats on the back, and con Alives of 14 firefighters in the committed to assisting gratulations for a job well done. mountains of.Colorado. Since wildfire fighting Would the same team be so warmly then, members of the firefighting received if they abandoned a fire community, including the United agencies In any way that they perceived to be unaccept States Department of Agriculture possible to reach our ably risky? If the answer is no, than Forest Service, Department of the mutual goal-to reduce the unmistakable message that is Interior Bureau of Land Manage the risk to our sent to firefighters is that putting ment, and Department of Labor firefighters. " out the fire is the highest priority Occupational Safety and Health and that safety, although impor Administration (OSHA) have asked tant, is secondary. Ifsafety truly is two very important questions: Why the firefighters' most important the human factors or attitudes in did this tragedy happen, and how mission, then wildfire managers the direction of positive change can we prevent a similar tragedy in must reinforce this message might include these parts: man the future? The first question has through their actions every day. agement commitment, employee been answered as a result of the ex involvement, and periodic audits. cellent work done by all those in Employee Involvement volved in the South Canyon Fire Employees are the primary benefi Investigation. There was no one Manaaement Commitment ciaries of any successful safety and cause of this accident but rather a health program, but all too often, combination of poor communica Everyone agrees that firefighting is their only role in the development tion, a breakdown in management an inherently dangerous activity of the program is to implement oversight, and lack of hazard rec and that it is the responsibility of policies that are already cast in all involved to reduce the risk to ognition, which was catalyzed by stone. Who knows better than the adverse environmental conditions the lowest possible level. Managers front-line firefighters what really into a disaster. associated with wildfire suppres happens on the fires that are sion attempt to reduce this inher fought each day of the fire season? ent risk through training, written Obviously, dry fuels, steep terrain, Employees are an often overlooked and strong winds are some of the procedures, personal protective resource in the development and uncontrollable factors that many equipment, and changes brought evaluation of safety programs. of the existing firefighting safety about through accident investiga Front-line firefighters should be guidelines are designed to address. tion. These are all necessary com included as members of local safety What we need to examine now are ponents of a successful safet» and and health committees, as mem health program, but what are the the human factors, or the control bers of planning and policy-setting lable variables, that we must subtle messages given to groups, and as members of any ac change if we are to avoid another firefighters on a day-to-day basis cident investigation team. "South Canyon" in years to come. regarding safety's place in the over One blueprint that would channel all mission? For example, when an Periodic Audits initial attack Incident Commander Stephen J. Yellslrom is an indus/rial Firefighting safety is a dynamic hygienist. u.s. DepartmentofLabor, and crew return from a Type 4 fire Occupational Safety and HealthAdminis that had been quickly and effi process that requires adjustment, tration, Denver, CO. ciently extinguished, the members Fire Management Notes fine tuning, and maintenance. An assignment-safety. Incident Com- There is no one simple or correct auditing process is essential to en- manders who fight fires safely method to develop and implement sure that the desired safety policies, should be recognized appropri- an effective safety and health pro- procedures, and attitudes are trans- ately; necessary corrective action