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Week of Remembrance

Fire Not Scouted and Sized Up

 

1. Fire not scouted and sized up. A firefighter surrounded by green vegetation looks through binoculars in one direction. Far behind him is smoke from a wildland fire.

1. Fire not scouted and sized up.

Wildland firefighters scout and size up all incidents to gain situational awareness before beginning fire suppression. This Watch Out shows a firefighter too far away to effectively describe the specific fire behavior, fuel types, and weather conditions on the fire.

Read about all 18 Watch Out Situations.

Watch Out Situation #1 is an issue during initial attack and every time new resources arrive at a fire.

Before taking action on the fire, address the following:

  • Can you personally observe the fire, or should you use scouts?
    • Describe ways you can scout and size up a fire.
  • Do you know the location of the fire perimeter?
    • Discuss situations when the fire perimeter may not be obvious (unburned sections due to spot fires, etc.).
  • Do you know the direction of fire spread? When isn’t the direction of fire spread obvious (wind shifts, spot fires, etc.)?
  • Does the direction of fire spread increase risk?
    • Talk about situations where you may have to approach the head of the fire (hiking down from a helispot, approaching from an existing road, erratic winds, etc.).
  • Do you know the fuels and their condition? What kind of information will you assume from what you already know about fuel types (spot fires in fir, extreme fire potential in flashy fuels, etc.)?
  • What information can aerial resources provide about the fire?
  • Do topographic hazards exist? What can you assume from the kind of terrain near and within the fire perimeter (slope, chimneys, aspect, etc.)?
  • Does enough information exist to establish a plan of attack? When do you have enough information to begin fighting fire? What do you need to know?
  • Do other dangers exist? Have you talked about factors specific to the work area (hunters in the vicinity, drought conditions, snag patches, etc.)?

To reduce the risks:

  • Post lookouts until the fire is sized up and escape routes and safety zones are established.
  • Retreat if the situation is too complex. Review fires where you had to wait until your assigned area of the fire was scouted and sized up before you were allowed onto the fireline.

 

Category
Operational Engagement
References
10 Standard Firefighting Orders, PMS 110
18 Watch Out Situations, PMS 118
10 and 18 Poster, PMS 110-18


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NWCG Latest Announcements

2024 Week of Remembrance

Date: June 27, 2024
Contact: 6 Minutes for Safety Subcommittee 

As we approach the 2024 Week of Remembrance (WOR), June 30 to July 6, we dedicate this time to thoughtfully reviewing and recognizing the events of the 2018 Mendocino Complex. As such, this year’s theme of “Learning From the Mendocino Complex” embodies a longstanding hallmark of WOR, honoring through learning.

Throughout the week, our energy will be directed toward fostering generative conversations in briefing rooms and at tailgates.

References:

6 Minutes for Safety - 2024 Week of Remembrance

Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center

Updated NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment, PMS 236

Date: June 24, 2024
Contact: Incident and Position Standards Committee 

The June 2024 update of the NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment, PMS 236, is now available to meet the current needs for incident management typing.

The NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment should be used to evaluate firefighter safety issues, assess risk, and identify the appropriate incident management organization based on incident complexity. Assessing risk, determining incident complexity, and identifying an appropriate incident management organization is a subjective process based on examining a combination of indicators or factors, which can change over time.

References:

NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment, PMS 236

Operations Branch Director (OPBD) Next Gen PTB Available

Date: June 10, 2024
Contact: NWCG Feedback 

The NWCG Position Task Book for Operations Branch Director (OPBD), PMS 311-109 is now available for use within the OPBD position qualification pathway. As part of the transition to Complex Incident Management (CIM), the OPBD Next Gen PTB was developed and the position qualification pathway updated.

More information about the Next Gen PTB format can be found on the NWCG Position Task Book webpage.

References:

Operations Branch Director Position Page

Operations Branch Director Next Gen PTB

NWCG Position Task Books

Updated NWCG Standards for Interagency Incident Business Management, PMS 902

Date: June 5, 2024
Contact: NWCG Incident Business Committee 

The 2024 revision of the NWCG Standards for Interagency Incident Business Management, PMS 902 is now available. The uniform application of interagency incident business management standards is critical to interagency fire operations. PMS 902 assists NWCG agencies in constructively working together to provide effective execution of each agency's incident business management program.

References:

PMS 902