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Safety Zones 1 (LCES)

A safety zone is a location where a threatened firefighter can find adequate refuge from an approaching fire.

  • What is the difference between a safety zone and a deployment site?
    • In a safety zone, a firefighter can survive without using a fire shelter. The deployment site is used when fire conditions are such that escape routes and safety zones have been compromised.
  • How do you identify a good safety zone?
    • Consider the distance from the escaped fire as well as topography, winds, fire behavior, and fuels in the area.
    • The best locations are usually in the black, have with a minimum of, or are devoid of, ground/aerial vegetation, or are large bodies of water.
    • Location is scouted and marked well for visibility at all times.
    • Location has been reassessed in relation to line work progress, fatigue, changes in fire behavior, and arrival of additional resources.
    • For radiant heat only, the distance separation between the firefighter and the flames must be at least four times the maximum flame height. This distance must be maintained on all sides if the fire has ability to burn completely around the safety zone. Convective heat from wind and/or terrain influences will increase this distance requirement.
    • Take advantage of heat barriers such as lee side of ridges, large rocks, or solid structures.
  • What should you avoid in selecting a safety zone?
    • Locations that are downwind from the fire.
    • Locations that are in chimneys, saddles, or narrow canyons.
    • Locations that require a steep uphill escape route.

Also see: Safety Zones 2 (LCES)

 

Category
Operational Engagement
References
"LCES and Other Thoughts" by Paul Gleason
10 Standard Firefighting Orders, PMS 110
10 and 18 Poster, PMS 110-18
18 Watch Out Situations, PMS 118

Last Modified / Reviewed:


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WFSTAR 2025 Core Component Module Package and 2024 Fire Year in Review Now Available

Date: March 14, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Joe Schindel at mschindel@blm.gov
 

The 2025 Core Component Module Package for RT-130, Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR) and the 2024 Fire Year in Review are now available on the NWCG website. The 2025 Core Component Module Package provides all content needed to deliver RT-130.

References:

2025 Core Component Module Package

2024 Fire Year in Review Module

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Date: March 12, 2025
Contact: Wildland Urban Interface Mitigation Committee

The NWCG Wildland Urban Interface Mitigation Field Guide, PMS 053 provides mitigation practitioners at all experience levels with recommendations on the most effective and efficient ways to accomplish mitigation work in communities at risk to wildfire damage or destruction. The content in this guide was written in coordination with the NWCG Standards for Mitigation in the Wildland Urban Interface, PMS 052.

References:

NWCG Wildland Urban Interface Mitigation Field Guide, PMS 053 

Updated, NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Module Operations, PMS 430

Date: March 11, 2025
Contact: Fire Use Subcommittee
Wildland Fire Module Unit

The NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Module Operations, PMS 430 standardizes procedures and expectations for Wildland Fire Modules (WFMs). These standards are to be used by staff, supervisors, specialists, and technicians for planning, administering, and conducting WFM operations. These standards will also be used as a measure of WFM qualifications, capabilities, and expected performance, for both Type 1 and Type 2 WFMs.

References:

NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Module Operations, PMS 430

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Date: March 7, 2025
Contact: National Interagency Aviation Committee

The NWCG Standards for Airtanker Operations, PMS 514 establishes the standards for dispatching, utilizing, and coordinating airtankers on interagency wildland fires. These standards should be used in conjunction with the NWCG Standards for Aerial Supervision (SAS), PMS 505, NWCG Standards for Airtanker Base Operations (SABO), PMS 508, and any applicable agency plans.

References:

NWCG Standards for Airtanker Operations, PMS 514