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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


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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