Leadership Level 1, Follower (Provide Action)

Followers have several responsibilities: to become competent in basic job skills, take initiative, learn from others, ask questions, and develop communication skills.

This Week of Remembrance is dedicated to all those who have fallen in the line of duty and is intended to serve as an opportunity to renew our commitment to the health, wellness, and safety of wildland firefighters.

The job of wildland firefighting can often be stressful and sometimes traumatic. In the wildland fire environment, conditions can take a toll on mental health. It is vital to mental fitness to address feeling overwhelmed by stress and trauma before they become a mental health issue. Mental fitness is just as essential as physical fitness for duty.

Wildland fire smoke is a complex mix of chemicals and particles, which varies depending on the fuels, soil, weather, fire intensity, and the burning phase of the fire. Some of the chemicals and particles that are present can pose a health risk particularly with higher exposures or long duration exposures. Wildland fire smoke can cause irritating respiratory symptoms and, over time, could possibly increase the risk of developing long-term illnesses.

While the makeup of smoke varies, here are just a few of the ways smoke could impact your health:

A primary objective of every operational fire plan is to keep firefighters out of entrapment situations. However, firefighters must always be prepared to deploy their fire shelters. Being ready means more than just practicing deployments and having a fire shelter that is in ready condition. Being ready also means firefighters are mentally prepared to make the decision to deploy.

Firefighters have suffered burn injuries and severe smoke inhalation because they delayed fire shelter deployment due to apprehension.

Firefighters may encounter hazardous materials (hazmat) in the field and should recognize that it requires special precautions. Hazardous materials include, but are not limited to, clandestine drug waste, which may look like common household trash at first glance; midnight dumping, which may be recognized by the presence of barrels or containers, discoloration of land, plants, or water, and/or dead vegetation and animals; and transportation accidents with spillage or release of hazmat that may result in danger to life, property, or resources.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of ripples in our lives and many of us simply want to return to normal.  We may never go back completely to our past business practices, but there are some things we can do to ease the transition.  Relying on the familiar to help us frame our new environment can make change easier – and communicating that change easier too!  With all the talk of what we need to do differently with COVID, let’s see how it actually compliments what we know and do:

The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious public health risk and can cause mild to severe illness, especially in older adults or individuals with underlying medical conditions. COVID-19 is generally thought to be spread from person-to-person in close contact and through exposure to respiratory droplets from an infected individual. Initial symptoms of COVID-19 can show up 2 to 14 days after exposure and often include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and/or loss of taste or smell.

This new group of safety topics has been created by airtanker personnel and the Interagency Airtanker Base Subcommittee (IABS). The purpose of this topic is to address the hazards and safety considerations specific to airtankers and airtanker base operations.

Current list of topics include:

At times fixed-wing aircraft will land after dark and may require base personnel to marshal them with little or no visibility.

Discuss the low-light operations at your base utilizing the following points.