1
Q
HAC1 - R (Rapattack crew)
A
- ~10 in AB (provincial resource)
- type 1 fire fighters- initial action ff
- must meet provincial fitness standards
- contract helicopter- crew is rappel capable
- 8 members (1 leader, 1 sub-leader, 6 crew members)
- (may be divided into 2 crews of 4)
2
Q
HAC1H (Helitack crews)
A
- ~10+ in AB (WMA resource)
- type 1 fire fighter- initial action ff
- must meet provincial fitness standards
- helicopter hired as needed based on fire hazard
- 4-8 members (1 leader, 1 sub-leader, 2 to 6 crew members)
3
Q
HAC1F (firetack crews)
A
- WMA resource
- type 1 fire fighters…(student crews)- hired as needed
- must meet provincial fitness standards
- follow up after initial action to release IA resources
4
Q
WFC2 (sustained action crew)
A
- provincial resource
- type 2 fire fighters- hired as needed for ongoing support on larger fire operations
- intermediate fire training
- must meet provincial fitness standards
- 25 person crew- sustainable for 3 days & nights on fire & may be kept on for extended periods as needed
5
Q
what are the 5 functions within the incident command team?
A
- command- overall responsibility for “fire incident”
- planning- collect & evaluate fire weather & fire behavior data & develop action plans for review by the incident commander
- logistics- equipment inventory, support & service
- operations- carry out all tactical fire operations (ground & aerial)
- admin/finance- time keeping, costing & payment of fire fighters
6
Q
what are the 4 levels of the fire organizational buildup and what are these based on?
A
- based on fire size, difficulty of control & priority to extinguish
1. 150+ personnel
2. 25-150 personnel
3. 9-24 personnel
4. 1-8 personnel -basic IA fire
7
Q
what are the 2 levels of ICS (overhead) teams?
A
- advanced fire behaviour course
- >20, D-class fires & 2, E-class fires - advanced fire behaviour course
- >15 fires, 5 or more D-class or bigger fires
8
Q
what are 3 specialized functions?
A
- fire behaviour officer- specialist on problem fires
- air attack officer- guides air tanker operations for bird dog plane
- aerial ignition boss- carry out aerial ignition tactics
9
Q
explain what a fireline is?
A
- is a strategically planned, cleared strip or barrier (down to mineral soil), constructed to stop the spread of surface fire
- the width and location relative to the fire is a function of fire intensity, ROS & fuel type
- manually using hand tools (1 to 3ft wide) on lower intensity fires
- mechanically using heavy equipment on faster moving, hot intensity fires
10
Q
what are the 6 things done on hand constructed firelines?
A
- locate- fireline relative to fire’s current location, ROS & fire behaviour (crew leader)- use anchor points
- clear- fireline of surface fuels & aerial fuels up to 2m
- grub- fireline down to mineral soil
- burn off- fuels between the fire and fireline (ONLY under orders from your crew supervisor)
- mom up- completely extinguish the fire (cold trailing)
- patrol- fire perimeter, also look well ahead of the fire
11
Q
explain cat constructed firelines?
A
- used on more aggressive, hotter fires
- strategically located relative to the fire (consider fuels, topography, time to construct, & HROS/FROS)
- 10 to 20+m wide (more if necessary)
- involves at least 2 cats per group
- timber may be salvaged when possible & other fuels are bucked up & pushed away from the fire
- ground crews are always needed for final preparation of cat-construction
12
Q
explain fire control line?
A
- any combination of fireline, retardant line & natural barriers intended to contain the fire
- all fires must be contained with the control line before you commit to the fire being extinguished
13
Q
what are 3 methods of wildfire attack?
A
- direct attack
- parallel attack
- indirect attack
14
Q
direct attack
A
- refers to any action taken directly on the fire
- generally used on relatively low intensity & slower moving fires
- “hot spotting” taking direct action on the hottest points of the fire first
15
Q
parallel attack
A
- contain the fire from flanks working up to & cutting off the fire head
- used on faster moving, hot or smoked in fires
- consider fireline production rates relative to fire spread
16
Q
indirect attack
A
- used on very hot, aggressive crown fires
- a “backfire” is lit from a control line under the influence of the fire caused winds
- requires an experience aerial person??
17
Q
what are the 4 stages of wildfire control?
A
- OC- out of control: fire not contained or fire not responding to control efforts (all fires start as OC)
- BH- being held: fire not likely to spread beyond existing control lines given current weather & fire behaviour
- UC- under control: having received sufficient suppression action to ensure no further spread of the fire (contained by control line)
- E- extinguished: all lingering surface & ground fire has been completely extinguished
