Firefighter Refresher: Fuel Types and Suppression Tactics

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Firefighter RefresherFuel Types and
Suppression Tactics
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Objective

• Provide wildland firefighters with information on
  fuel types and tactics that apply to Virginia.
  Providing local information on fuel types and
  tactics will result in a safer work environment
  for firefighters.

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Major Fuel Types

• Brush with Grass Understory
• Pine Plantations
• Grass
• Cutover
• Pine/Hardwood
• Southern Rough

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Brush and Grass Understory

• Importance of Fuel Moisture, Relative Humidity,
  Weather
• 10 HR Fuel Moisture less than 7
• Relative Humidity less than 15
• Direct Attack Impossible
• Indirect with good anchor point using dozers
• Expect rapid rate of spread

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• Using Engines if conditions permit
• Foam or wet water
• Water source or tender nearby
• Use 2 Engines in tandem
• Adequate resources if going direct
• Rough terrain slow progress
• Threat of reburn

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• 2 points to remember with weather
• Watch wind for change in speed/direction
• Watch relative humidity reaching critical
  threshold limits
• Grass primary fire carrier
• Brush adds to mop-up difficulty
• Brush component varies cedar, young pine,
  hardwood, reeds, vines

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Pine Plantations

• Tactics vary depending on
• Weather
• Environmental conditions
• Height of plantation trees
• Effects rate of spread (ROS), intensity,
  crowning, control problems
• Use of LCES, Standard Fire Orders, 18 Watch Out
  Situations

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Plantation Trees Less Than Four Feet

• Grass primary carrier
• Rate of spread high
• Intensity low to medium
• Wind speed less than 8 mph-Direct Attack
• Wind speed 8-12 mph-Parallel Flank Attack
• Wind speed greater than 12 mph-Indirect Attack
• Fire Weather thresholds
• 20 foot winds 8-10 mph or higher
• RH 30 or less

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• PLANTATION TREES 4-10 FEET
• Rate of spread high
• Intensity medium to high
• Resistance to control medium to high
• Torching/crowning medium to high
• Spotting a problem
• Wind speed less than 8 mph-Direct Attack
• Wind speed 8-12 mph-Parallel Flank Attack
• Wind speed greater than 12 mph-Indirect Attack
• Fire Weather Thresholds
• 20 foot wind 8-10 mph or higher
• RH 30 or less

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PLANTATION TREES 10-30 FEET

• Rate of spread medium-normally
• Intensity medium to high
• Resistance to control high
• Crowning medium to high
• Frequent spotting (control problem)
• Presence of ladder fuels
• Fire creates its own wind
• Extremely dangerous fuels

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• Indirect Attack during extreme burning conditions
• Fire Weather Thresholds
• 20 foot winds 8-10 mph or higher
• RH 30 or less

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PLANTATION TREES 30 FEET OR GREATER

• Fire behavior in the Timber Group
• Rate of spread medium-normally
• Intensity medium to high
• Resistance to control low to medium
• Torching/crowning possible
• Wind speed will determine-Direct, Parallel Flank
  or Indirect Head Attack
• Fire Weather Thresholds
• 20 foot wind 8-10 mph or higher
• RH 30 or less

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Grass Fuel Types

• Flat to rolling terrain
• Using Engines in tandem
• Pinching the head of fire
• Use of Dozers

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• Weather Conditions for Grass Fires
• Depends on Fuel Moisture and RH
• RH less than 30 grass burns readily
• RH less than 20 grass burns extremely well

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• Safety Concerns
• Grass fires can produce extreme flame lengths
  (FL) and rate of spread (ROS)
• Flank can become head with wind change
• Best to anchor and flank the fire

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Cutover and Slash

• Primarily logging in pine stands
• Drought causes intensity and control problems

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Tactics

• Use of existing roads and skid trails
• Slow line construction rate with dozer
• Thorough mop-up
• Use of Engines for mop-up, if possible
• Spotting a problem

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Pine/Hardwood Fuels

• Under story of vines and heavy needle drape
• Canopy height of 60 feet or less
• Fires usually fuel driven
• Topography a problem in many areas (East West)
• Active fire behavior when RH in lower 40 range
• Extreme fire behavior when RH below 20
• Live fuel moisture in Mountain Laurel below 120

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Tactics

• Hand tools possible when fire behavior minimal
  and fire small
• Engines limited by access
• Tractor plows used for direct attack when low to
  moderate fire behavior
• Use roads and burning out with low RH

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Southern Rough Fuels

• Usually found in South East Texas
• Can create explosive conditions
• Tractor plows used mostly
• Limited use of Engines
• Burn out line as go

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• Weather concerns for Southern Rough
• Can burn with RH 60 or greater
• Crown fires possible in severe drought
• Fire Behavior Thresholds
• 20 foot wind 8-10 mph or greater
• RH 30 or less

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Predictive Service Areas
Weather Thresholds- RH 30 or Less, 20
foot wind speed 10 mph or more
KBDI
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Thresholds

• Dead Fuel Moisture
• Fire Weather-Wind-speed, Humidity
• NFDRS-ERC, BI
• KBDI
• Live Fuel Moisture

Weather Thresholds- RH 30 or Less, 20
foot wind speed 10 mph or more
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Pocket Cards

• Fire Danger Area
• ERC-90th Percentile
• ERC-Years to
• Remember
• What Fire Danger
• Tells You
• Past Experience

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What does all this mean?

• Can we apply it to the real world?

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Look on Page 76 of your Incident Response Pocket
Guide
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Relative Humidity (RH) will be between 15 and
30 in Gilmer today
An Average Flame Length will be over 10 feet in
Gilmer today
20 foot Wind will be above 10 MPH in Gilmer today
10-Hour Fuels will be between 5 and 7 in Gilmer
today
Energy Release Component (ERC) will be above the
75th Percentile in Gilmer today
Adjective Fire Danger for Gilmer today VERY HIGH
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Relative Humidity (RH) will be between 15 and
30 in Gilmer today
10-Hour Fuels will be between 5 and 7 in Gilmer
today
Now look at the Relative ease of chance ignition
and spotting general burning conditions column
on page 76 of the Incident Response Pocet Guide.
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