I have word from the Public Information Office of a fire information meeting in Carmel Valley at Tularcitos School tomorrow night starting at 7 pm rather than 6 pm.
In the meantime, some further information about the tools used in wildland firefighting may be of interest.
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Would you like to touch my Driptorch?
Driptorch... you've heard the term a few times if you've attended fire information meetings... but just what IS a driptorch???
You've come to the right place because....
Fireman Sam's Wildlands Fire School has a course in driptorching!
A driptorch is a tool used in wildland firefighting, controlled burning, and other forestry applications to intentionally ignite fires.
In Welsh - Fireman Sam's native language - a driptorch is called "geiriadur cryno chwiliadwy."
I'll stick with 'driptorch'...
The driptorch consists of a canister for fuel with a handle attached to the side, a spout with a loop to prevent fire from entering the fuel canister, a breather valve to allow air into the canister while fuel is exiting through the spout, and a wick from which flaming fuel is dropped to the ground.
The wick is ignited and allows the fire to be directed to where you want it.
The fuel is a mixture of gasoline and diesel. You can add heavier oils to the mix, so that the liquid fuel sticks to the vegetation, thus increasing burn time and heat.
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Why What You've heard on the TV News about Ideal Weather Conditions is Wrong
Setting backing fires, or backfiring, requires certain conditions for it to go well....
Technique
A backing fire is started along a baseline (anchor point), such as a road, plow line, stream or other barrier, and allowed to back into the wind. Variations in wind speed have little effect on the rate of spread of a fire burning into the wind. Such fires proceed at a speed of 1 to 3 chains (one chain=66 feet) per hour. Backing fires are the easiest and safest type of prescribed fire to use, provided wind speed and direction are steady. They produce minimum scorch and are especially useful in heavy fuels and young pine stands.
Major disadvantages of backing fires are the slow progress of the fire and the increased potential for feeder-root damage with increased exposure to heat if the lower litter is not moist enough. When a large area is to be burned, it often must be divided into smaller blocks with interior plow lines (usually every 5 to 15 chains). All blocks must be ignited at about the same time to complete the burn in a timely manner. In-stand winds of 1 to 3 mph at eye level are desirable with backing fires. These conditions dissipate the smoke and prevent heat from rising directly into tree crowns.
When the relative humidity is low, a steady wind is blowing, and fuels are continuous, an excellent burn can be anticipated once the fire backs away from the downwind control line. Under such conditions, however, extra care must be taken to make sure the initial fire doesnt spot across the line.
Factors Associated with Backing Fires:
- Must be ignited along the downwind control line.
- Use in heavy roughs.
- Use in young stands (minimum basal diameter of 3 inches) when air temperature is below 45oF
- Normally result in little crown scorch.
- Costs are relatively high because of additional interior plow lines and extended burning period resulting from slower movement of the fire.
- Not flexible to changes in wind direction once interior lines are plowed.
- Requires steady in-stand winds (optimum: 1 to 3 mph).
- Will not burn well if actual fine-fuel moisture is above 20 percent.
- Requires good fuel continuity to carry well.
- A single torch person can progressively ignite lines.
(from the Santa Barbara Independent of Thursday, July 10, 2008)Firefighters who battle blazes throughout America speak in a technical language entirely their own. In the past week, you may have heard some such phrases tossed around in media reports or by the firefighters themselves. Here’s a rundown of the latest firefighting lingo.
Backfire: Set by firefighters inside established fire containment lines to consume the fuel in a wildfire’s path. Similarly, “burn outs” are used to fine-tune containment areas.
Blow-up: A sudden increase in fire activity that temporarily prevents control, often accompanied with large columns of smoke.
Bump up: To move locations, whether it’s an individual working on a fire line or an entire crew moving to a different wildfire. “Bump back” means to return to your location.
Cold trailing: Part of “mopping up,” firefighters employ this technique when they use their hands to feel the ground warmth, and then dig out every live spot and trench every live edge.
Contain a fire: This happens when a full fuel break—including natural barriers, dozer and hand lines, and roadways—are surrounding a fire.
Control a fire: Following containment, this is when a fire is completely extinguished and the fire line is strengthened to prepare for flare-ups.
Crowning: When the fire moves through trees and high shrubs above the ground fire.
Defensible space: Zones where flammable materials have been cleared or treated to act as a barrier between wildfires and humanmade structures. These are at least 30 feet by definition, but the larger the flames, the bigger defensible space required.
Direct attack: Using all firefighting resources, from hand crews to air tankers, to put out the fire where it’s burning.
Drip torch: Hand-held tank with a spout that’s used for igniting backfires and burn-outs by dripping a flaming mix of diesel and gasoline.
Flanks: The burning regions that are parallel to a wildfire’s spread.
Flare-up: Sudden burst of wildfire, but unlike a blow-up, is short and doesn’t affect control plans.
Hand line: A fire line built with hand tools.
Hotshots: Highly trained firefighters who build hand lines. They usually work in a hand crew of 20 people.
Indian pump: Five-gallon backpack water carrier with hose and pump to be used on hot spots and during mop-ups.
Initial attack: The actions taken by the first resources to arrive at a wildfire to protect lives and property, and prevent further extension of the fire.
Ladder fuels: Materials that allow a fire to jump from ground to trees with ease. These are crucial for homeowners to eliminate.
McLeod: A combined rake and hoe used in building hand lines.
Mop-up: After a fire is controlled, this process reduces smoke, ensures that the burning has stopped, and removes potential dangers such as falling rocks.
Nomex: The brand of a fire-resistant material used in firefighter’s jumpsuits.
Pulaski: Also known as a “P-tool,” this combined ax and hoe is used for building hand lines.
Rate of spread: The amount of fire activity extending in a horizontal direction, usually expressed in chains (one chain=66 feet) or acres per hour.
Red flag warning: The term used by meteorologists to indicate a critical fire weather pattern.
Relative humidity: The ratio of current moisture in the air to the maximum possible amount of air moisture. Below 20 percent allows fires to spread easily; below 10 percent can lead to extreme fire behavior.
Retardant: The substance, typically dropped from air tankers, that reduces flammability in the brush. It does not put out a fire, but slows it down so firefighters can attack directly.
Slop-over: When a wildfire jumps an established containment line, usually occurring along roads, ridges, and/or lines cut by dozers or fire crews.
Snag: A dead tree that can be hazardous to firefighters.
Spot fire: Small blazes that start outside the main wildfire due to flying embers.
Spotting: When a fire is actively shooting out sparks that cause spot fires.
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