RT-130 Structure Protection

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Structure Protection

• New Strategies
• New Concepts

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What is Structure Protection?

• LCES (LACES)
• Triage of the Structure
• Structure Preparation
• Mitigating Hazards
• Defensive Posture

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Problems with Structure Protection

• Frontal assault
• No Anchor Points
• Limited Escape Routes
• Limited Safety Zones
• Limited Resources
• Limited Water

Many times we are also protecting lives
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Shout Watch Out
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The Old Model

• Needing little or no attention for now
• Needing protection, but savable
• Indefensible

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The New Model
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WUI Principles

• Rather than seek ways to protect every
  structure, each structure and location must first
  prove that protection can be provided safely and
  with the assurance of success.
• California Wildland Fire Working Group in 2007
  after the Esperanza Fire.

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Fire Behavior Prediction

• Your LCES and actions must be based on the
  expected fire behavior.
• What is the fire going to do at 200 p.m. today
  when the fire gets to this house?
• Have there been any signs of extreme fire
  behavior? This is an indicator that it may be
  time to leave, even if it looks as though the
  house is easily defendable.

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Extreme Fire Behavior

• Flames over 10 feet
• Fire Whirls
• Spotting
• Torching
• Crowning
• Plume Dominated

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Extreme Fire Behavior
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LCES

• Lookouts
• Communications
• Escape Routes
• Safety Zones

The acronym LCES was originally developed by Paul
Gleason, a crew superintendant on the Zig Zag
Hotshots
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Give your Crew an A

• As early as 1994, retired CalFire Deputy Director
  William C. Teie added the letter A to Gleason's
  LCES acronym to formulate a new acronym.
• Teie's LACES acronym adds Awareness to the
  well-known safety practice. This emphasized the
  need for firefighter awareness regarding fuels,
  weather, topography, fire behavior and an
  understanding of work assignments and other
  operational activities surrounding wildland fires.

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LACES
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Lookouts

• Many times the Company Officer
• Utilize someone outside the tactics work
• Strike Team Leader (Assistant or Trainee)
• A separate or different crew
• A lookout should have trigger points that will
  need to be relayed to the crew.
• The trigger points should have meaning

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Awareness

• This is the other needed component.
• Perception is not always reality.
• Watch for signs of sleep deprivation, exhaustion
  or complacency.
• You must force yourself to be aware and it must
  be constantly updated, especially if there are
  changes in the conditions.

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Communications

• Usually a large factor in many entrapments or
  fatality investigations.
• Radio Communication Problems
• Face to Face whenever possible
• Full Circle Communications
• Requires repeating back orders and providing
  feedback or asking questions

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Escape Routes

• Need to be marked or flagged
• Must be rapidly or easily traveled
• Clean up tripping hazards, debris and cut tree
  branches or stumps out of the way
• Overall distance to safety zone
• Have everyone in the crew walk it before the fire
  front gets here

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Safety Zones

• A pre-planned area of sufficient size and
  suitable location that is expected to protect
  fire personnel from known hazards without using
  fire shelters.
• Fireline Handbook Page 12

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Safety Zones

• The engine will not be damaged
• No light, window or paint damage
• Firefighters will not have to deploy shelters
• Must be large enough to fit all personnel
• Remember, the formula used in the IRPG does not
  calculate for convective heat (slope or wind) it
  is based on radiant heat to establish safe
  minimum distances

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Additional Reading on LCES
Click on the Photo
LCES and Other Thoughts By Paul Gleason
Click on the Photo
Give your crews an A By Eric Kurtz
Click on the Photo
The intent of LCES By Brad Mayhew
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Structure Triage

• Once LACES has been conducted, the process of
  Structure Triage should begin.
• Begin sizing up the structure based on the
  construction, design and material used.
• Flammable material around structure
• Identify hazards and mitigate them
• Defensible space and ornamental vegetation

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Static Size-Up Components

• Location of the structure (within terrain)
• Terrain between structure and fire
• Fuel Bed
• Defensible Space

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Non-Static Components

• Ornamental / Decorative Vegetation
• Homeowners collection of STUFF
• Weather Components
• Gas or LPG / Hazardous Materials
• Roof Covering / Exterior Siding
• Access Roads / Bridges

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Triage Training

• We have been training on Structure Triage for
  many years, but this is still a problem.

This is a Loser
This is a Winner
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Whats the Problem?

• Unfortunately, we know it is not that easy
• The structures are marginal and not as clear cut
  as the pictures in training.
• We may also get an emotional attachment knowing
  that it is a persons home

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Other Factors

• Crew Situation
• Experience Level
• Fatigue
• Staffing
• Attitude?
• Equipment Situation
• Familiarization
• Complement

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Perspective

• If a strike team leader asks a crew to protect a
  structure, it may be defendable to one crew but
  not to the next.
• A crew could say it is defendable on one day but
  a loser the next day due to changes in fire
  behavior, crew limitations, fatigue or less water
  or hose than the day before.

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Rebuilding

• One thing that has been learned from past
  experience on structure fires, especially when
  dealing with commercial structures is that the
  building can be rebuilt and it is usually bigger
  and better than before.
• We need to learn to Go Defensive during
  wildland structure protection

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Valuables

• If a firefighter dies while trying to protect a
  home, the homeowner will quickly lose sight of
  the valuables inside.
• It will not matter if the home burns to the
  ground or survives if they have a memorial site
  on their front lawn.

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Refusing Risk

• Two of the four new descriptive terms allows the
  fire officer to understand that some structures
  are not defendable.
• The concept that officers (or firefighters) have
  the right and duty to say NO is counter
  intuitive but it must be done if it is based on
  criteria that is not safe to act

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How to properly refuse risk

• Every individual has the right and obligation to
  report safety problems and contribute ideas
  regarding their safety. Supervisors are expected
  to give these concerns serious consideration.
• When an individual feels an assignment is unsafe
  they also have the obligation to identify, to the
  degree possible, safe alternatives for completing
  that assignment.
• Turning down an assignment is one possible
  outcome of managing risk.

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A Turn Down

• A turn down is a situation where an individual
  has determined they cannot undertake an
  assignment as given and they are unable to
  negotiate an alternative solution.
• The turn down of an assignment must be based on
  an assessment of risks and the ability of the
  individual or organization to control those risks.

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Reasons

• There is a violation of safe work practices.
• Environmental conditions make the work unsafe.
• They lack the necessary qualifications or
  experience.
• Defective equipment is being used.
• The individual directly informs their supervisor
  they are turning down the assignment as given.
• Use the criteria outlined in the Risk Management
  Process to document the turn down.
• (Firefighting Orders, Watch Out Situations, etc.)

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Procedure

• The supervisor notifies the Safety Officer
  immediately upon being informed of the turn down.
  If there is no Safety Officer, the appropriate
  Section Chief or the Incident Commander should be
  notified.
• This provides accountability for decisions and
  initiates communication of safety concerns within
  the incident organization.
• If the supervisor asks another resource to
  perform the assignment, they are responsible to
  inform the new resource that the assignment was
  turned down and the reasons why it was turned
  down.

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Risk Analysis not Triage

• Risk vs. Gain Model
• Life before property
• Refusal of Risk
• Everyone has a voice!
• Confidence
• Competency
• Fire Behavior

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Defensible Space

• A lack of preparation on your part, does not
  constitute an emergency on my part
• Use a disaster preparedness model.
• Pre-Plan
• Weed Abatement
• Firewise

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The Four Categories

• Defensible
• Stand Alone
• Prep and Hold
• Indefensible
• Prep and Leave
• Rescue Drive By

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Stand Alone

• Structure requires little or no attention
• No structure in the path of a wildland fire is
  truly without the need of protection
• It may require patrolling by fire apparatus, law
  enforcement or the homeowner
• The homeowner may shelter in place

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Prepare and Hold

• This is the structure that has a higher
  probability of ignition without firefighter
  intervention and protection.
• There must be a safety zone for the crew,
• as well as the apparatus.
• LACES must be completed for the property based on
  expected fire behavior

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Prep and Leave!

• No Safety Zone for firefighters or apparatus
• There must be adequate time to prepare the
  structure before the fire front arrival
• Firefighters will perform only minimal mitigation
  efforts then retreat back to their designated
  safety zone.
• Once the fire front has passed, return to the
  structure and save property if possible.

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Mitigation Efforts

• Moving lawn furniture or other small combustibles
  away from the structure
• Shut off the gas or propane
• Applying CAF, Foam or Gel
• This does not mean brush clearance, tree trimming
  or moving firewood piles.
• Pre-Incident preparation and defensible space are
  the homeowners responsibility

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Rescue Drive By

• Life Safety is our 1 priority
• People unable to evacuate
• Latch Key Children
• Disabled People
• This is what Rescue Drive-By is all about
• Knock and get them out of the area

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Life Safety

• People wait too long before evacuating.
• Many people have been injured or killed.
• Ready Set Go
• is the new buzz when it comes to evacuation

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Life Safety
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(No Transcript)
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The Old Fire
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Ready, Set, Go

• This is a new campaign to have the public become
  more prepared for a wildland fire in the
  interface which may threaten their home.
• Uses disaster preparedness models such as
• pre-planning, networking and checklists

Ready, Set, Go Video 2
Ready, Set, Go Video 1
Ready, Set, Go Brochure
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The Basics

• The basics of structure triage and structure
  protection still apply.
• We just need to apply it in a better fashion and
  go in with our eyes wide open.

Click on the Photo for the Triage /
Protection Class Handout
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Triage

• Take time to evaluate water needs versus
  availability.
• Recon safety zones and escape routes.
• Is the structure defendable based on
  construction, topography and fire behavior?
• Are flammable vegetation and debris cleared
  within a reasonable distance?
• Give a fair evaluation of the safety risk to crew
  and equipment.
• Evaluate the values at stake vs. resources
  available. Dont waste time on the losers.

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Protection

• Park engines backed in so a rapid exit can be
  made if necessary.
• Remain in communication with crew and adjoining
  forces.
• On occasions when you are overrun by fire, use
  apparatus or structures as a refuge.
• Tank water should not get below 50 gallons for
  crew protection
• Engines should keep headlights on, outside
  speakers turned up and windows closed.
• Coil a charged 1 ½ hoseline at the engine for
  protection of your crew and equipment.
• Try not to lay hose more than 150 from your
  engine.
• It is important to keep apparatus mobile for
  maximum effectiveness.
• Only use water as needed and refrain from wetting
  ahead of fire
• Never sacrifice crew safety to save property.

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Pre-Planning
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The MAST Plan

• Mountain Area Safety Taskforce
• Hazard Areas (High and Extreme)
• Pre-determined safety refuge areas
• Other logistical points on map
• Does not give tactical advice, just helps with
  pre-planning for safer tactics

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Map Legend
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Hazard Areas
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Map Overview Example
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Area Map Example
Helispot
Refuge Area
Staging Area
Fire Hydrant
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Other Information

• Safety Briefing Information
• Apparatus and Equipment Notes
• Staging Area Information
• Safety Refuge Areas
• Special Hazard Areas
• Helispot / Helibase Information

Crest Forest Fire District Structure
Protection Safety Plan
To see an example click on the graphic
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The SOLAR Plan
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Communications Plan
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Common Maps
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Common Maps
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Common Maps
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Fire Behavior Safety Information
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Strategies
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New Strategies

• Defensive vs. Offensive
• If your escape route involves outrunning the
  fire, it is not an escape route.

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Structure as a Refuge

• Many structures are still standing after fire
  burns through area.
• Radiant heat will not usually ignite homes more
  than 100 ft. away
• Heat that will give us a second degree burn takes
  25 minutes to ignite a structure.

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Bump and Run

• The problem with bump and run is just that, you
  are pulling up to a house right before the flame
  front hits and not allowing enough time to triage
  or prepare the structure.
• As soon as the flame front passes, you run to
  protect the next house from burning.

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Rushing In

• Many times other units had been assigned to that
  house earlier in the fire assignment with
  adequate time to triage the structure.
• They should be the ones there to defend it, but
  as the fire moves, units get reassigned.
• They may have even written it off as a loser and
  we rush in not knowing
• Three Stripes Your Out

For more information on the Three Stripes Your
Out training program Go to the power-point in
the resources folder on this CD or on Target
Safety
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Rushing Out

• We leave the structure in a hurry to the next
  one, lower on water and out of breath, with the
  hose wrapped up on the engine.
• Many times we believe we saved the structure, but
  it ends up burning to the ground from a small
  ember or spot fire.

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Patrolling

• Come back after the fire burns through.
• Most houses are lost
• by ember production not radiant heat
• Use brush patrol units
• Mop up as you go.
• Conduct search and rescue efforts if needed

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Anchor and Hold

• Big Fire Big Water
• Deck Gun Operations
• Use a selectable GPM and stream nozzle
• Must have a reliable Hydrant System
• Conflagration Fires
• San Bernardino City

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Anchor Hold Video
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(No Transcript)
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E
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E
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E
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No Anchor Hold Performed Here
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Other Concepts / Issues

• Firing
• Pre-Treating
• Fireline Explosives
• Private Fire Protection
• Politics

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Pre-firing

• Fire out in small sections.
• Put the fire out while you can manage it.
• Strip Fire
• Ring Fire

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Strip Fire
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Ring Fire
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Pre-Treatment

• Foam
• CAFs
• Wrap
• Fire Gel

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Foam
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Protective Wrap
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Fire Gel
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Fireline Explosives

• Fireline explosives were first used on a fire by
  the Los Padres Hot Shots in 1975.
• Rolled from spools as a sausage-like hose, the
  linear explosive is composed of an emulsion
  jelly.
• The demise of tactical F.L.E. in recent years has
  resulted from increased manpower availability and
  stringent purchasing, transportation and usage
  regulations.

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Private Fire Protection
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AIG Rapid Response

• AIG and other home insurance companies have
  employed these private companies for structure
  protection.
• They use therma-gel, CAFS or Phos-chek on the
  structures

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Issues

• They are not a life safety agency
• Do not have Common Communication
• They wear uniforms and their trucks are red with
  red lights and sirens
• Accountability and Possibly Freelancing

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Only you can prevent Forest Fires?
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