Carry your fire shelter & live to tell about it

By Gene Madden

When I started writing this column a few years back, the folks who run the magazine gave me a lot of creative freedom. I promised them-and myself-that I would provide safety-related information beneficial to everyone, from the rookie firefighter to the old fire dog. I've tried to maintain balance in this column and seek out objective sources to either provide or corroborate information. I think I stayed true to that promise by and large, and have not used this space to pontificate too much on my personal prejudices. This month's column, however, will be biased.

A couple of months ago, a report circulated about why our neighbors to the north were not going to use fire shelters. I know their hearts are in the right place, but without being vulgar, I wonder where their heads were when they made this decision.

In this country, there isn't one federal, state or local wildland fire agency that doesn't require wildland firefighters to carry a fire shelter as part of their personnel protective equipment. Simply put, despite what you might think of fire shelters, everyone who works a fireline must carry a fire shelter, so don't ever get caught without one.

Fire Shelter Background
The origins of the fire shelter can be traced to the 1950s, when officials in Australia first contemplated the idea; their efforts to design a fire shelter were eventually discovered by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). After modifications, testing and further research, the USFS introduced the first fire shelter, which has been part of the mandatory equipment list for many wildland firefighters since 1977. Since that year, fire shelters have saved more than 300 individuals from death; I shudder to think how many of these people would have died without a fire shelter to climb into when faced with an inferno.

A new generation fire shelter has been designed and is now available from the General Services Administration. This new shelter provides even greater protection from radiant and convective heat because it reflects about 95 percent of radiant heat, is more resistant to direct flame impingement and traps breathable air inside once you deploy it.

Risky Business
Performing wildland fire operations correctly and avoiding entrapment situations are all about training. Sure, experience counts too, but how you approach the job is predicated on your training and what your mentors teach you. Your mentors should have coached you on the options used for suppressing wildfire: working the flanks on a direct attack, pounding the snot out of it from the air or just sitting back and watching it burn. The point: I'll bet no one ever told you to risk your life or endanger yourself while fighting fire. Never have you heard that using a fire shelter is an alternative to sound decision making or safe firefighting. But most firefighters don't start their day thinking that because they carry a fire shelter, they can get closer to a fire than they should. If you ever find someone who operates like that, and you can't get them to change their plan, run-don't walk-away from them on the fireline. The person who thinks they can get closer to the fire because they carry a fire shelter (and deploy it as a strategy) is a danger to themselves and those around them.

Fighting forest fires is a dangerous job in itself. Things can and do go bad-sometimes without much warning. (OK, your situational awareness should at least set your neck hairs on end.) That's where your fire shelter and fire shelter training come into play. Important: The fire shelter should only be used a last resort if your day suddenly goes from bad to worse-in other words, your escape routes are trashed and the safety zones can't help you either. Maybe your tactics failed. Maybe your situational awareness didn't account for every factor. Maybe you failed to pick up subtle changes during the course of the day. Maybe a microburst pushed the fire over the lines. Whatever. Remember: To use your fire shelter, your entrapment by wildfire must be imminent.

Let me repeat: Carrying a fire shelter does not give you permission to take dumb firefighting actions and unnecessary risks. Your firefighting efforts must always include sound decision making and entrapment avoidance. In addition, never go to a fireline without your fire shelter, and never let someone talk you out of carrying one.

Words to Live By
The last page of the New Generation Fire Shelter training booklet (March 2003; PMS 411/NFES 2710), which should be used during your new generation fire shelter training, sums it up like this: "As a firefighter, your highest priority is to stay out of situations that can lead to entrapment. You must take responsibility for your own safety. You have an obligation to speak up if you see something that is wrong, and you have the right to be heard without criticism. Remember, the fire shelter does not guarantee your safety. It is a last resort.

"Take your training seriously. Practice deploying your shelter until deployment is, in the words of one entrapment survivor, 'like tying your shoe.' Think of training as life insurance-insurance that if the unthinkable ever occurs, you will have every possible chance to survive."

I couldn't agree more.

Gene Madden, an SOFI, is the chairman of the NWCG Safety and Health Working Team and a member of the NWCG Emergency Medical Support Group. Madden is employed as the division safety officer for the Florida Division of Forestry and is an IOFI and a medical unit leader. E-mail him at maddeng@doacs.state.fl.us.