Five Year Journey of an Ontario FireRanger

Year 2: Rookie no longer!

By your second year on fire, you’re finally just one of the guys and have learned how to blend in with your crew.  Crew dynamics is key

Figure 3. A typical pump set up.

Figure 3.  A typical pump set up. The lake is definitely not a perfect site! I remember how the water smelled, like rotten eggs, when coming out of the pothole.
to having a great summer!   Humour, jokes and sarcasm are what most FireRangers feed off of during those long and sometimes monotonous days of searching for smudges (smokes) that can at times seem to be non-existent.

 

When the fire crew reaches the scene of a fire, power pumps are set up at the closest water source.  In most cases in Ontario this is not a perfect site on a beautiful lake but instead a small pothole in a swamp! The hose line is laid out to the fire edge and the crew directly attacks the fire along its perimeter by establishing a holding line.  The holding line is constructed by digging with water sprayed under pressure from a nozzle and advancing along the edge until you either tie in with another crew or on smaller fires tie in with your initial pass.  The method of attack used in an initial attack depends upon the fire size and intensity.

 

During his or her initial survey of the fire, the Initial Attack Fire Boss (I.A.F.B)

Figure 4. A power pump on a small man-made island.
Figure 4.  A power pump on a small man-made island. Pump Island is all revved up!
makes note of artificial and natural barriers such as roads, lakes, rivers, swamps, rock outcrops, and stands of hardwood trees.  In order to contain the fire, these barriers are used to their full advantage, which makes the crew’s job easier to accomplish.   These barriers can limit the spread potential of a fire and aid ground crews in meeting the time objectives of getting to “being held” and “under control” stages.

 

Each fire has Stage of Control Classifications that are used to determine the degree of control that has been achieved by the fire crew(s).  The four stages are:

 

  • N.U.C. (Not Under Control)
  • B.H.E. (Being Held)
  • U.C.O. (Under Control)
  • OUT (Out)
Figure 5. FireRangers setting up a fire line.
Figure 5. FireRangers setting up a fire line.


Scouting is the first thing a Fire Boss does when he or she gets to the fire. An Initial Attack Scouting Report is then done which is used to complete the fire report for the fire back at headquarters.  The Scouting Report confirms the fire number with the district’s Fire Management Headquarters and gives additional information such as fire behaviour, values in area, chances of success with available resources and any additional resources that may be required. Values can include; structures (i.e. cottages, outpost camps), piled timber from a forest license, as well as heritage sites.

 

Figure 6. The Fire Boss, reading over his Fire Situation Report.
Figure 6.  The Fire Boss, reading over his Fire Situation Report.
Only when the fire reaches its final stage (OUT), are crews released to their home bases.  After a few days of working on a fire, trying to wash up in a dirty old pothole loses its glamour and most people are happy to go home for a hot shower.  Fire seems to feed everyone’s enthusiasm and spirit; as the fire dies so does the level of excitement and adrenaline.  However, returning to base also means getting ready for another initial attack and yet another fire adventure.

 

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