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Here's Joe's report from Day One!
Saturday, November 15, 2003
Day One
Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior S-190
And
ICS Orientation (Incident Command System)
When I first pulled into Coyle’s Field, I noticed a marsh track machine in front of the garage. I later learned that it is made to go through the marshes for grass fires. There were 4 or 5 helicopters sitting there that had been scrapped for parts. The brush-truck power wagon driver from Tom’s River told me that they were the type used in Viet Nam as workhorses.
Most of today we spent indoors doing necessary class work. In the first class, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior we learned about the basic triangle of fuel, heat and oxygen, all of which are necessary for fire. Next we learned about heat transfer: radiation (heat from the sun drying the surrounding fuels), convection (e.g., a smoke column rising up like a chimney, drying the fuels in front of the fire), and conduction (the least important, because wood does not conduct like metal does). The factors that affect the start and spread of wildland fire, including fuel types (grass, timber litter, and logging slash), were next on the agenda, followed by the fuel characteristics, such as fuel moisture, size and shape of the fuel, fuel load, horizontal continuity (in the case of the Pines, the horizontal continuity makes it one of the fastest type of spreading fires), and vertical arrangement of fuel load.
Then we discussed how weather factored into the start and spread of wildland fire, with wind being the dominant concern. Also contributing is topography (slope or the degree of incline of a hillside, and aspect as far as which direction a slope faces in relation to the sun), temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric stability. Fuel moisture is tested by weight: obviously, the more moisture, the heavier the fuel. Our instructor also told us that they had received state grants to add more weather stations in the Pines so they can learn how to adjust the fuel and so they can learn why it burns like it does (e.g., if the warm air is on bottom, and the cold air on top, how that affects the intensity of the fire, etc. The change in the air is particularly important as night falls, because the ocean will tend to push the colder air back inland at night, causing fire direction to change. Cold air also burns faster.)
We broke for an hour lunch around noon, and then finished the S-190 course. After that, we took rather tough written cram test.
The next order of business was the ICS Orientation course, which is basically the order of command in the event of an incident. It is used to manage both an emergency incident or an non-emergency event. There is an operation section which includes staging areas, air operations branch, strike teams, task forces, etc. The planning section includes a resources unit, a situation unit, a demobilization unit and a documentation unit. The logistics section includes a service branch (communications, medical and food) and a support branch (supply unit, facilities unit and ground support unit), and a finance/administration section (time unit, procurement unit, compensation/claims unit, and cost unit). After we completed this course, we took another test.
Tomorrow we do tools and then head to Double Trouble to cause some trouble! Hopefully we will be doing some burning tomorrow.
After my brain was fried, I headed home, ready for a good meal and another day tomorrow.
Joe
Saturday, November 15, 2003
Day One
Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior S-190
And
ICS Orientation (Incident Command System)
When I first pulled into Coyle’s Field, I noticed a marsh track machine in front of the garage. I later learned that it is made to go through the marshes for grass fires. There were 4 or 5 helicopters sitting there that had been scrapped for parts. The brush-truck power wagon driver from Tom’s River told me that they were the type used in Viet Nam as workhorses.
Most of today we spent indoors doing necessary class work. In the first class, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior we learned about the basic triangle of fuel, heat and oxygen, all of which are necessary for fire. Next we learned about heat transfer: radiation (heat from the sun drying the surrounding fuels), convection (e.g., a smoke column rising up like a chimney, drying the fuels in front of the fire), and conduction (the least important, because wood does not conduct like metal does). The factors that affect the start and spread of wildland fire, including fuel types (grass, timber litter, and logging slash), were next on the agenda, followed by the fuel characteristics, such as fuel moisture, size and shape of the fuel, fuel load, horizontal continuity (in the case of the Pines, the horizontal continuity makes it one of the fastest type of spreading fires), and vertical arrangement of fuel load.
Then we discussed how weather factored into the start and spread of wildland fire, with wind being the dominant concern. Also contributing is topography (slope or the degree of incline of a hillside, and aspect as far as which direction a slope faces in relation to the sun), temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric stability. Fuel moisture is tested by weight: obviously, the more moisture, the heavier the fuel. Our instructor also told us that they had received state grants to add more weather stations in the Pines so they can learn how to adjust the fuel and so they can learn why it burns like it does (e.g., if the warm air is on bottom, and the cold air on top, how that affects the intensity of the fire, etc. The change in the air is particularly important as night falls, because the ocean will tend to push the colder air back inland at night, causing fire direction to change. Cold air also burns faster.)
We broke for an hour lunch around noon, and then finished the S-190 course. After that, we took rather tough written cram test.
The next order of business was the ICS Orientation course, which is basically the order of command in the event of an incident. It is used to manage both an emergency incident or an non-emergency event. There is an operation section which includes staging areas, air operations branch, strike teams, task forces, etc. The planning section includes a resources unit, a situation unit, a demobilization unit and a documentation unit. The logistics section includes a service branch (communications, medical and food) and a support branch (supply unit, facilities unit and ground support unit), and a finance/administration section (time unit, procurement unit, compensation/claims unit, and cost unit). After we completed this course, we took another test.
Tomorrow we do tools and then head to Double Trouble to cause some trouble! Hopefully we will be doing some burning tomorrow.
After my brain was fried, I headed home, ready for a good meal and another day tomorrow.
Joe
