Fire Origins
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On Protection of Towns from Fire — Benjamin Franklin, 1735

On Making Official History Honest — Kent Robert Greenfield, 1954

LCES—a Key to Safety in the Wildland Fire Environment — Paul Gleason, 1991

Attitude Check — Bill Fish, 1995

TriData Phase IV, “Developing a Cooperative Approach to Wildfire Protection” — Charles Perrow, 1998

Lessons From Thirtymile: Transition Fires And Fire Orders — Jerry Williams, 2001

Loop Fire Disaster Brief — November, 1966

1967 Task Force Report

• Preface
• Introduction
• Downhill Line Operations and “Chimneys”
• Communications
• Improve Scouting at All Critical Points
• Organization
• Protective Shelters
• Fire Protective Clothing
• Pre-Attack Planning and Construction
• Fuelbreak System
• Fire Behavior and Fire Research
• Appendix

2005 Fire Prevention and Safety grant application

• Synopsis and Budget
• Risk Assessment
• Evaluation
• Implementation Plan
• Justification

REPORT OF
THE FIRE SAFETY REVIEW TEAM

MARCH 1967

A PLAN TO FURTHER REDUCE
THE CHANCES OF MEN BEING BURNED WHILE FIGHTING FIRES

PROTECTIVE SHELTERS

The Loop Fire Analysis Group Recommended:

“Continue development of improved fire protective shelters and make them standard equipment for all fire suppression men and crews who are ordinarily assigned to fight fires in fast-burning fuels.”

Missoula Equipment Development Center (MEDC) has developed, tested, and prepared specifications for a fire protective shelter.  These Shelters were available for purchase @ $13 each by field units prior to the 1966 fire season.

The present pup-tent style shelter offers the following advantages over the tepee-style shelter previously used:

1. Stronger.

2. Lower profile reducing probability of direct flame contact and providing better conductive cooling.

3. Improved hold-down system for use in high winds.

4. Double-wall construction minimizing problem of smoking adhesive and offering dead air space insulation.

Shelter tests using human subjects have conclusively shown that it will provide protection within its design limitations.  In addition, in a recent test at MEDC, an experienced firefighter, unfamiliar with use of the shelter, to 32.5 seconds to unstrap it from his waist and completely settle himself inside the shelter.  With three trials the test subject was able to reduce the time to 23 seconds.

Recommendations:

1. Require that protective shelters be carried as standard equipment by all Interregional Crews.

2. Regional Foresters will establish standards for use of shelters by other suppression forces.

3. Require that all suppression forces issued shelters actually strap pouched shelter to waist while on the line (dozer operators may carry shelter in containers on tractor).

4. Continue development of shelters to improve protection, reduce weight and lower costs.

5. Prepare and issue a training film on fire protective shelters.

WASHINGTON OFFICE COMMENTS:

Interregional Crews should be equipped with protective shelters but we would limit mandatory requirement for carrying them to conditions of hazard where fires could spread rapidly.  They should always be carried by all personnel working to control fires in fuels with extreme or flash rates of spread.  Recommendation 2 is approved.  Recommendation 3 will be expanded with guidelines for carrying shelters by personnel engaged in all types of control line activities.  Recommendations 4 and 5 are approved.  Use of protective shelters and protective clothing should be covered in the same training film.  Since an effective shelter is now available, their use should not be delayed while awaiting further developments.

ACTION GUIDES:

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