By: Brian Brush
I joined the fire service as a volunteer in Northern California in the spring of 1996 just as fire season was starting. My first paid position with the fire department was as a seasonal firefighter in my home town in 1998. In 1999 and 2000 I also worked as a seasonal firefighter for the California Department of Forestry Sonoma Lake Napa Ranger Unit. Shortly after I began working at my current department, I joined the wildland team and was able further my experience in this field. Ever since I joined the Fire Service Warrior team I have wanted to do a post about wildland firefighters and how they exemplify the warrior message, with the summer quickly approaching I realized I should wait no longer.
This year has already been extremely devastating. Here in Colorado we have seen more acres burned and homes consumed this winter than we totaled over the entire 2010 season. Texas is once again heating up and 12 homes were lost in a fast moving fire over the Memorial Day weekend. Florida and Arizona are also seeing extreme fire behavior early in their perspective seasons. Fire Service Warriors are not just taking to the streets in cities and towns; they are tooling up in the prairies and rugged wilderness to defend our rural neighbors and natural resources. Today I ask you to take the time to consider the Fire Service Warriors of the wildland and what we can all draw from them.
The mindset of a wildland firefighter is quite different than that of an urban counterpart. Wildland firefighters are more accepting of, and quicker to recognize when the odds are stacked against them. From early on in your training certain things are repeated so frequently that they become subconscious considerations in nearly all your future actions. Wind – Topography – Fuel Type. Safety planning is also a constant through LCES: Look outs, communications, escape routes, and safety zones or the 18 shout “watchout” situations. Because wildland incidents can quickly change from a job to a campaign, firefighters tend to approach their work with a wider vision and longer term view. Most purely structural firefighters are in the “shock and awe” game of overwhelming the enemy early to prevent any escalation. By making comparisons I am not picking a side. For the most part these are two totally different theaters of operation however there will always be times when Mother Nature will assert herself and we better be quick to yield. 
On the afternoon of September 7th 2010 a windstorm moved through the City of Detroit and in just 4 hours 20 separate fires destroyed 85 buildings. One fire location at Van Dyke and 7 mile destroyed 17 buildings, another at Moenart and Luce took 15 structures. It is my opinion that had this occurred in just about any other city there would have been multiple line of duty deaths. In a heartbreaking downward spiral the City of Detroit has seen challenges that no American city should be faced with. Detroit firefighters are faced with serial arson, vacant structures and staffing cuts that are so foreign to me I can’t imagine how they are still able to perform. The simple fact is that the men and women of Detroit Fire Department are experienced survivors. The skills they have developed through these hard times brought that wider vision and a rapid recognition of battles which are best managed and not fought. Thankfully most of the structures lost that September afternoon were vacant, and we as a fire service are truly fortunate that none of our brothers and sisters were taken from us. It is unfortunate to know that the survival skills which saved the lives of these urban firefighters comes from the decay of a city that they are sworn to protect and not from recognizing potential lessons their wildland counterparts can offer.
Physical preparation for the wildland firefighter is also different and once again it shows in the earliest stages.
Most fire department physical ability testing is based on the CPAT, a high intensity short duration effort. Most of the fitness programming we are providing on the site is also based on metabolic conditioning for the one or two SCBA bottle work period. The physical ability test for the USFS Red Card is a 1.5 mile walk with a 40# weight vest. The goal of this is to match the longer duration, consistent and constant strain that wildland fire duties typically involve, like progressive hoselays or fireline construction. Wildland firefighters also take a longer term approach to their physical preparation and you will hear the words acclimate and hydrate far more frequently then bench press and protein. On larger scale incidents a work cycle will be 12 hour on and 12 hours off for two weeks. The off time is typically spent in a tent in the same heat that is driving the fire with food that may or may not be prepared by inmates. This means that you body is not truly recovering or resting between periods.
Regardless of you assignment in the northern hemisphere, summer has arrived and soon enough you will be called to service in the heat. Even those of us blessed with a good schedule will see an extended heat wave take its toll on our bodies over a few shifts if we are not aware. Just one longer duration vehicle extrication in full PPE out in the sun can deplete you body of a full day of hydration. Prepare your body for this added stressor by acclimating to the heat. Do a workout outside or keep the air conditioning off in the rig. Hydrate well; the taxes placed on our body will far exceed the standard 6-8 glasses of water a day. In the attached link on hydration it has been shown that athletes can lose water at a rate of up to 2 liters (4lbs) an hour when performing in high heat. This is something that will take days to recover from if you are not planning for it.
I am one of the first to admit that with the warm weather come a lot of bad, but personally satisfying habits. Drinking more beer in the evenings and staying up later with the warm and lighter nights. I spend countless hours at the pool baking in the sun, and snacking on empty foods. For the most part I am able to get away with it but this doesn’t make it right. It is my new summer’s resolution to take a page from the wildland warriors and apply both a bigger and longer term look at my preparation and response this summer. The trade of three more beers and backyard BS session for a glass of ice water and early trip to bed might just provide the clear head and combat ready body the afternoon this summer when Mother Nature is the one that drops the tone.
Detroit 9/07/2010 wind storm fires
10 standard Fire Orders and 18 Shout Watch Out Situations
The Importance of Hydration During High Heat Training and Racing
© 2011 Brian E. Brush
Great post Brian- keep em coming!
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