1. Firefighter Refresher: Fuel Types and Suppression Tactics

2. Objective Provide wildland firefighters with information on fuel types and tactics that apply to Virginia. Providing local information on fuel types and tactics will result in a safer work environment for firefighters.

3. Major Fuel Types Brush with Grass Understory Pine Plantations Grass Cutover Pine/Hardwood Southern Rough

4. Brush and Grass Understory Importance of Fuel Moisture, Relative Humidity, Weather 10 HR Fuel Moisture less than 7% Relative Humidity less than 15% Direct Attack Impossible Indirect with good anchor point using dozers Expect rapid rate of spread

6. Using Engines if conditions permit Foam or wet water Water source or tender nearby Use 2 Engines in tandem Adequate resources if going direct Rough terrain slow progress Threat of reburn

8. 2 points to remember with weather –Watch wind for change in speed/direction –Watch relative humidity reaching critical threshold limits Grass primary fire carrier Brush adds to mop-up difficulty Brush component varies: cedar, young pine, hardwood, reeds, vines

10. Pine Plantations Tactics vary depending on –Weather –Environmental conditions –Height of plantation trees Effects rate of spread (ROS), intensity, crowning, control problems Use of LCES, Standard Fire Orders, 18 Watch Out Situations

11. Plantation Trees Less Than Four Feet Grass primary carrier Rate of spread high Intensity low to medium Wind speed less than 8 mph-Direct Attack Wind speed 8-12 mph-Parallel Flank Attack Wind speed greater than 12 mph-Indirect Attack Fire Weather thresholds –20 foot winds 8-10 mph or higher –RH 30% or less

13. PLANTATION TREES 4-10 FEET Rate of spread high Intensity medium to high Resistance to control medium to high Torching/crowning medium to high Spotting a problem Wind speed less than 8 mph-Direct Attack Wind speed 8-12 mph-Parallel Flank Attack Wind speed greater than 12 mph-Indirect Attack Fire Weather Thresholds –20 foot wind 8-10 mph or higher –RH 30% or less

15. PLANTATION TREES 10-30 FEET Rate of spread medium-normally Intensity medium to high Resistance to control high Crowning medium to high Frequent spotting (control problem) Presence of ladder fuels Fire creates it’s own wind Extremely dangerous fuels

16. Indirect Attack during extreme burning conditions Fire Weather Thresholds –20 foot winds 8-10 mph or higher –RH 30% or less

17. PLANTATION TREES 30 FEET OR GREATER Fire behavior in the Timber Group Rate of spread medium-normally Intensity medium to high Resistance to control low to medium Torching/crowning possible Wind speed will determine-Direct, Parallel Flank or Indirect Head Attack Fire Weather Thresholds –20 foot wind 8-10 mph or higher –RH 30% or less

19. Grass Fuel Types Flat to rolling terrain Using Engines in tandem Pinching the head of fire Use of Dozers

20. Weather Conditions for Grass Fires –Depends on Fuel Moisture and RH –RH less than 30% grass burns readily –RH less than 20% grass burns extremely well

21. Safety Concerns Grass fires can produce extreme flame lengths (FL) and rate of spread (ROS) Flank can become head with wind change Best to anchor and flank the fire

22. Cutover and Slash Primarily logging in pine stands Drought causes intensity and control problems

23. Tactics Use of existing roads and skid trails Slow line construction rate with dozer Thorough mop-up Use of Engines for mop-up, if possible Spotting a problem

24. Pine/Hardwood Fuels Under story of vines and heavy needle drape Canopy height of 60 feet or less Fires usually fuel driven Topography a problem in many areas (East & West) Active fire behavior when RH in lower 40% range Extreme fire behavior when RH below 20% –Live fuel moisture in Mountain Laurel below 120%

26. Tactics Hand tools possible when fire behavior minimal and fire small Engines limited by access Tractor plows used for direct attack when low to moderate fire behavior Use roads and burning out with low RH

28. Southern Rough Fuels Usually found in South East Texas Can create explosive conditions Tractor plows used mostly Limited use of Engines Burn out line as go

30. Weather concerns for Southern Rough –Can burn with RH 60% or greater –Crown fires possible in severe drought –Fire Behavior Thresholds 20 foot wind 8-10 mph or greater RH 30% or less

32. Predictive Service Areas KBDI Weather Thresholds- RH 30% or Less, 20 foot wind speed 10 mph or more

33. Thresholds Dead Fuel Moisture Fire Weather-Wind-speed, Humidity NFDRS-ERC, BI KBDI Live Fuel Moisture Weather Thresholds- RH 30% or Less, 20 foot wind speed 10 mph or more

34. Pocket Cards Fire Danger Area ERC-90 th Percentile ERC-Years to Remember What Fire Danger Tells You Past Experience

35. What does all this mean? Can we apply it to the “ real world”?

36. Look on Page 76 of your Incident Response Pocket Guide

37. Relative Humidity (RH) will be between 15% and 30% in Gilmer today… 10-Hour Fuels will be between 5% and 7% in Gilmer today… Adjective Fire Danger for Gilmer today… VERY HIGH Energy Release Component (ERC) will be above the 75 th Percentile in Gilmer today… 20 foot Wind will be above 10 MPH in Gilmer today… An Average Flame Length will be over 10 feet in Gilmer today…

38. Relative Humidity (RH) will be between 15% and 30% in Gilmer today… 10-Hour Fuels will be between 5% and 7% in Gilmer today… Now look at the “Relative ease of chance ignition and spotting; general burning conditions” column on page 76 of the Incident Response Pocet Guide.

40. The colored dots on this map depict streamflow conditions as a percentile of normal, which is computed from the period of record for the current day of the year. Only stations with at least 30 years of record are used. Green = 25-75% Orange =10-24% Maroon = <10% Red = very little flow if any