For those who don’t know, putting out a raging wildfire involves a lot more than spraying some water at it from a hose. While that’s part of it, there is much more to this arduous task. This article will help people better understand what it takes to put out a wildfire. That way, you can gain a better understanding on how these natural disasters play out.
Control
There are three things that fires need to spread: heat, oxygen, and fuel. That last one is one of the most important ones to get rid of because a fire will typically spread faster than people can put it out, especially if it’s been extra dry this season. That’s why many firefighting teams start by trying to control the flames.
They primarily do this by removing anything in the fire’s path that it could burn down. Wildland firefighters carry a bunch of tools, including chainsaws and axes, to take out flammable vegetation. However, in extreme cases, they might even need something like a bulldozer to quickly take out a large section of trees and underbrush. If a large vehicle like that won’t cut it, wildland officials might decide that it’s time to fight fire with fire and use controlled flames to burn out any fuel sources that the main fire might touch.
Suppression
Once the fuel sources are under control, officials switch their main focus to suppression. Through the use of water and fire retardants, firefighters can eliminate both the heat and oxygen that the fires need to continue raging. Typically, they spread these flame-killers through hoses that come from water pumps and specialized fire engines, but in severe cases, they’ll need to use helicopters and airplanes as well. These aircraft can help spread water and fire retardants to areas of the fires that firefighters can’t currently reach by foot.
Final Checks
Even after the flames have died out, the job of a wildland firefighter isn’t finished. There will still be tons of smoldering logs and debris they’ll need to deal with. During dry seasons, it’s quite easy for a few sparks to light up another forest fire, which would start this process all over again. In order to avoid that, firefighters must go over the burnt remains of the forest to ensure that they’ve suppressed everything. Only after they do that can the mission be considered a success.
Now that you have a better understanding of what it takes to put out a wildfire, you should have a more considerable appreciation for what wildland firefighters do. These flames are much more challenging to control than those of a house fire, but through these steps, we can work toward containing wildfires.
A day to listen deeply, learn humbly, and honor the living wisdom of Native communities on Native Heritage Day on November 28th.
Opening Reflection
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