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FIRE FIGHTER I

TOPIC: HANDLINE CONSTRUCTION

TIME FRAME: 1:00

LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION: Level I

AUTHORITY: 1997 NFPA 1001 3-3.18

BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVE:

Condition: A written test

Behavior: The student will confirm a knowledge of the methods, safety considerations, advantages, and disadvantages of direct and indirect handline construction utilizing wildland fire fighting hand tools by completing the written test

Standard: With a minimum of 80% accuracy according to the information contained in the Fundamentals of Wildland Fire Fighting, IFSTA, Third Edition, Chapter 6

MATERIALS NEEDED: Writing board with markers/erasers Appropriate audiovisual equipment Appropriate audiovisual materials S-130 Instructor's Guide, NWCG (NFES 1510), 1995

Edition, Unit 6 (for overhead transparencies and handouts)

REFERENCES: 4300 Handbook, CDF, Current Edition Firefighter's Guide, NWCG (NFES 1571), 1986 Edition Fundamentals of Wildland Fire Fighting, IFSTA,

Third Edition S-130 Instructor's Guide, NWCG (NFES 1510), 1995

Edition, Unit 6

PREPARATION: Control handlines constructed by hand are one of the oldest methods of wildland fire suppression. This method is used in areas too steep for mechanized equipment, in areas where mechanized equipment would cause severe damage to the environment, or where use of mechanized equipment would be otherwise impractical. We use prisoners, hotshot crews, and at times you to "tool up" and cut a handline.

July 2001 Handline Construction

FIRE FIGHTER I

PRESENTATION APPLICATION


What is handline construction?

I. HANDLINE CONSTRUCTION

A. Perimeter control

B. The act of constructing a continuous line around the perimeter of a wildland fire with hand tools

1. Whether it be done by machines or fire fighters

C. The objective is to remove flammable material down to mineral soil in order to stop the combustion process

How far apart should team members be while cutting a handline?

II. HANDLINE LOCATION

A. In determining the location to begin handline construction, the safety of personnel is the first concern

1. Escape routes and safety zones must be identified and communicated to all members

2. Use safest route through green to fire perimeter or spot fire

3. Use lookouts

4. Avoid areas of potential rolling, slipping, or falling material

5. Avoid snags or widow makers, where possible

6. Use direct attack, if at all possible

7. Watch for mechanized equipment above the control line

8. All crewmembers shall maintain at least a 10-foot interval between themselves and other members to prevent injuries from tool use

a) Jargon is "Keeping your dime"

FIRE FIGHTER I



What does the "dime" refer to?

1) 10-foot interval = 10 cents (dime)

9. In green fuel

a) Lead person takes first area

1) Closest to the outside edge of fire

b) Next person takes area adjacent to first person's work

1) One step closer to fire's edge

c) Pattern continues until desired handline width is covered

d) Remaining tools clean up and improve the handline

e) As personnel tire, they rotate back to the end of the handline

10. "Pull the black back"

Do we pull burned fuel into the green?

a) Personnel pull the burned fuel along the fire edge

1) Back into the burn

2) Down into mineral soil

3) Narrow width is all that is necessary

What are some factors affecting the selection of handline location?

B. Factors to consider

1. Should begin at a secure anchor point

2. Termination point should also be established

a) To measure progress

FIRE FIGHTER I



How can the terrain assist you in handline construction?

3. Take advantage of sparsely covered areas

4. Take advantage of barriers, roads, trails, and ridge tops

a) This will expedite handline construction and control of the fire

b) Assess practicality of burning out irregular control handline

1) Shortens handline

2) Easier mop up

5. Keep handlines as straight as possible

a) Avoid sharp angles because fire will jump the handline more readily at the angle

6. When possible take advantage of terrain to avoid an undercut handline

a) An undercut handline is below grade to catch rolling debris

b) Usually undercut handline is by a dozer or plow

c) A trench is constructed by hand tools

1) A trench is a type of undercut handline

d) This will reduce the need for trenching to catch rolling embers, pinecones, tree limbs, logs, etc.

7. Use direct method of attack, if possible

What are the advantages of direct attack?

a) To reduce the final acreage of the fire

b) Usually the safest way to attack the fire

FIRE FIGHTER I



c) Takes advantage of inactive handline

Do handlines work in conjunction with firing operations?

8. Where firing operations are planned locate handlines to give uphill start for firing operation

9. Block off high hazard type fuels where possible by leaving them outside of constructed handlines

What are some examples of high hazard fuels?

a) Snags standing or on ground

b) Heavy fuel concentrations

c) Live oak trees

If the flames are large or the fire is moving rapidly, can cutting handline be effective?

10. Where fire is spreading rapidly or is very hot, locate handline to give time for handline construction and burning out (indirect method)

11. If numerous spot fires occur within a small area, select the most open area possible and place a handline around the entire area instead of a handline around each spot fire

a) Less handline to cut, therefore quicker

b) Mark a trail from the main fire to the spot fire

c) Cut your way into spot fire, do not crash through brush and get trapped

FIRE FIGHTER I



III. HANDLINE CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

A. Hookline order

1. Cutting tools to the front

a) Cutting the fuels

2. Scraping tools to the rear

a) Scraping and completing the handline down to bare mineral soil

C. One strike technique

1. Each crewmember is responsible for clearing a small portion of the handline width and then moving forward

a) Each succeeding crewmember widens existing handline

D. Bump up technique

1. Some tools and positions in the hookline order are more tiring than others

2. Have each crewmember "bump up" periodically to a different tool/position

Why do we bump up?

a) Prevents crew fatigue

What is meant by leap frogging?

E. Leap frog technique

1. Each crew is responsible for clearing a small section of the handline to its full width and then passing other crews to clear another unworked section of handline

IV. HANDLINE CONSTRUCTION METHODS

A. Handline can be no narrower or wider than specified by the supervisor

1. If too narrow, will compromise the effectiveness of the fire line

FIRE FIGHTER I



2. If too wide, affects the production rate of the handline construction

What is hot spotting?

B. Hot spotting

1. Defined as checking the spread of a fire at points of more rapid spread or special threat

2. Usually the initial step where prompt control is the top priority

3. A practice often used by fire crews as well as by engine crews and helitack crews

a) Control or check the rapidly spreading points of the fire

b) Knock down localized flare-ups

4. Less active sections of the fire are left to the trailing crew

What is the object or goal of cutting handline?

5. The object is to hold the fire in place until a continuous control handline can be constructed

6. When hot spotting

a) Increase the width of handline

b) Go to extremes in scattering cut material to prevent slopovers

c) Contain several hot spots by leaving one or more fire fighters at each spot after knockdown is reasonably assured

7. Hot spotting is accomplished by using

How can a shovel be used in a hot spot?

a) Hand tools to throw dirt at the base of the flame to cool and smother it and to construct handline

FIRE FIGHTER I



b) Water to lower the fuel temperature below its ignition temperature

8. During initial attack hot spotting is done to check the spread of small heads or fingers and to prevent the fire from getting into

a) Fuels in which the fire will burn faster

b) Heavy masses of fuel such as logs or snags

c) Fuels where handline construction will be more difficult

d) Fuels on steeper slopes

e) Exposures

9. Requires tremendous physical effort from fire fighters and basic knowledge of fire behavior due to exposure to

a) Ambient air temperature

b) Heat from the fire

c) Physical exertion

d) Potentially extreme fire behavior

Can engines and air tankers pick up spot fires?

10. Also accomplished by fire engines, air tankers, and/or dozers

a) Can also be used in hot spotting

b) Attacking one hot spot after another instead of establishing a continuous handline along the fire's edge

c) Purpose is to contain the fastest burning parts of the fire first and then to complete the handline later for full control

FIRE FIGHTER I



11. Hot spotting is also appropriate when equipment and personnel are in short supply

a) Fire spread is limited

b) Fewer acres burned

c) Less handline to be constructed

12. Remember that wind direction or topography can change a flank into a dangerous head

What is the purpose of a scratch handline?

C. Scratch handline

1. Usually constructed just wide enough to temporarily hold the fire in check, until a finished handline is constructed

2. May be extremely narrow

3. Need not be continuous

What is cold trailing?

C. Cold trailing

1. Method of controlling a partly dead fire edge by

a) Carefully inspecting and feeling with the hands to detect any fire

b) Digging out and extinguishing every live spot

c) Lining any live edge, tying cold edge to cold edge

D. Finished handline

Does anyone know the general rule for the width of a fire line?

1. Approximately 1½ times wider than the height of the adjacent cover fuels

FIRE FIGHTER I



What is the minimum width for fire line?

a) Should not be less than 18 inches wide regardless of fuel height

2. All flammable vegetation and ground fuels are removed and the control handline is cleaned down to bare mineral soil

What if you encounter roots in your fire line?

3. Roots are to be cut at both ends and removed from the control handline

4. All burned/charred material should be thrown well back into the burn

a) No windrows

1) Accumulations or piles of unburned fuel left along the fire line

5. All green fuels should be scattered on the unburned side of the handline

a) Do not windrow them

6. Islands of unburned or singed materials are cut and scattered or are cold trailed, if burning out is not safe or practical

7. Unburned fuel left between the fire and the control handline should be burned or cut, and scattered

What should you do if you have overhanging trees over your fire line?

8. All overhanging branches above the control handline must be cleared

9. Spot fires are treated the same as the main fire

FIRE FIGHTER I



How would you mark a trail into a spot fire?

a) Trails to spot fire should be flagged and called to the attention of relief crews

10. Snags should be removed from the fire edge, if unable to remove, construct a ring around each

What is trenching?

E. Trenching

1. Also known as an undercut or underslung line

2. Construction

a) Build across a slope, below the burned area, to catch any burning material that could roll downhill and cross the control line

1) Pinecones

2) Mossy rocks

3) Plant roots

4) Small logs

5) Stumps and similar fuels from crossing the handline

b) Inside wall should be tapered

1) Permit rolling material into the trench

c) Outside wall should be sheer

1) Minimize the chances of jumping out of trench and over the berm

What is a berm?

3. Berm

a) The lower, downhill side of the trench

b) Made up of bare mineral soil or rocks

FIRE FIGHTER I



What should be the minimum size?

4. Size

a) Minimum should be 1 foot deep and 1 foot wide

b) Must be of sufficient depth to prevent it from filling when crew walk in or above it

c) Depth and width determined by

1) The size and quantity of the potentially rolling fuels

2) The steepness of the slope

d) Wider and deeper trenches must be constructed if

1) The slope is very steep

2) The rolling material is large

3) Heavy accumulations of rolling material must be held

How are constructed trenches preserved?

5. Do not walk on the berm as it smashes it down

a) Walk in the trench or below the undercut handline

6. Effective hand tools for trenching

a) Pulaski

1) Used to loosen the soil using the grubbing edge

b) McLeod and shovels

1) Used to

Clean the trench out

Shape it

Build the berm

FIRE FIGHTER I

SUMMARY:

Constructing handlines to control the spread of wildland fires is often the only technique available. The work is tiring and demanding under the best of circumstances. Failing to properly locate a handline and take advantage of labor saving techniques can have devastating results.

EVALUATION:

The student will complete the written test at a time determined by the instructor.

ASSIGNMENT:

Review your notes and read Fundamentals of Wildland Fire Fighting, IFSTA, Third Edition, Chapter 6 in order to prepare yourself for the upcoming test. Study for our next session.


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