Ten standard firefighting orders

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The Ten Standard Firefighting Orders ( and 18 Watchouts Situations ) were drawn up by the United States Forest Service in 1957, after fire-fighters had died in various forest fires in the previous twenty years. They are now standard knowledge for game rangers and firefighters in the United States involved in fighting forest fires .

history

The original rules were developed in 1957 by a task force led by Forest Ranger Richard E. McArdle. The background was the deaths among the fire fighters in the Blackwater , Hauser Canyon , Mann Gulch , Rattlesnake and Inaja forest fires . In addition, other forest fires were evaluated in which fatalities could only just be avoided. The model for the rules was the General Orders for Sentries of the armed forces of the United States .

Shortly after their introduction, the 10 rules were supplemented by 18 situations in which increased caution is required. They were last revised and adapted in 2002.

There are repeated voices that the rules are difficult to follow in reality and need to be adjusted again.

The 10 rules and 18 situations of increased caution

The ten rules are ordered according to their importance. They should enable the firefighter to assess the situation, correctly identify dangers and safely escape in an emergency. In addition, they should support the subsequent processing of missions.

Ten standard firefighting orders
No. rule Translation / explanation
1. Keep informed on fire weather conditions and forecasts. Find out about the weather conditions and forecasts that will affect the fire.
2. Know what your fire is doing at all times. Always know how the fire is behaving.
3. Base all actions on current and expected behavior of the fire. Base your actions on both the current and expected behavior of the fire.
4th Identify escape routes and safety zones and make them known. Establish escape routes and safety zones and make sure that they are publicized.
5. Post lookouts when there is possible danger. Use scouts when there is a potential threat.
6th Be alert. Keep Calm. Think clearly. Act decisively. Be aware. Stay calm. Think clearly. Act decisively.
7th Maintain prompt communications with your forces, your supervisor, and adjoining forces. Stay in constant contact with your units, your supervisor and the people involved.
8th. Give clear instructions and insure they are understood. Give clear instructions and make sure they are understood.
9. Maintain control of your forces at all times. Stay in control of your units at all times.
10. Fight fire aggressively, having provided for safety first. After ensuring safety, fight the fire aggressively.

The 18 situations of increased caution should be avoided if possible. Should such a situation arise, there is an immediate danger.

18 Watchouts Situations
No. situation Translation / explanation
1. Fire not scouted and sized up. The fire has not been solved and its extent is unknown.
2. In country not seen in daylight. The landscape has not yet been seen in daylight.
3. Safety zones and escape routes not identified. Safety zones and escape routes have not been established.
4th Unfamiliar with weather and local factors influencing fire behavior. The local weather conditions and landscape factors are not familiar.
5. Uninformed on strategy, tactics, and hazards. One is ignorant of the strategy, tactics and dangers.
6th Instructions and assignments not clear. Instructions and appointments are unclear.
7th No communication link with crew members / supervisors. There is no communication link with the team members / superiors.
8th. Constructing line without a safe anchor point. The firebreak is created without a safe starting point.
9. Building fireline downhill with fire below. Creating the firebreak down the slope with a fire further down the valley.
10. Attempting frontal assault on fire. The fire fighting takes place head-on towards the fire.
11. Unburned fuel between you and the fire. There is unburned material between you and the fire.
12. Cannot see main fire, not in contact with anyone who can. The main fire is not in sight and there is no contact with anyone watching the fire.
13. On a hillside where rolling material can ignite fuel below. You are on a hill where rolling material can cause a fire further down the slope.
14th Weather is getting hotter and drier. The weather is getting warmer and drier.
15th Wind increases and / or changes direction. The wind is picking up and / or changing its direction.
16. Getting frequent spot fires across line. Increasingly smaller sources of fire are forming along the fire line.
17th Terrain and fuels make escape to safety zones difficult. Terrain and combustible material make it difficult to withdraw to the safety zones.
18th Taking a nap near the fire line. A nap is taken near the line of fire.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c "Standard Firefighting Orders and 18 Watchout Situations" , at www.fs.fed.us, accessed on June 7, 2017
  2. ↑ Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center: "History of the 10 Standard Firefighting Orders" (English; video), at www.archive.org, accessed on June 7, 2017
  3. ↑ "Revision of the Ten Standard Firefighting Orders (English; PDF , 140 KB), on www.nwcg.gov on February 7, 2002, accessed on June 7, 2017
  4. ↑ Bill Gabbert: "Standard Firefighting Orders - Wildfire Sinners and Cool Heads" , at www.wildfiretoday.com on April 10, 2016, accessed on June 7, 2017