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| US Forest Service Uses New Technique With Forest Fire |
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2006/7/4
揂 new technique for wildfire suppression on the Ouachita National Forest is being utilized on Sulphur Mountain in a remote part of the Caddo -Womble Ranger District approximately 15 miles west of Glenwood,?said Acting Fire Team Leader, Roger Fryar.
The lightning caused Sulphur Mountain Fire was first detected on June 26, 2006 and was estimated to be 25 acres in size. Based on the location of the fire, its natural cause, concerns for firefighter safety, potential high suppression costs and resource damage that might occur with ground-disturbing activities in a suppression effort, Forest Service officials decided that a 搘ildland fire use?strategy would be used to manage the wildfire.
With wildland fire use, a Wildland Fire Implementation Plan (WFIP) is completed with alternatives developed to assess the potential benefits and risks in allowing natural fire to function as it would have hundreds of years ago when Native Americans and lightning were responsible for keeping much of the landscape in an open woodland condition.
The WFIP includes detailed planning involving strategies, tactics and contingencies to use in managing a fire in much the same way a prescribed burn is conducted. Weather forecasts, fire behavior modeling and smoke screening tools are utilized to analyze how the fire might impact vegetation, animals and humans.
Specialists in fire use are utilized to help efficiently and effectively manage the fire. In the Sulphur Mountain Fire, Bob Panko, a fire use specialist from Everglades National Park, will be the fire use manager.
Wildland Fire Use should not be confused with a 搇et burn?policy. 揂lthough the ignition is naturally-caused, the fire is managed,?said Fryar. 揑t is not simply monitored or allowed to burn randomly across the landscape. On certain parts of the fire, fire managers may use specific wildfire suppression techniques to protect areas such as commercial timber harvest stands or private structures. These techniques may include both direct and indirect fire attack tactics such as building firelines and backfiring, aerial ignition to lessen fire intensities or aerial suppression actions. When necessary, these actions are designed to diminish smoke impacts, to 憇teer?the fire away from areas where damage might occur or to simply put that part of the fire out.?br>
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Wildland Fire Use
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揥ildland fire use?differs from a 揻ull suppression?action in number of important ways. With
full suppression, immediate action is undertaken to control wildfires as quickly as possible. Full suppression is particularly appropriate in periods of high fire danger when fire intensity and high rates of spread increase the risk of damage to critical resources. When human improvements such as homes, outbuildings and other structures are imminently threatened, this fire fighting approach is absolutely necessary.
The Sulphur Mountain Fire is unique in that it is the first fire on the Ouachita and in the USDA Forest Service抯 Southern Region (which includes 13 southern states and Puerto Rico) to be managed utilizing a wildland fire use strategy.
The final control lines could surround approximately 4,000 acres. Some firelines will be constructed, but much less than if a full suppression strategy were used. Firefighters will be exposed to far fewer hazards including risks associated with firefighting in high temperatures, dead and falling snags, steep terrain with poor access, insects and snakes. The environmental effects will be monitored both during and after the burn. Suppression costs are expected to be less than if full suppression actions were taken.
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| Source:http://www.kark.com |
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