18 WATCHOUT SITUATIONS -My System for Memorization-

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18 WATCHOUT SITUATIONS-My System for
Memorization-
by Dylan Rader
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1) Fire not scouted or sized up.

• Scouting the fire is the first thing that is done
  by the Initial Attack IC (Incident Commander).
  This is why it is the first Watch-Out.

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2) In country not seen in daylight.

• You use your 2 eyes to see. Easy to associate 2
  eyes with Watch-Out 2. Often times, IA resources
  will arrive on fires after dark.

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3) Escape routes and safety zones not identified.

• To remember this I break the sentence into 3
  parts.
• Escape routes safety zones not identified
  
• This helps me to associate this with WO 3.

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4) Unfamiliar with weather and other local
factors influencing fire behavior.

• To remember this, think of TV Channel 4 Weather.
  Also, remember both WO 4 and 14 deal with
  weather.

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5) Uninformed on strategies, tactics, and
hazards.

• This is another one that I break down.
• Remember these 5 words
• UNIFORMED on STRATEGIES, TACTICS, AND HAZARDS.

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6) Instructions and assignments not clear.

• To remember this one flip the six over and
  straighten the tail and it looks like a
  magnifying glass. The magnifying glass is used
  to sharpen or clear up an image.
• 6

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7) No communication link with crew members,
supervisors, or adjoining forces.

• To remember this one I think of John Elway, who
  was 7 (and also the greatest QB ever).
• When Dan Reeves was his coach, Elway called his
  own plays.
• In other words, no commo with his coach
  (supervisor).

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8) Constructing line without a safe anchor point.

• The number 8 is also the symbol for infinity. It
  has no starting or ending point.
• 8

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9) Constructing fireline downhill with fire below.

• On a topographic map, the peak of a hill is a
  circle (if it is a perfectly circular peak). The
  line points down from the peak on the 9. Hence,
  downhill from the peak.

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10) Attempting a frontal assault on the fire.

• To remember this one think of the firefighter as
  the 1 and the approaching fire front as the 0.
  The 1 is in front of the 0.

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11) Unburned fuel between you and the fire.

• This one is easy. Just imagine the space in
  between the lines of the 11 as unburned fuel.

UNBURNED FUEL
YOU
FIRE
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12) Can not see main fire. Not in contact with
anyone who can.

• You have to use your imagination again for this
  watchout. You are the 1 , the curved portion of
  the 2 is a ridgeline, and the tail of the two is
  the fire.
• 1 2

You
Ridgeline
Fire
Valley
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13) On a hillside where rolling material can
ignite fuel below you.

• If you flip the 3 of 13 over on its side it
  looks like 2 hills. Helps to remember hillside.

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14) Weather getting hotter and drier.

• Remember how WO 4 and 14 both deal with
  weather.
• 14 is greater than 4 (4 10 14).
• Because the number 14 is greater, weather is
  getting hotter and drier.

10 14
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15) Wind increases and or changes direction.

• The number 5 in 15 goes every direction.
  Associate this with the wind changing direction
  remember the wind is also increasing.

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16) Getting frequent spot fires across the line.

• Think of the circular part of the 6 as a spot
  fire, the tail of the six as the line. There is
  a spot across the line.

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17) Terrain and fuels make escape to safety
zones difficult.

• To remember this one imagine that the safety zone
  is at the top part of the 7 in 17 and you are at
  the bottom.
• It would be impossible to climb that slope as an
  escape route.

Safety Zone
Escape Route
You
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18) Taking a nap near the fireline.

• I have never met a firefighter who can not
  remember this one.