Wildfire Emergency Medical Services

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Wildfire Emergency Medical Services
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Ojectives

• EMS roles during wildland incidents
• Types of injuries
• Wildland Terminology
• Fire Shelters

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Well known fires where firefighters sustained
injuries
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EMS Roles During Wildland Incidents

• Provide non-emergent care
• Band aids
• Splinting
• Heat exposure
• Obtain vital signs
• Rehab

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EMS Roles During Wildland Incidents

• Provide emergency care
• Burns
• Fractures
• Respiratory/Cardiac arrest
• Chest Pain
• Difficulty breathing/SOB

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Wildfire!

• Terminology
• Wildland Fire
• Term used for forest fire incidents
• Head
• Top of the fire
• Flank
• Sides of the ire
• Point of Origin
• Where the fire started

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Wildfire!

• Terminology
• Heel
• Bottom of the fire
• Anchor Point
• Place to start constructing fireline
• Fireline
• Used to control the edges of the fire

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Wildfire!

• Terminology
• Mop Up
• Digging up all the hot spots
• Retardant/Foam
• Used to put out fire-Wet heavy thick liquid
• Tanker
• Aircraft that carries retardant or water
• Lookouts
• Person(s) that watches fire and weather
  conditions

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Wildfire!

• Terminology
• Communications
• Communicating between crew and other personnel
• Escape Routes
• The fastest safest route to you safety zone
• Safety Zones
• An area to retreat and escape the fire
• Wildland Urban Interface
• Buildings built in amongst the woods and
  wilderness
• Spot Fire
• Fire that has started as a result of the main
  fire.

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Wildfire!

• Terminology
• 10 standard firefighting orders
• 18 Watch Out Situations
• Many others

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• L C E S

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Lookouts
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Communications
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Escape Routes
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Safety Zones
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10 Standard Firefighting Orders

• Keep informed on fire weather conditions and
  forecasts.
• Know what your fire is doing at all times.
• Base all conditions on current and expected
  behavior of the fire.
• Identify escape routes and safety zones, and make
  them known.

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10 Standard Firefighting Orders

• Post lookouts when there is possible danger.
• Be alert. Keep calm. Think clearly. Act
  decisively.
• Maintain prompt communications with your forces,
  your supervisor and adjoining forces.
• Give clear instructions and ensure they are
  understood.

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10 Standard Firefighting Orders

• Maintain control of your forces.
• Fight fire aggressively, having provided for
  safety first.

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18 Watch Out Situations

• Fire not scouted and sized up.
• In country not seen in daylight.
• Safety zones and escape routes not identified.
• Unfamiliar with weather and local factors
  influencing fire behavior.
• Uninformed on strategy, tactics, and hazards.

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18 Watch Out Situations

• Instructions and assignments not clear.
• No communication link with crew
  members/supervisor.
• Constructing fireline without safe anchor point.
• Building fireline downhill with fire below.
• Attempting frontal assault on a fire.
• Unburned fuel between you and the fire.

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18 Watch Out Situations

• Cannot see main fire, not in contact with anyone
  who can.
• On a hillside where rolling material can ignite
  fuel below.
• Weather is hotter and drier.
• Wind increases and/or changes direction.
• Getting frequent spot fires across line.

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18 Watch Out Situations

• Terrain and fuels make escape to safety zones
  difficult.
• Taking a nap near the fireline.

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Fire Shelters

• A personal protection item carried by
  firefighters which forms a tent-like shelter of
  heat reflective material.
• Looks like a tin foil tent
• Although not optimal, you can have more than one
  person inside.
• Must wear all PPE when using.

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Only provide care for the skills you are
licensed and trained to perform
Remember-You are not a firefighter yet. DO NOT go
into situations where you have to be one.
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Questions?