021S215EP

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Unit 2
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Unit 2 Objectives

• Describe items to consider when sizing-up an
  interface fire, prior to and after arriving at
  the scene.
• Describe items to consider when sizing-up
  resources needed for an interface fire.
• Describe the six components of a size-up report.

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Pre-Incident Planning

• Firewise Communities/USA
• Goal is to encourage action that minimizes home
  loss to wildfire. See website (www.firewise.org)
  for publications and materials.

• Pre-Attack Plans
• Identify actions, hazards, resources, etc. prior
  to interface fire.
• Pre-attack plans should be jointly prepared by
  all agencies potentially involved.

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Pre-attack Plan
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Pre-Incident Planning

• Initial attack incident commanders
• Advised to obtain these plans and know what is in
  them
• Knowledgeable of other environmental
  restrictions, e.g., threatened and endangered
  plants and species, firefighting resource use
  restrictions, minimum impact suppression tactics
  (MIST), etc.
• Know how to activate mutual aid for their area of
  responsibility

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Size-Up Definition

• A systematic process consisting of the RAPID,
  but THOROUGH, consideration of all CRITICAL
  factors leading to the development of a rational
  plan of attack. Size-up process CONTINUES until
  the COMPLETION of the incident.

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Size-Up Process

• Pre-incident size-up
• At the scene size-up
• Resource size-up
• Size-up report

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Pre-Incident Size-Up

• Obtain pre-attack plans
• Consider
• Previous fires
• Fuels
• Weather
• Topography
• Time of year/day
• Additional information

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Pre-Incident Size-Up

• Previous fires
• Wildfires tend to follow historic patterns

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Pre-Incident Size-Up

• Fuels (know predominant fuels in area)
• Loading
• Live and dead
  fuel moisture
• Age and arrangement
• Structure
  fuels

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Pre-Incident Size-Up

• Weather (know local weather conditions)
• Temperature
• RH
• Wind speed and
  direction
• Atmospheric
  stability
• Drought

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Pre-Incident Size-Up

• Topography
• Canyons
• Ridges
• Barriers
• Elevation
• Position on slope
• Aspect

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Pre-Incident Size-Up

• Time of year/day
• Summer vs. winter
• Day vs. night
• Seasonal areas
• Peak burning period
  for day
• Seasonal effect on
  fuel moisture

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Pre-Incident Size-Up

• Additional information
• Pre-attack plans
• Fire weather forecast
• Fire danger for today
• Projected fire conditions
• Resource availability
• Potential for structure exposure
• Location of structures in relation to surrounding
  wildland fuels, topography, elevation, barriers,
  etc.
• Water supply
• Feedback from other sources

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At The Scene Size-Up Structures and Improvements
First priority is protection of homes over other
improvements
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Number, arrangement, and kinds of structures and
potential for them to contain hazardous material.
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• Look at placement of improvements
• Anticipate fire behavior
• Note clearance around structure (defensible space)

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• Size, height and occupancy type

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• Construction features
• Wood shake or shingle roofs
• Wood siding
• Decks
• Eaves (exposed vs. covered)
• Attic vents

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• Construction features

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• Safety and rescue
• Evacuation could involve both people and animals
  

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• Safety and rescue (consider other hazards)
• Septic tanks
• Hazardous materials
• Power lines
• LPG and fuel tanks

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• Water Supplies
• Location
• Availability
• Reliability

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• Combustibles located near structures
• Can they be removed?

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At the Scene Size-Up

• Access (ingress and egress)

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• Access (ingress and egress)

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• Access (ingress and egress)

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At The Scene Size-Up

• Fuel
• Type of fuel (grass, brush, timber, ornamentals)
• Arrangement (horizontal or vertical)
• Continuity
• Age, size, loading
• Structure fuel

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• Structure fuel produces large amounts of radiated
  and convective heat
• Wood shake and shingle fires are difficult to
  extinguish and may cause spot fires

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At the Scene Size-Up

• Weather
• Wind
• Speed
• Direction
• Temperature
• Solar heating and drying of fuels
• Humidity
• Atmospheric
  stability

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At the Scene Size-Up

• Topography
• Canyons
• Ridges
• Slope
• Barriers

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At the Scene Size-Up

• Fire Behavior
• Fire intensity
• Direction and rate of spread
• Structure fuels
• Extreme conditions
• Firewhirls
• Spotting
• Plume dominated vs. wind driven

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Resource Size-Up

• What do I need?
• How much time do I have?
• How long will it take?
• How effective will it be?
• What limitations exist?
• Reevaluate!

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Size-up ExerciseMadras Fire
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Scene 1
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Scene 2
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Scene 3
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Scene 4
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Scene 5
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Scene 6
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Scene 7
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Scene 8
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Initial Attack Size-Up Report

• What information do I relay to dispatch?

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You MUST Relay
Size-Up Report

• Who is in command
• Fire Location
• What you have
• What you are doing
• What you need
• Special Instructions

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Size-up Report Exercise
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Unit 2 Objectives

• Describe items to consider when sizing-up an
  interface fire, prior to and after arriving at
  the scene.
• Describe items to consider when sizing-up
  resources needed for an interface fire.
• Describe the six components of a size-up report.

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