Wildfire fighting involves suppressing fires in uninhabited areas, often by containing the flames. Firefighters are assisted by aircraft equipped with water or fire retardant. The job is physically demanding and requires rigorous training and specialized equipment.
Forest firefighting refers to the suppression of wildfires that are burning in land or uninhabited areas. Firefighters fighting this type of fire often try to control how the fire burns and contain it to an area. These firefighters are usually assisted by others on the ground and in the air and carry various special tools.
Because wildfires can easily get out of control, wildfire fighting often focuses on containing the flames. By preventing the flames from spreading, firefighters can help prevent injury, death, and property damage. There are several types of outdoor fires. Grass fires usually occur in grassy areas like plains and prairies, for example. Forest fires usually start in wooded areas.
Wildfire fighting efforts are usually directed from a command center. Officials running the command center are responsible for preparing reports for the media, calling firefighters from wild areas, and providing firefighters with the proper equipment. This center is also responsible for organizing and communicating with different air firefighters.
Aircraft are an important part of fighting wildfires. This includes helicopters and special planes, sometimes known as tank trucks, equipped with buckets or tanks. These tanks can be filled with hundreds or thousands of gallons of water or some other type of fire retardant such as ammonium polyphosphate. Modern fire retardants not only help control fires, but also fertilize the soil, causing vegetation to regrow more quickly.
Buckets and tanks can be filled in two ways. They can be filled while the aircraft is on the ground, but they can also be filled in flight. Buckets, for example, can be filled by plunging them into a large body of water, while tanks can be filled by sucking water from a body of water. Pilots on these aircraft often dump fire retardant in front of a fire, or just on the edge. This can help firefighters on the ground maintain a fire line, which can help stop the fire from spreading.
Fighting forest fires is a very dangerous and physically demanding job. For this reason, these firefighters must be in good physical shape. Typically, they must also undergo rigorous wilderness firefighter training courses, where they will learn the skills and techniques needed to fight wildland fires, including how to build fire lines and use their equipment.
A wildland firefighter’s equipment is a very important part of fighting these fires. This equipment may include tools such as rakes, shovels, chainsaws, navigational equipment and explosives. Some even have temporary shelters that can protect them from the intense heat. These are often only used in emergencies where a firefighter is trapped by fire.
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