History UsefulNotes / WildlandFirefighting

-->''Only you can prevent forest fires.''
-->[[{{Commercials}} Smokey Bear]]

The composition of a fire camp varies depending on what state/country you're in, and in many places resembles less a regular military structure than a feudal levy, being drawn from a hodgepodge of traditional contributors rather than a scientifically organized and trained permanent force, though this also varies. Personnel come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by Federal and State agencies or by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be supervised by the National Interagency Fire Center at its headquarters in Boise. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year; [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. National Guardsmen and occasionally regular military personnel take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. Convicts deemed to pose low risk of escape may volunteer themselves for firefighting efforts under the supervision of correctional officers. And of course when a fire gets to near a town, the local fire department and other emergency services will join. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII were manned largely by [[BadassPacifist conscientious objectors]] desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty is manning the lookout towers that dot the west. Satellites are now expected to make these obsolete (though it hasn't happened yet), and tightening budgets have closed most of them down. Though the few that still operate are still a very valuable resource, most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".[[note]]After [=FEMA=] adopted the Incident Command System to streamline emergency responses in situations involving multiple responding agencies; not-so-coincidentally, [=FEMA=] modeled the system after organized wildfire response.[[/note]]

The composition of a fire camp varies depending on what state/country you're in, and in many places resembles less a regular military structure than a feudal levy, being drawn from a hodgepodge of traditional contributors rather than a scientifically organized and trained permanent force, though this also varies. Personnel come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by Federal and State agencies or by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be supervised by the National Interagency Fire Center at its headquarters in Boise. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year; [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. National Guardsmen and occasionally regular military personnel take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. Convicts deemed to pose low risk of escape may volunteer themselves for firefighting efforts under the supervision of correctional officers. And of course when a fire gets to near a town, the local fire department and other emergency services will join. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by [[BadassPacifist conscientious objectors]] desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty is manning the lookout towers that dot the west. Satellites are now expected to make these obsolete (though it hasn't happened yet), and tightening budgets have closed most of them down. Though the few that still operate are still a very valuable resource, most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".[[note]]After [=FEMA=] adopted the Incident Command System to streamline emergency responses in situations involving multiple responding agencies; not-so-coincidentally, [=FEMA=] modeled the system after organized wildfire response.[[/note]]

-->[[{{Commercials}} Smokey the Bear]]

The large areas of untamed and semi-tamed wilderness in the United States are prone to wildfire every year, particularly in the summer when wood, brush, and grass are dry. As a result great efforts are spent in controlling blazes. While of late doctrine has changed from a realization that fire is a part of the ecology, at the least fires have to be ''watched.'' If they get out of control thousands of volunteers have to be raised in what have been compared to military operations. As these operations take place every year, wildfire has become its own subculture.

In California, for example, there will be extensive involvement from federal agencies (mostly the US Forest Service and/or Bureau of Land Management; the National Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, and Department of Defense may be involved if the fire threatens their land), the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection (while most states have some kind of State Forestry, California's is actually a full-fledged state fire department), various county and municipal fire departments, with private contractors providing various logistical support services. Local government fire resources are sent all over the state, sometimes hundreds of miles from their home jurisdictions, as part of California's extensive "automatic aid" program. Strike Teams of five fire engines each are a common sight on freeways and highways in the summer.

Tactics in wildfire fighting involve corraling the fire into a manageable area until it starves itself of fuel, or is drenched out by weather. This involves careful use of terrain--and sometimes, deliberate destruction of fuel, often ironically by deliberately setting controlled blazes. Wildfires have their own specialized equipment, notable among them is the Pulaski, a multipurpose fireaxe which is something of a [[NationalWeapon Subcultural Weapon.]]

In California, for example, there will be extensive involvement from federal agencies (mostly the US Forest Service and/or Bureau of Land Management; the National Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, and Department of Defense may be involved if the fire threatens their land), the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection (California's state fire department), various county and municipal fire departments, with private contractors providing various logistical support services. Local government fire resources are sent all over the state, sometimes hundreds of miles from their home jurisdictions, as part of California's extensive "automatic aid" program. Strike Teams of five fire engines each are a common sight on freeways and highways in the summer.

The composition of a fire camp varies depending on what state/country you're in, and in many places resembles less a regular military structure than a feudal levy, being drawn from a hodgepodge of traditional contributors rather than a scientifically organized and trained permanent force, though this varies. Personnel come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by Federal and State agencies or by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be supervised by the National Interagency Fire Center at its headquarters in Boise. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year; [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. National Guardsmen and occasionally regular military personnel take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. Convicts deemed to pose low risk of escape may volunteer themselves for firefighting efforts under the supervision of correctional officers. And of course when a fire gets to near a town, the local fire department and other emergency services will join. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by [[BadassPacifist conscientious objectors]] desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty is manning the lookout towers that dot the west. Satellites are now expected to make these obsolete (though it hasn't happened yet), and tightening budgets have closed most of them down. Though the few that still operate are still a very valuable resource, most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".[[note]]After [=FEMA=] adopted the Incident Command System to streamline emergency responses in situations involving multiple responding agencies; not-so-coincidentally, [=FEMA=] modeled the system after organized wildfire response.[[/note]]

The composition of a fire camp varies depending on what state/country you're in, and in many places resembles less a regular military structure than a feudal levy, being drawn from a hodgepodge of traditional contributors rather than a scientifically organized and trained permanent force. Personnel come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by Federal and State agencies or by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be supervised by the National Interagency Fire Center at its headquarters in Boise. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year; [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. National Guardsmen and occasionally regular military personnel take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. Convicts deemed to pose low risk of escape may volunteer themselves for firefighting efforts under the supervision of correctional officers. And of course when a fire gets to near a town, the local fire department and other emergency services will join. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by [[BadassPacifist conscientious objectors]] desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty that is now obsolete was manning the watchtowers that dot the west. Satellites have made these obsolete and most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".[[note]]After [=FEMA=] adopted the Incident Command System to streamline emergency responses in situations involving multiple responding agencies; not-so-coincidentally, [=FEMA=] modeled the system after organized wildfire response.[[/note]]

The composition of a fire camp varies depending on what state/country you're in, and in many places resembles less a regular military structure than a feudal levy, being drawn from a hodgepodge of traditional contributors rather than a scientifically organized and trained permanent force. Personnel come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by Federal and State forestry services or by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be supervised by the National Interagency Fire Center at its headquarters in Boise. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year; [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. National Guardsmen and occasionally regular military personnel take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. Convicts deemed to pose low risk of escape may volunteer themselves for firefighting efforts under the supervision of correctional officers. And of course when a fire gets to near a town, the local fire department and other emergency services will join. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by [[BadassPacifist conscientious objectors]] desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty that is now obsolete was manning the watchtowers that dot the west. Satellites have made these obsolete and most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".[[note]]After [=FEMA=] adopted the Incident Command System to streamline emergency responses in situations involving multiple responding agencies; not-so-coincidentally, [=FEMA=] modeled the system after organized wildfire response.[[/note]]

The composition of a fire camp resembles less a regular military structure than a feudal levy, being drawn from a hodgepodge of traditional contributors rather than a scientifically organized and trained permanent force. Personnel come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by Federal and State forestry services or by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be supervised by the National Interagency Fire Center at its headquarters in Boise. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year; [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. National Guardsmen and occasionally regular military personnel take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. Convicts deemed to pose low risk of escape may volunteer themselves for firefighting efforts under the supervision of correctional officers. And of course when a fire gets to near a town, the local fire department and other emergency services will join. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by [[BadassPacifist conscientious objectors]] desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty that is now obsolete was manning the watchtowers that dot the west. Satellites have made these obsolete and most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".[[note]]After [=FEMA=] adopted the Incident Command System to streamline emergency responses in situations involving multiple responding agencies; not-so-coincidentally, [=FEMA=] modeled the system after organized wildfire response.[[/note]]

The composition of a fire camp resembles less a regular military structure than a feudal levy, being drawn from a hodgepodge of traditional contributors rather than a scientifically organized and trained permanent force. Personnel come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by Federal and State forestry services or by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be supervised by the National Interagency Fire Center at its headquarters in Boise. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year; [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. National Guardsmen and occasionally regular military personnel take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. And of course when a fire gets to near a town, the local fire department and other emergency services will join. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by [[BadassPacifist conscientious objectors]] desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty that is now obsolete was manning the watchtowers that dot the west. Satellites have made these obsolete and most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".[[note]]After [=FEMA=] adopted the Incident Command System to streamline emergency responses in situations involving multiple responding agencies; not-so-coincidentally, [=FEMA=] modeled the system after organized wildfire response.[[/note]]

Tactics in wildfire fighting involve coralling the fire into a manageable area until it starves itself of fuel, or is drenched out by weather. This involves careful use of terrain; and sometimes, deliberate destruction of fuel, often ironically by deliberately setting controlled blazes. Wildfires have their own specialized equipment, notable among them is the Pulaski, a multipurpose fireax which is something of a [[NationalWeapon Subcultural Weapon.]]

The composition of a fire camp resembles less a regular military structure than a feudal levy, being drawn from a hodgepodge of traditional contributors rather than a scientifically organized and trained permanent force. Personnel come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by Federal and State forestry services or by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be supervised by the National Interagency Fire Center at its headquarters in Boise. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year; [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. National Guardsmen and occasionally regular military personnel take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. And of course when a fire gets to near a town, the local fire department and other emergency services will join. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by [[BadassPacifist conscientious objectors]] desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty that is now obsolete was manning the watchtowers that dot the west. Satellites have made these obsolete and most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".[[note]]After [=FEMA=] adopted the Incident Command system to streamline emergency responses in situations involving multiple responding agencies; not-so-coincidentally, [=FEMA=] modeled the system after organized wildfire response.[[/note]]

The large areas of untamed and semi-tamed wilderness in the United States are prone to wildfire every year, particularly in the summer when wood, brush, and grass are dry. As a result great efforts are spent in controlling blazes. While of late doctrine has changed into a realization that fire is a part of the ecology, at the least fires have to be ''watched.'' If they get out of control thousands of volunteers have to be raised in what have been compared to military operations. As these operations take place every year, wildfire has become it's own subculture.

The composition of a fire camp resembles less a regular military structure then a feudal levy, being drawn from a hodgepodge of traditional contributors rather then a scientifically organized and trained permanent force. Personal come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by Federal and State forestry services or by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be supervised by the National Interagency Fire Center at it's headquarters in Boise. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year; [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. National Guardsmen and occasionally regular military personal take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. And of course when a fire gets to near a town, the local fire department and other emergency services will join. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by [[BadassPacifist conscientious objectors]] desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty that is now obsolete was manning the watchtowers that dot the west. Satellites have made these obsolete and most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".

The composition of a fire camp resembles less a regular military structure then a feudal levy, being drawn from a hodgepodge of traditional contributors rather then a scientifically organized and trained permanent force. Personal come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by Federal and State forestry services or by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be supervised by the National Interagency Fire Center at it's headquarters in Boise. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year; [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. National Guardsmen and occasionally regular military personal take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. And of course when a fire gets to near a town, the local fire department and other emergency services will join. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by conscientious objectors desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty that is now obsolete was manning the watchtowers that dot the west. Satellites have made these obsolete and most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".

The large areas of untamed and semi-tamed wilderness in the United States are prone to wildfire every year, particularly in the summer when wood, brush, and grass are dry. As a result great efforts are spent in controlling blazes. While of late doctrine has changed into a realization that fire is a part of the ecology, at the least fires have to be ''watched.'' If they get out of control thousands of volunteers have to be raised in what have been compared to a military operations. As these operations take place every year, wildfire has become it's own subculture.

The composition of a fire camp resembles less a regular military structure then a feudal levy, being drawn from a hodgepodge of traditional contributors rather then a scientifically organized and trained permanent force. Personal come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by Federal and State forestry services or by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be supervised by the National Interagency Fire Center at it's headquarters in Boise. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. National Guardsmen and occasionally regular military personal take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. And of course when a fire gets to near a town, the local fire department and other emergency services will join. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by conscientious objectors desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty that is now obsolete was manning the watchtowers that dot the west. Satellites have made these obsolete and most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".

The composition of a fire camp resembles less a regular military structure then a feudal levy, being drawn from a hodgepodge of traditional contributors rather then a scientifically organized and trained permanent force. Personal come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by States or by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be overseen by the US Forestry Service, ultimately from a headquarters in Arizona which coincidently was also a headquarters of ColdWar covert operations. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. National Guardsmen and occasionally regular military personal take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. And of course when a fire gets to near a town, the local fire department and other emergency services will join. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by conscientious objectors desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty that is now obsolete was manning the watchtowers that dot the west. Satellites have made these obsolete and most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".

Tactics in wildfire fighting involve coralling the fire into a manageable area until it starves itself out. This involves careful use of terrain; and sometimes, deliberate destruction of fuel, often ironically by deliberately setting controlled blazes. Wildfires have their own specialized equipment, notable among them is the Pulaski, a multipurpose fireax which is something of a [[NationalWeapon Subcultural Weapon.]]

The composition of a fire camp resembles less a regular military structure then a feudal levy, being drawn from a hodgepodge of traditional contributors rather then a scientifically organized and trained permanent force. Personal come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be overseen by the US Forestry Service, ultimately from a headquarters in Arizona which coincidently was also a headquarters of ColdWar covert operations. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. Occasionally military personal take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by conscientious objectors desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty that is now obsolete was manning the watchtowers that dot the west. Satellites have made these obsolete and most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".

The composition of a fire camp resembles less a regular military structure then a feudal levy. Personal come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be overseen by the forestry service. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. Occasionally military personal take part and there has been profitable feedback between the methods and traditions of the two occupations. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by conscientious objectors desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]] Another specialty that is now obsolete was manning the watchtowers that dot the west. Satellites have made these obsolete and most of them have been relegated to picturesque historical relics. [[FourStarBadass Commanders]] of the project were once called "fire bosses" but are now referred to as "Incident Commanders".

The composition of a fire camp resembles less a regular military structure then a feudal levy. Personal come from a variety of sources. Some are contributed by interested corporations like timber companies, and the effort tends to be overseen by the forestry service. Also notable are small settlements like towns and American Indian tribes that have a tradition of contributing young men for the fire service every year [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Firefighter Races]] if you will. There are a number of specialties, famous among them are the smoke jumpers, which during WorldWarII were manned largely by conscientious objectors desiring to [[HonorBeforeReason prove that their refusal was not because of lack of courage.]]