Course Introduction

• Objectives

• Overview

• Materials

• Evaluation

Unit 1 – Basic Concepts of Wildland Fire

Summary

The ability to apply knowledge of fuels, terrain, weather, and fire behavior begins with the language and terminology used in wildland fire.

Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Describe basic terminology used in wildland fire.

• Describe the elements of the fire triangle.

• Describe the methods of heat transfer.

Unit 2 - Fuels

Summary

Fuels are the main element of the fire triangle that can be manipulated by firefighters. Distinct characteristics of fuel will affect fire behavior, decision making on the fireline, and actions in their removal.

Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Describe the term fuels

• Describe how fuel type and fuel characteristics affect fire behavior

Unit 3 - Temperature and Moisture Relationships

Summary

Weather is the most variable and, at times, the most difficult to predict component of the fire environment. Temperature and moisture are two weather components that are closely monitored by firefighters because they have a direct impact on fuels and potential fire behavior.

Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Describe dry bulb temperature, wet bulb temperature, dew point, and relative humidity.

• Describe how temperature and relative humidity can influence wildland fire behavior.

Unit 4 - Topography

Summary

The ability to identifying, analyzing, and using relevant situational information about topographic features can help predict wildland fire behavior is the responsibility of everyone on the fireline.

Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify topographic features found in the wildland fire environment.

• Describe the basic characteristics of topography and how they can affect wildland fire behavior.

Unit 5 - Atmospheric Stability, Winds and Clouds

Summary

Surface winds, temperature, and relative humidity are the most commonly considered and easy to measure elements in the fire environment. Less obvious, but equally important, is atmospheric stability, and related vertical air movements that influence fire behavior.

Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Describe atmospheric stability and discuss the effects on fire behavior.

• Describe wind and its effects on fire behavior.

• Explain cloud classifications and their impact on fire behavior.

• Explain the similarities between smoke layers and clouds in relation to impact on fire behavior.

Unit 6 - Critical Fire Weather

Summary

Some of the risk involved in fire suppression can be reduced if firefighters understand critical weather events, such as thunderstorms, cold fronts, foehn (mountain) winds, and the impact they have on fire behavior.

Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Describe critical fire weather conditions.

• Describe critical fire weather events such as cold fronts, thunderstorms, foehn winds, and other local phenomenon that can impact fire behavior.

Unit 7 - Alignment

Summary

Defining the fire environment means discussing how fuels, weather, and topography each possess characteristics and properties that affect fire behavior. Independently, the effect these characteristics, and properties have can be somewhat predictable. When those individual elements align with one another, the potential for extreme fire behavior may occur.

Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Describe how the primary wildland fire environment components - fuels, weather, and topography are made more complex by interaction with each other.

• Describe how alignment of these components greatly increases the potential for extreme fire behavior.

• The primary wildland fire environment components: fuels, weather, and topography;

• How characteristics and interactions of fuels, weather, and topography affect fire behavior;

• How fire behavior affects risk to firefighter.

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Describe the basic terminology used in wildland fire.

• Identify and discuss the fire triangle.

• Identify and discuss key characteristics of the primary wildland fire environment components - fuels, weather, and topography.

• Identify critical fire weather factors that, combined with receptive fuels, may result in extreme fire behavior.

• Recognize how alignment of fuels, weather, and topography can increase the potential for extreme fire behavior.

• Incident Response Pocket Guide (IRPG), PMS 461 (Downloadable PDF)

• Student Evaluation Task Sheet

• NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205

• Temperature RH Tables from Fire Behavior Field Reference Guide, PMS 437

• Belt Weather Kit (NFES 001154) (Link to tutorial)

• NWCG Standards for Fire Weather Stations, PMS 426-3 (Downloadable PDF)

• Psychrometric Table (Click here to obtain a full set of tables in PDF form)

• Fire Weather Cloud Chart, PMS 438 (Downloadable color PDF)

• NWCG Fire Environment Poster, PMS 439 (Downloadable PDF)

• Handheld weather measurement device (Link to Kestrel Digital Weather Meter Tutorial)