TRAINING OBJECTIVES
• Review Roles and Responsibilities of Wardens and Deputy Wardens
• Review the process for issuing permits and handling illegal fires
• Review fire safety, weather and equipment
• This training is set up in Question/Answer form and requires group interaction
FIRE STATISTICSTEN YEAR AVERAGE 2002 – 2011
IN THE PAST TEN YEARS….
WHICH COUNTY BURNED THE MOST ACREAGE?
WHICH COUNTY HAD THE MOST FIRES?
WHICH COUNTY HAD THE MOST ACREAGE BURNED IN ONE YEAR?
HILLSBOROUGH – 790 FIRES
HILLSBOROUGH & ROCKINGHAM – 275 ACRES
COOS – 104 ACRES IN 2006
GRAFTON – 78 ACRES IN 2004
HILLSBOROUGH – 75 ACRES IN 2006
FIRE STATISTICSTEN YEAR AVERAGE 2002 – 2011
IN THE PAST TEN YEARS….
WHAT WAS THE NUMBER 1 CAUSE OF FIRES?
•DEBRIS BURNING – 176 FIRES PER YEAR
•MISCELLANEOUS – 134 / YR.
•CAMPFIRES – 29 / YR.
•SMOKING – 28 / YR.
•CHILDREN – 17 / YR.
•ARSON – 11 / YR.
•LIGHTNING – 7 / YR.
•EQUIPMENT – 6 / YR.
•RAILROADS – 2 / YR.
FOREST FIRE WARDEN
The Warden’s job has four main dutiesNAME TWO...
FIRE PREVENTIONFIRE PREPAREDNESSFIRE SUPPRESSION
FIRE REPORTS & BILLS
FOREST FIRE DEPUTY WARDENThe Deputy Warden’s job has four main duties
NAME TWO...
FIRE PREVENTIONFIRE PREPAREDNESSFIRE SUPPRESSION
RECORDS
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
?• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?• What laws or rules are in violation?• From what you can see, What would you do?
Driving down the road and this
catches your eye…
SUGGESTED ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT DID YOU DO?
?SUGGESTED ANSWER• Stop and investigate• If individual is around, ask for permit• Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire• Advise Forest Ranger of situation
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
PREVENTION
NAME TWO PREVENTION ITEMS
THE WARDEN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR.
• Requiring & Issuing Fire Permits
• Enforcing Forest Fire Laws
• Following up on all known violations
• Educating the public – posting law posters, direct contact etc…
• Informing the Forest Ranger of active timber sales, slash violations and potential fire situations
WHY WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TIMBER HARVESTS
FOREST RANGERS INSPECT TIMBER HARVEST OPERATIONS FOR:
• Proper filing of intent to cut form
• Posting of certificate or; Posting of copy of intent signed by assessing officials
• Verification of volumes on report of wood cut
• Basal Area• Wetlands• Slash• Contract & Deceptive
Forestry• Trespass
IF A TIM
BER HARVEST
DOES NOT H
AVE AN
INTENT TO C
UT OR
CERTIFICATE P
OSTED –
LET US K
NOW
RSA 227-J:10CARE OF SLASH AND MILL RESIDUE
SLASH DEFINED: Branches, bark, tops, chunks, tops, cull logs, uprooted stumps, and broken and uprooted brush and trees left on the ground after logging or other cutting operations.
RSA 227-J:10CARE OF SLASH AND MILL RESIDUE
Forest Rangers inspect timber harvest operations to ensure compliance with the slash law. Specific requirements are displayed on this diagram.
WE ALSO NEED HELP WITH THE FIREWOOD QUARANTINE
• Effective July 2011• Anyone transporting firewood into
New Hampshire needs a Compliance Agreement• Firewood dealers need to contact Forests & Lands for a
compliance agreement• Homeowners can get one online• Quarantine is to stop the spread of invasive insects• Let us know about out of state firewood dealers in your
area
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?• What laws or rules are in violation?• From what you can see, What would you do?
?
WHAT WOULD
YOU DO?Backyard fire with Category III Permit
to burn brush
SUGGESTED ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
SUGGESTED ANSWER• Stop and investigate• If individual is around, ask for permit• Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire• If the violation is small and the individual is cooperative, you may issue a
Written Warning (if you are authorized by your Warden).• Advise Forest Ranger of situation
?
WHAT DID YOU
DO?
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIESPREVENTION
NAME TWO PREVENTION ITEMS THE
DEPUTY WARDEN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR.
• Check on all burning noticed. If a required permit has not been obtained, order the fire extinguished and inform the Warden
• Assist the Warden with educating the public
• Inform the Warden of potential fire situations
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
FIRE PREPAREDNESS
WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING IS NOT A
REQUIREMENT UNDER YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION?
• Attend forest fire training
• Preplanning forest fire hazards
• Know the fire hazards in your town, as well as sources of water, roads and trails
• Obtaining suppression tools and equipment and maintaining them
• Attend Warden Association Meetings
• Attend Warden Association Meetings, but you are encouraged to.
Association Meetings are a great place for Wardens and Deputies from different towns in the area to
share information and ideas. Forest Rangers attend the meetings to give updates on fire activity and
opportunities statewide, such as grants and upcoming training. It is important for Wardens and
Deputies to attend these meetings.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIESFIRE SUPPRESSION
WHO IS IN COMMAND OF THE FIRE SCENE IF THE
WARDEN IS NOT PRESENT?• When arriving as the first official on scene, a Deputy Warden will assume command.
• The Warden will assume command from the Deputy Warden when they arrive on scene.
• The Warden and Fire Chief should work in unified command.
• The Forest Ranger will join unified command when on scene.
• It is best to establish command protocols before an incident occurs.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
?• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?• What laws or rules are in violation?• From what you can see, What would you do?
Friday, late morning. Toned by
Dispatch for a smoke
investigation and you find…
SUGGESTED ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT DID YOU DO?
?SUGGESTED ANSWER• Stop and investigate• If individual is around, ask for permit• Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire• Advise Forest Ranger of situation
FOREST FIRE DEPUTY WARDENWhat Records are
Deputy Warden’s responsible for?
• Names of personnel assigned to them
• Time of assigned personnel
• Any Fire Information they have – area of origin, suppression actions, witnesses, responsible party, etc…
The Warden shall prepare a full and accurate fire report and send it to the district Forest Ranger
within ? hours of a fire.
48 HoursThe BLUE portion of the Fire Bill meets this requirement, if a Fire Bill is not going
to be submitted, the Warden needs to call or email the Ranger
FIRE REPORTING
FIRE REPORTING
• Date of Fire• Location• Size• Cause (name of person responsible)• Type (Wildfire or Non-permit/illegal fire)
Maintaining accurate records and reporting them nationally is very important to us.
We provide this information to towns working on Community Wildfire Protection Plan’s and use it when awarding VFA Grants.
What is the minimum information the Warden needs to provide their Ranger with for EVERY fire in their town?
When you are not filling out a Fire Bill – You can call or EMAIL the information to your Ranger –
It is important that we get it.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
?• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?• What laws or rules are in violation?• From what you can see, What would you do?
You drive this road every day
to work, Monday morning you see
this…
SUGGESTED ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT DID YOU DO?
?SUGGESTED ANSWER• Check with Warden, Deputies and Fire Department to see if
anyone knows about the incident• Find out who the landowner is, Warden and/or Fire Chief
should obtain preliminary information• Notify Forest Ranger of situation
TRUE or FALSE
You can suspend a Fire Permit and order a fire to be extinguished if you determine
the smoke to be causing a nuisance.
FALSE
The definition of “nuisance smoke” was through DES. They have removed this
definition from their rules; therefore, smoke from a fire can no longer be
defined as a nuisance.
TRUE or FALSE
When mutual aid departments respond to your town for a fire, their firefighters go on your Fire Bill.
FALS
E
The process for Fire Bills is the same for every fire, every time, for every town.
ALWAYS:
1.Fill out Fire Bill for YOUR firefighters
2.YOUR town pays YOUR firefighters
3.Send Fire Bill to your Forest Ranger
4. If it was a fire with mutual aid, the Ranger will organize all of the bills for delivery to the town which had the fire.
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CAMPGROUNDS
Before receiving a seasonal permit, campgrounds must meet four additional
requirements for site preparation.
Name two of the four additional requirements.
• Be on an area cleaned to mineral soil at least 8 feet across
• Have at least 6 inches of sand or gravel under the fire for any fire built on the ground
• Have no limbs or other burnable material to a height of 10 feet above the fire area
• Have a ring of fire resistive material constructed so it cannot be moved from the mineral soil area.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
?• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?• What laws or rules are in violation?• From what you can see, What would you do?
Saturday, early evening. PD responds to a noise complaint, they call you because there is a
fire as well. When you arrive you find that the owner has a
category I permit. PD asks if you can suspend the permit.
SUGGESTED ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT DID YOU DO?
?SUGGESTED ANSWER• Look over area for any violations• If there are any violations, illegal material etc… suspend the
permit• If there are no violations, you cannot suspend the permit
ISSUING AGENTS
STATUTE: RSA 227-G:4,IX directs the Commissioner
of DRED to create rules regarding the issuance of burning permits.
RULE: RES 5601.03 (a) Except as provided in this section, no person other than a forest
fire warden shall issue fire permits.(b)The director shall authorize others to issue fire permits after recommendation
by the forest fire warden.
Where do Issuing Agents get their authority to write fire permits?
The A.G.’s Office has determined that this covers the appointment of Issuing Agents.
CATEGORY IV PERMITS
Who has the authority to issue a Category IV
Permit?
Res 5601.05
The Forest Ranger & Warden must
sign the Category IV Permit.
If the Warden is not available, a person authorized to issue permits, may sign
along with the Forest Ranger.
Steven Sherman
Maynard FarrMonroe
CATEGORY IV PERMITS
Who are Category IV Permits commonly issued
to?
Why?
Category IV Permits are commonly issued to:
• Transfer Stations
• Land Clearing Companies
This is allowed because:
• Individuals are usually not working after 5:00pm
• Equipment is on site to control a fire
• Other means of disposal would be difficult
CATEGORY IV PERMITS
What materials can be burned with a Category IV
(“Commercial”) burn permit?
Res 5601.05 Category IV Permits are not different than any other permit, the only material allowed to be burned is:
Clean, untreated wood or brush less than 5 inches in diameter and meets applicable air resource regulations.
Clean, untreated wood or brush, no greater than 5 inches in diameter
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?• What laws or rules are in violation?• From what you can see, What would you do?
?
WHAT WOULD
YOU DO?Neighbor Complaint.
A contractor has made this pile and
the neighbor thinks it may be burned soon
SUGGESTED ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
SUGGESTED ANSWER• There is no violation of the permit law at this point, so you
are limited in what you can do• Use as an educational opportunity and talk with the
contractor about the permit laws• Keep an eye on the pile
?
WHAT DID YOU
DO?
FIRE PERMITWhat is wrong with this Fire Permit?
Res 5601.04 Category I fires can be burned anytime
of day
DOCUMENTED
3 within a 7 year period
VIOLATIONS
How many DOCUMENTED violations must a person have before you can
deny them a permit?
7 Years
1st Offense
2nd Offense, 2 years later
3rd Offense, 3 years after 2nd Offense
7 ye
ars
from
1st O
ffens
e
Permits DENIED for 2
Years
FIRE PERMITWhat additional information would you ask for before issuing this permit?
Res 5601.01 & RSA 227-L:17 The Permittee is not the Landowner
and must have Written Permission from the Landowner
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?• What laws or rules are in violation?• From what you can see, What would you do?
?
WHAT WOULD
YOU DO?
1300 Hours, Saturday. Individual has a
Category III permit. It has been raining all
morning, but the sun is now coming out.
SUGGESTED ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
?
WHAT DID YOU
DO?
SUGGESTED ANSWER• Stop and investigate• If individual is around, ask for permit• Since this fire is in the middle of the day and it is no longer
raining, it will need to be extinguished; if the individual is able to do so, have them put the fire out, otherwise have the Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire
• You can issue a Written Warning to document the violation• Advise Forest Ranger of the fire
FIRE PERMITSHow far must snow be extending
from the base of a fire to be considered “adequate snow cover”
100 Feet
100’
100’
100’ 100’
FROZEN PRECIP
ITATIO
N
FROZEN PRECIP
ITATIO
NFROZEN PRECIPITATION
FROZEN PRECIPITATION
FIRE PERMITWhat is wrong with this Fire Permit?
Res 5601.04 (a)(5) Category III fires should not be issued
for long periods of time because it is not possible to predict favorable weather conditions to prevent the spread or
escape of the fire
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?• What laws or rules are in violation?• From what you can see, What would you do?
?
WHAT WOULD
YOU DO?Monday morning, no one on site…
SUGGESTED ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
?
WHAT DID YOU
DO?
SUGGESTED ANSWER• Stop and investigate, take photographs (cell phones work
well for this)• If individual returns, ask for permit• Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire• Advise Forest Ranger of situation
FIRE BEHAVIOR
A. Fire BehaviorB. WindC. TopographyD. Relative Humidity
What factor influences fire spread more than any other?
WIND
Why are Category II and III fires only allowed to be burned between
5:00 pm and 9:00 am?
RE
LA
TIV
E H
UM
IDIT
Y
TE
MP
ER
AT
UR
E
A.M. P.M.AFTERNOON
As the day progresses from morning to afternoon the environment changes and makes fire control more difficult.
The temperature increases in the afternoon and the surface fuels on the ground are pre-heated.
The relative humidity decreases in the afternoon and small fuels such as grasses, leaves and twigs dry out.
Winds pick up allowing sparks and embers to travel away from the fire, making control more difficult.
L.C.E.SLCES is the minimum level of hazard control that
must be in place before making the decision to engage a fire.
L LOOKOUTS
C What does “C” stand for?
E ESCAPE ROUTES
S SAFETY ZONES
L LOOKOUTS
C COMMUNICATIONS
E ESCAPE ROUTES
S SAFETY ZONES
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
?• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?• What laws or rules are in violation?• From what you can see, What would you do?
You notice this pile Sunday afternoon…
SUGGESTED ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT DID YOU DO?
?SUGGESTED ANSWER• Stop and investigate, take pictures• If individual is around, ask for permit• Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire• Advise Forest Ranger of situation so enforcement action can
be taken
OFFICIAL WARNINGWho has
the authority to issue Official
Warnings?
Why do you need to fill out Official
Warnings?
All Patrolmen, Wardens &
any DW authorized by the Warden.
To document violations.
After you turn them in they
are entered into the statewide
database.
RSA 227-G:7, II
OFFICIAL WARNING
What box would you check if an individual
had a Category I permit, but
was burning a brush
pile?
X
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?• What laws or rules are in violation?• From what you can see, What would you do?
?
WHAT WOULD
YOU DO?Landowner calls for a Seasonal Category I
Permit, you meet him to look over the site…
SUGGESTED ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
?
WHAT DID YOU
DO?
SUGGESTED ANSWER• Inspect the area for compliance with the rules for Cat. I Fires• Is the pit under 2 feet in diameter and enclosed with fire
resistive material?• Is the pit 25 feet from a structure?• If the permit is denied, you must advise the individual as to
why the permit has been denied.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE - PUMPSWhich is the correct fuel mixture for Mark III Pumps?
16:1
20:1
24:1
50:1
20:1
http://gacc.nifc.gov/rmcc/logistics/cache/policies/mark3.htm
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE - MAPSWhich shows the closest profile of the mountains on this map?
1 2
a ab ba b
2
Wildfire Fighting Near High-Voltage Electric Transmission Lines
FIRE FIGHTING OPERATIONS ? FEET BEYOND THE OUTER MOST WIRE OF AN ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION LINE
REQUIRE NO UNUSUAL TACTICS
100 FEET
Wildfire Fighting Near High-Voltage Electric Transmission Lines
Smoke, ash and incidental mist from fire fighting
operations can contaminate the insulators on
transmission structures. This contamination may cause a short circuit to occur at the
structure, creating an electrical hazard.
Maintain a minimum radial distance of ? feet
between firefighters (and vehicles) and transmission
structures to protect fire fighting personnel from this electrical hazard.
35 FEET
Wildfire Fighting Near High-Voltage Electric Transmission Lines
CAN YOU CONTINUE TO FIGHT THE FIRE WHEN IT IS UNDER THE TRANSMISSION LINES?
SOMETIMES, If you do, you must:
• Abandon any DIRECT ATTACK
• Maintain the 100 foot distance between
firefighters and heavy smoke passing through
electric lines
• Maintain the 35 foot distance between firefighters and
transmission structures
When in doubt, back off and change tactics. ALWAYS PROVIDE FOR FIREFIGHTER SAFETY
?
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?• What laws or rules are in violation?• From what you can see, What would you do?
?
WHAT WOULD
YOU DO?1630 Hours, Saturday.
Individual has no permit
SUGGESTED ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
?
WHAT DID YOU
DO?
SUGGESTED ANSWER• Advise the individual of the permit requirements and how they
may obtain one• If you are authorized to issue permits and you are satisfied that
the area is safe, you may issue a permit• If you are authorized, Issue a Written Warning to document the
violation• If it is almost 5:00 p.m. when you are done and you have issued
a permit, you may consider letting the individual continue to burn the pile, otherwise the pile will need to be extinguished
Name 3 things found in the “Warden’s Corner” section of our website.
• Daily Fire Danger• Current Events – Grant opportunities, new equipment etc…• Fire Training – PowerPoint presentations• Appointment forms, Injury Report Forms etc…• Handouts for the public• Law Posters• Rate sheets and information for fire bills• Smokey Bear sign – Building Instructions• Information on equipment maintenance• Links to weather sites• Much more… w
ww
.nhd
fl.or
g
WARDEN’S CORNER
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