Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center

Hot Tips

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Advance your professional wildland firefighting skills.
Looking for new directions and innovative ways to get the job done?
Interested in a toolbox of hot tips that really work?
You're in the right spot.

View the latest in innovative tactics, technologies, tools and learning opportunities below:

Narrated presentations titled MyFireCommunity.net Orientation will be available soon to help you learn how to use many of the updated site's new capabilities.

The Slaughter Gulch Fire (8MB) resulted in an engine burnover the investigation team determined could have been prevented. (This is a Flash Presentation and requires the Adobe Flash Player to run.) Investigation Team Report (1 MB PDF posted 091305)

Other recent additions we consider Hot Tips:

National Forests In North Carolina Incident Organizer
( doc posted 7/3/2008)
This is a tri fold incident organizer, created by Alyce Harris (North Carolina). It is modeled off the Virginia Coordination Center incident organizer.

Smoke and Inversion Message - Predictive Services
(27KB doc posted 6/28/2008)
Smoke from the growth of our many lightning fires has now become widespread across much of northern CA. Since Sunday the 22nd the atmosphere has been generally stable which, along with shading caused by the smoke itself, has tended to limit smoke rise. In the most-affected areas inversions have lasted into the afternoon hours, and even where they break or lift, the vertical lapse rates have not become as steep as they could under totally sunny conditions.

2008 California Fire Season Outlook
(675KB pdf posted 6/26/2008)
"This Assessment is an update from, and expands upon, the preliminary outlook produced in late April 2008. It should be considered the primary assessment of expected fire season severity for the remainder of the Northern California fire season. It will only be updated again if necessary. The Assessment is produced by subject matter experts in fire weather meteorology, climate, fuels, fire danger and GIS technology. It is based on past developments, current conditions, recent trends, and present predictions for the next four months (July through October)."

Summit Incident Green Sheet
(67KB pdf posted 6/25/2008)
"0n June 1st 2008 at 1630 hours, a private D6mxl high track bulldozer with operator was working on the Summit incident fire suppression repair. During movement on the line, the dozer ran up and onto a hidden root ball. The dozer slid off of the root ball with its momentum causing the dozer to turn onto its side in loose soil. The dozer operator was not injured. The dozer was winched upright, inspected by a mechanic, and found to be undamaged. After minor preventive maintance the dozer was returned to work on the incident."

California Fuels and Fire Behavior Advisory June 2008
(983KB pdf posted 6/23/2008)
Subject: Low live and dead fuel moistures, along with persistent drought, have created the potential for active to extreme fire behavior in many low to mid-elevation parts of the state. Discussion: With the exception of the northwest corner of the state, most of California is experiencing drought conditions. Effects of lower than normal live and dead fuel moistures and localized sudden oak death are the focus of this advisory.

Indians Fire Engine 71 Burn Incident 24 Hour Report
(96KB pdf posted 6/19/2008)
"At approximately 1615 hours while supporting a firing operation, Engine-71 was involved in a localized fire blow-up. A cyclonic fire wind event caused four members of Engine-71 to be overcome by the fire. The crew was suppressing spot fires near the roads edge when they experienced extreme fire and wind behavior."

Indians Fire Engine 71 Burn Incident 72 Hour Report
( doc posted 6/19/2008)
On June 11, 2008 at approximately 1600 hrs LPF Engine 71 with five crew members (four on the ground and one driver) was supporting a holding action during a firing operation along the Del Venturi Road. Between 1625 and 1635 hrs a sudden change in the fire behavior occurred resulting in the burn over of four engine crew members and the engine with driver in an entrapment.

Lessons Learned From Frye Mesa & Whitmire Rx Burns - Escaped Prescribed Fire Review
(57KB doc posted 6/16/2008)
This is a general summary of the Lessons Learned during the the Frye Mesa & Whitmire Rx Burns in bullet point format, written by Pete Gordon.

Wildland Fire Safety Awareness Study (TriData) Phase Three - 10 Year Anniversary Project
( doc posted 6/12/2008)
This year (2008) marks the 10th anniversary of the release of the TriData Phase 3 study. This was a landmark safety study for the interagency wildland fire community that helped shape fire management direction during the past decade. Several of the NWCG Safety and Health Working Team (SHWT) projects and initiatives came out of this study as did the formation of the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center (LLC).

Madison Arm Fire 2007 Aquatic Nuisance Species Decontamination of Engines and Tenders: Lessons Learned
( doc posted 6/11/2008)
"Fire engines and tenders servicing the Madison Arm Fire on the Hebgen Lake Ranger District during June and July 2007 drafted water from the Madison River known to be infested with New Zealand mud snails and potentially infected with whirling disease. Because these aquatic nuisance species (ANS) pose a serious ecological and economic threat wherever they are introduced, it was imperative to disinfect engines and tenders during demobilization."

Disclaimer: Information is provided with the intent to share knowledge to improve safety, performance, efficiency and organizational learning throughout the entire wildland fire community. However, no warranties or guarantees are implied because much of the data provided is beyond the control of the Center. No endorsement of any company or product is given or implied.