Fire on the Mountain

The ranks in a fire department include Probationary firefighter, Firefighter, Engineer, Captain, Battalion Chief, Chief Assistant, and Chief.  Firefighters are responsible for extinguishing and preventing fires, responding to all emergencies, connecting hoses and nozzles, providing rescue and medical aid, maintaining equipment, apparatuses, and facilities, and training and helping other firefighters.                                                              Engineers are responsible for operating and maintaining the fire apparatus, which includes fire engines and other emergency vehicles. They ensure the vehicles are in good working condition, perform regular maintenance checks, and handle any necessary repairs. During emergencies, the firefighter engineer drives the fire engine to the scene an...

Structure firefighting is the more general form of firefighting and is what most people think of when the term firefighting is mentioned. Although the main focus of structure firefighting is not to fight wildfires, most departments still send out strike teams with engine crews to help fight wildfires.  What people mistake the most about firefighters is that they are only there to put out fires. This was true at one point when firefighting first began but firefighters have evolved to become responders to a lot more than just fires.  The job of a firefighter is not all glory and saving people from burning buildings. Don’t get me wrong; that is definitely a part of the job, but in a single community, that doesn’t happen daily. But things like car accidents, heart attacks, and other medical emergencies do happen quite often.  According to the NFPA in 2021 out of roughly 36 million calls 29 million were medical calls and only 1.3 million were fires. The remaining included fal...

Wildland firefighting can be a very dangerous job and having the proper knowledge of safety is extremely important. To become a wildland firefighter, you will need to know the 10 Standard Firefighting Orders and the 18 Watch Out Situations . Knowing these orders and situations and wearing the proper PPE will keep you and your crew alive. The proper PPE or Personal Protective Equipment for a wildland firefighter includes gloves, a helmet, goggles, a face and neck shroud (optional), Nomex jacket/ pants, a cotton undershirt to hold your sweat and keep you cool, wildland firefighter boots, a fire shelter , and a few more things that you would probably want to take on a hike. Wildland firefighters use a variety of apparatuses to do their job. Type 1 fire engines are mostly used in structure firefighting but are also very helpful in wildland firefighting because they are equipped with large water tanks, and pumps, and can hold plenty of hose lines. However, because of their weight and size...

        The steps to becoming a wildland firefighter are pretty simple. You will need a high school diploma and to take a course on basic wildland firefighting in order to earn a job as a basic wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service. Now, you will also need to complete pack tests to prove that you are capable of doing this physically demanding job. Like any job, the more experience and education you have the faster you will move up the chain of command.       You've probably heard of the fire triangle, fuel, oxygen, and heat, which has been key information to fighting fires for decades. However in recent years another element was added making it a fire tetrahedron , a chemical chain reaction being the forth. In order for fire to exist you will need fuel, oxygen, heat, and the chemical chain reaction of all three. So in order to stop a fire you will need to remove at least one of the elements. This is what firefighters do.  ...

Firefighting is a unique profession with a wide range of responsibilities. You could be a volunteer, someone who performs daring rescues from helicopters, changes smoke detector batteries in homes, or clears brush with a McLeod to create firelines in remote areas. Firefighters of all types take on numerous exciting (or not-so-exciting) tasks regularly. While firefighting has a long history, wildland firefighting has become increasingly crucial in recent years (late 19th century to present) due to the threat wildfires pose to our homes, forests, and environment. In California alone, there were over 7,000 wildland fires this year. Wildland firefighting is essential for protecting people, wildlife, and our way of life from devastating forest fires. Becoming a wildland firefighter requires extensive training and physical endurance. These firefighters often trek to areas inaccessible by vehicles, carrying packs that weigh 50 lbs. or more, and create firelines. A fireline is a break in veget...

 Man and fire have had an interesting relationship since the very beginning. “ From the time man discovered fire, he has also battled to control the flames.” (Firefighter Foundation)  The very first instances of firefighting can be traced back all the way to the second century in ancient Rome. Rome has been described as The City of Fire as it was said to have had 100 fires daily with at least 2 of them being sizable threats to the city. To help avoid the city from constantly burning, the city hired 700 paid firefighters to not only fight fire but to enforce fire prevention laws.  Fast forward to the 17th century, the Great Fire of London that burned for four straight days. The fire kick started the beginnings of the fire service we have today. Shortly after the fire, the first fire insurance companies began popping up. People who paid these companies were given a fire mark or badge on their building which meant that if their building were to catch fire, the company woul...