How can you prepare your team to respond to a wildfire?

Knowledge is power! Similar to urban firefighting operations/rescue operations, you and your team should be doing reconnaissance of your response area. This means either doing physical walkthroughs of said area and/or pouring over maps, grids and any sort of data that you can get your hands on. Additionally, having discussions with your mutual aid agencies is a must, as you and them can exchange valuable information that will only add to your knowledge bank. Risk assessment should always be a regular task, as conditions within your response area will always change from day to day. Know your response area and your Standard Operating Procedures like the back of your hand!

One of the most influential, educational and powerful experiential learning tools is a staff ride. Staff rides have long been utilized by the military and more recently the wildland fire service as a way to prepare for the battlefield or fire ground. This creates the space to discuss amongst ranks and understand different perspectives of risk. The risk is different through the entire flow chart of stakeholders, commanding officers, and operators. Being able to understand the view through each others lens, and the impacts of decisions made at each others levels exposes the challenges you may have never considered or perhaps forgotten. They are extremely beneficial for all participants and can be developed to support specific objectives.

Prepare your team for wildfires by training them in prevention and response, conducting drills, and creating a detailed response plan. Establish effective communication channels, stockpile emergency supplies, and develop evacuation plans with identified routes and triggers. Collaborate with local authorities, monitor weather conditions, and create defensible spaces. Ensure legal compliance, educate the community, and regularly review and update the response plan. After an incident, conduct a thorough evaluation for continuous improvement.

La connaissance du terrain est primordiale pour l'évaluation des risques. Les sites gouvernementaux sont accessibles gratuitement et permettent d'analyser les forêts.

Prepare your team for wildfires by developing an emergency response plan with clear roles and communication procedures. Conduct regular training and drills to practice evacuation and firefighting protocols. Assess local wildfire risks and stay informed about conditions. Establish robust communication channels and ensure access to necessary equipment and resources. Collaborate with local authorities, engage with the community on prevention, and educate residents about evacuation plans. Stay informed, adapt plans based on evolving situations, and conduct post-incident reviews to improve readiness.

With any response efforts. It’s important to regularly conduct drills, spot exercises and full scale exercises with multiple injects to simulate a scenarios. This helps the team practice response skills, identify areas of opportunity/improvement, and build confidence in the team members abilities.

- Formulate a precise and contextualized Emergency Preparedness & Response Plan by encompassing all foreseeable emergency scenarios - Identifying the company emergency response team members - Providing training for all company emergency response team members - Providing sufficient emergency related resources and motivations for all company emergency response team members - Conducting drills to familiarize all company emergency response team members and stakeholders - Carry out drill assessment report to identify gaps and shortcomings - Invitation of Firefighting bureau or authority to observe drills and give suggestions

Pour intervenir en toute sécurité, il est capital de se former. La formation au feu de forêt comprend plusieurs niveaux. (FDF1-2-3-4) et englobe aussi la formation des conducteurs des engins incendie.

Know what equipment you have to work with, understand the capabilities/limitations of your equipment and knowing all of your pieces of equipment intimately. Service your equipment regularly. Train with your team regularly. Know fire hose lengths, know hydrants and their flow rates (if on site), pumps and boost. Ensure your breathing aparatus and fire suits are in good condition and fit each trained responder properly. If you have a fire vehicle, keep it in good repair and always fuelled. If you have a water tank, always keep it filled. Although these things I have mentioned may seem like a given, if any of these areas fall over, then so does the effectiveness of the response. Most of all, assess all risks and remember, safety first.