Fireline is a break in fuel, made by cutting, scraping, or digging. It can be done by mechanized equipment such as bulldozers, in wilderness lands, it is done using hand tools.
Home Fire Gel Defense System
NPE-Free Fire Gel Retardant is an applied gel coating onto property in front of an approaching wildfire, before retreating to a safe area.
When applied the super-absorbent polymers in the gel concentrate trap water molecules and suspend them in millions of tiny “bubblets.”
Sprayed onto the flammable surfaces of roofs, windows, eaves and walls of a house, vehicles, or propane tanks, a “wet blanket” wrap.
NPE-Free Fire Gel Retardant can be applied up to 24 hours before an approaching wildfire.
The Forest Service placed NPE-Free Fire Gel Retardant on the QPL in early 2006. No adverse effects to animals or humans. ((EPS-Free liquid concentrate which, when mixed with water, provides dead-stop fire protection on everything it has coated (wood, glass, vinyl, metal and more). It provides a unique, thermal-protective coating that, in addition to many other uses, can protect structures from burning when they are exposed to the effects of fire. This protective coating can last for up to 24 hours or longer, depending on weather conditions (temperature, wind and relative humidity). Misting the coating with additional water spray can extend the protection times.))
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Homeowners can evacuate safely, and firefighting resources can be focused on the wildfire rather than on the already protected structures. The gel can be washed off with plain water after the fire danger has passed.
" Evolving approaches to wildland fire management by integrating pre-planned
control lines and operational decisions with quantitative risk assessment –
support a safer and more strategic response to fire-prone landscapes."
Getting Down to Mineral Soil
In building fireline, all fuels are removed and the surface is scraped to mineral soil on a strip between 6 inches and 3 feet wide, depending upon the fuel and slope. It needs to be wide enough to prevent smoldering, burning, or spotting by embers blowing or rolling across the line. If it is safe, firelines should be wider at the head of the fire than along the flanks. Firelines can also be made or enlarged by backburns, wherein fuels between the advancing fire and the line are burned out to slow or stop the fire.
Containment
Eventually the firefighters do prevail. Often a break in the weather is the factor that allows the workers to encircle and contain the fire. Once the fire is contained, the hard, dirty work of mop up goes into full swing to bring the fire under control. Each ember will be painstakingly sought and put out. The entire fire perimeter, and sometimes the entire fire area is felt with bare hands (also known as cold trailing) to be sure there is no longer any heat left to allow the fire to escape. During mop up, firefighters also begin rehabilitating firelines by raking back the soil and placing water bars to minimize erosion.
Demobilization (Demob)
Just as resources were pumped into the control effort, they are released (demobilized or demobed) as it is determined that they are no longer needed. Eventually the fire will be put into the patrol phase and the fire report completed. The firefighters will refurbish their gear and ready themselves for the next call.