Escape fire
Encyclopedia
An escape fire is a term used to describe the "backfire" or "backburn" set by Fireboss Wag Dodge at Mann Gulch
to escape a primary fire
burning inescapably towards him and his crew. Check Wiki definitions for "backfire" and "backburn," e.g. fires started by anybody to deprive an oncoming primary fire of burnable fuels once the primary fire reaches the point where the backfire was initiated.
Backfires or backburns can be used as an expedient option of firefighting in areas covered with flash fuels, like in grass covered gulch
es and mountain meadow
s, and indeed becomes an "escape fire" if the backfire burned area affords a life saving refuge for firefighters or others - like at Mann Gulch in 1949. Backfires and backburns can also be used against primary fires burning in tree
, brush
and grass
covered areas as a firefighting tool, but should only be prescribed and executed by judgement and authority of a qualified wildfire Fire Boss.
Approximately 40-percent of all wildfire deaths are caused by fire entrapements, or what are sometimes called burnovers.
Mann Gulch
Mann Gulch is a gulch in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness of the upper Missouri River, north-northeast of Helena, Montana, in southeastern Lewis and Clark County. It is on the east side of the Missouri River and approximately east of Interstate 15 , between Helena and Wolf Creek...
to escape a primary fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
burning inescapably towards him and his crew. Check Wiki definitions for "backfire" and "backburn," e.g. fires started by anybody to deprive an oncoming primary fire of burnable fuels once the primary fire reaches the point where the backfire was initiated.
Backfires or backburns can be used as an expedient option of firefighting in areas covered with flash fuels, like in grass covered gulch
Gulch
A gulch is a deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion. It may contain a small stream or dry creek bed and is usually larger in size than a gully. Occasionally, sudden intense rainfall may produce flash floods in the area of the gulch....
es and mountain meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
s, and indeed becomes an "escape fire" if the backfire burned area affords a life saving refuge for firefighters or others - like at Mann Gulch in 1949. Backfires and backburns can also be used against primary fires burning in tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
, brush
Brush
A brush is a tool with bristles, wire or other filaments, used for cleaning, grooming hair, make up, painting, surface finishing and for many other purposes. It is one of the most basic and versatile tools known to mankind, and the average household may contain several dozen varieties...
and grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
covered areas as a firefighting tool, but should only be prescribed and executed by judgement and authority of a qualified wildfire Fire Boss.
Approximately 40-percent of all wildfire deaths are caused by fire entrapements, or what are sometimes called burnovers.