Wildfires are one of the most destructive forces in the world, and while time is an important variable in ending their spread, wildland firefighters are even more important. With the right tools, knowledge, and effort, these firefighters can quickly contain fires before they further damage the environment. Wildland firefighters have an important job, but they must also avoid the safety mistakes below.
Not Taking Breaks
You might not think to take breaks when combatting something as time sensitive as a rapidly spreading wildfire, but not taking breaks hurts you and helps the fire. When you avoid taking breaks, you can quickly become fatigued or dehydrated. When you’re in a state like this, it’s harder for you to escape danger, and you won’t fight against the fires as well as you should. When you take care of yourself, you can stay alert and contain these fires with all your faculties backing you up. If you want to do your job properly and suppress fires, you must be alert, hydrated, and full of energy.
Poor Clothing Choices
One of the easiest safety mistakes wildland firefighters can make when they’re out in the field is having the wrong clothes. There is a set of clothes that every firefighter should wear to stay safe, but there’s much more to staying safe in the field beyond just having fire-resistant clothes. For instance, one of the major mistakes to avoid when wearing flame-resistance clothes is not maintaining them properly. You need to wash them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Letting debris collect can make it harder to stay safe and effective out in the field, which is why cleaning is important. However, you can’t just toss your flame-resistant clothes into the wash. With the right cleaning, you can maintain your clothes’ flame-resistant properties while also combatting the buildup of dirt and oils.
Not Being Aware of Surroundings
If you’ve ever worked in a situation with a lot of tension and danger around every corner, losing focus is easy. With so much chaos happening, you can lose sight of an important variable and end up in an even worse situation. When it comes to fighting wildfires, being aware of your surroundings can mean noticing potential hazards like changes in wind patterns or trees and branches that can fall. Failing to notice these parts of your surroundings could put you in a dangerous situation where you need to rely on the team around you to stay safe.
Firefighters must avoid these key safety mistakes if they want to stay effective in their job and stay safe at the same time. If you’re a wildland firefighter, take this advice to heart and do your best to keep yourself and others around you safe.
