How Grey Matter Plays a Role in Fire Entrapment.
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Always follow your agency’s guidelines, processes, and training when it comes to fire entrapment.
Have you ever heard of explosive decompression in an aircraft?
Neither had I, until I had read about a situation in 1990 on a British Airline flight. You see, shortly after takeoff, the front windshield of the plane blew out. The loss of pressure sucked one of the pilots out the front window of the aircraft.
You would think that would be the end of it. But here's where it gets interesting.
British Airlines Flight 5390, in 1990 shortly after takeoff, experiences an emergency.
A quick-thinking flight attendant named Nigel Ogden managed to catch the legs of the pilot. For the next 20 minutes, Ogden held onto the pilot's legs, fearing for the safety of both the pilot and all those onboard the aircraft.
Despite suffering from frostbite and a dislocated shoulder, Ogden kept his grip throughout it all. It was like he was possessed. Everyone's survival depended on him. Regardless of the situation, he held those legs through sheer determination.
Likewise, when it comes to fire entrapment situations, some may think that their sheer determination will get them through. But will it? And is that a healthy perspective to have?
First we'll learn a bit more about fire entrapment. After reading the article, you tell me where you stand. So let's get started, shall we?
What is fire entrapment?
It is defined as a life-threatening situation. Where a sudden change in fire behaviour or the fire's condition limits your options. Those options being access along your escape routes or to your safety zones.
We build in escape routes and safety zones along the fireline, following LACES. And we do so, to ensure that we maintain situational awareness as well as account for our safety on the line.
When those measures or built-in safety protocols are no longer available to us, then we've reduced our own margins of safety. And that, as they say, is no bueno.
Thinking of safety margins as an equation
When we lose or reduce our margins for safety, the whole equation changes. What do I mean by that?
We know that fighting wildfire is inherently risky. We don't wear bunker gear or tanks or have other means in which to protect ourselves from fire. We rely on those that walked before us. What's been learned from what's been experienced.
When it comes to fire entrapment, our personal protective equipment (PPE) doesn't come close to "actually" protecting us. Nomex, for instance, when burned, is designed to slough off of us. By doing so, it limits the clothing's contact time with our skin, reducing possible burns. But that's just one example.
Because of the types of fires we're now experiencing on the line, it's important we use other means by which to keep ourselves safe. Part of that is following LACES. But the other part is knowing when our LACES have been compromised—putting us in a potentially bad situation. And that situation is actually one of survival.
So how do we avoid it?
Great question. We avoid it through grey matter. Through our own knowledge, training, and experience. And then we pair it with that of our crew and the others we work on the line with.
Yes, we want to understand the suppression strategies and tactics available to us. When to use them, or not, is helpful as well. But fundamental to this is understanding fire behaviour—both current and predicted.
Knowing the fundamentals of the fire environment goes a long way to keep you, us, and everyone safe from a potential entrapment situation.
W.T.F
That's right. Weather, topography, and fuels make up the fire environment. The fundamentals to predicting or understanding fire behaviour. You need a solid handle on that WTF if you hope to keep yourself safe. Without it, you could potentially endanger others.
So let's break it down.
Weather: Knowing the different variables that come into play when influencing the fire environment is important. And weather is the most dynamic one of the three.
Topography is practically on the other end of the weather. Less dynamic and more fixed. So provided you understand the influences slope, aspect, and wind patterns play against topography, you can go a long way. And finally,
Fuels: While you may not be a tree/vegetation identification expert, you need to get there. While our "Red Book" does break fuels down into broad categories, the better you understand the more volatile fuels, the better.
Regardless, understanding fire behaviour really well is both an art and a science. And some say it takes years. But to start, you’ll want to focus on understanding the fire environment triangle. Understand the components of each side and the potential minor interactions among them.
This is the start to building your AVOIDANCE muscles (your grey matter) when it comes to fire entrapment situations.
I'm aware of this and already know what to do.
Fantastic. That's wonderful. You're halfway there. And just like G.I. Joe says, "Knowing is half the battle." But the other half is its application.
And that's where you need to involve others. While you may know it, you may not always be practicing it. We all get distracted on the line: running comms with air attack and briefing incoming resources—possibly to a rookie who may or may not be listening.
While you may know it, your responsibility is to ensure that others do as well. Having each other's back involves everyone being on the same page. That page properly identifies hazards or situations in which more things are changing than they should be. In these moments, you want to ensure that everyone working with you is aware of the situation as well!
Examples
In 2023, during one of British Columbia's worst fire seasons, a team of Brazilian firefighters was caught in an entrapment. They understood the situation. They followed their protocols, and thankfully—THANKFULLY—they survived.
When their escape route was blocked, they knew they had to find shelter. They selected an area below a transmission line where there was less fuel. They burned off an area, parked their truck, and took shelter. They remained there until the following morning, when BC crews were able to access them.
Despite everyone’s worst fears, the Brazilians had survived. And I'm sure it took all of them working together to get through the night. Sort of like what Nigel Odgen did. Their survival was through sheer determination.