Background: In the profession of wildland firefighting, there has been a rise in the occurrence and awareness of exertional rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo), a serious medical condition. Rhabdomyolysis is the breakdown of muscle fibers in the human body. In wildland firefighters, we typically see cases of rhabdo during initial crew training periods. Below are some key points … Continue reading R U Rhabdo Ready?
Month: April 2018
It’s Here (and it’s purple)
By Travis Dotson Yep. The new IRPG is out, and I guarantee you will not mistake it for an old one. Good call NWCG - this cover will do exactly what it's intended to do - set this version apart. But why are we even talking about the window dressing? Let's get to the meat. … Continue reading It’s Here (and it’s purple)
Calm is Contagious
By Travis Dotson Chances are you have had this very assignment. Just putting some indirect dozer line in a couple miles away and downhill from the fire...no big deal. Then s#!t got real. Division does what Divisons do - cleared everyone off the line then went to check on those that didn't have time. Dozer … Continue reading Calm is Contagious
The Monster Inside
One Ash Pit Ate Two Firefighters
This blog post was compiled using several excerpts from two separate documents on the Laguna Fire Burn Injuries. At approximately 1010 a crew member from the Type 2 crew fell into an ash pit, after ground gave way on a mechanically constructed berm the crewmember was mopping up with a branch line. The crewmember advanced a hose … Continue reading One Ash Pit Ate Two Firefighters
Embers In The Safety Zone
This is an excerpt from the Rice Ridge Fire Hahn Cabin Entrapment FLA. Two New Firefighters Take Over Point Protection Operations On September 11, this crew swap occurs via helicopter and the new pair of firefighters take over protection of the Hahn Cabin. These two firefighters, one Single Resource Boss (SRB) and one Firefighter Type … Continue reading Embers In The Safety Zone