Deployment

Fire Shelter Deployment

Many firefighters have reported apprehension to deploy their fire shelter. Expect self-doubt if you find yourself in a deployment situation. In group deployment situations, it has often been the less experienced firefighters initiating the deployment discussion.

Firefighters that are entrapped are often performing many tasks to try and improve their situation. Going from this “active” state of doing to a “passive” state of deploying the shelter can feel like giving up and be a difficult decision to accept.

Do not wait until the heat from the fire drives you to deploy your shelter. Deploy well before the fire arrives; waiting too long can expose you to dangerous levels of heat and gases . There have been many burn injuries from firefighters who waited until the heat from the fire forced them to deploy their shelters. The heat from the fire can create strong, turbulent winds that can not only burn you but make deploying your shelter more difficult. Additionally, the PVC bag becomes more difficult to open once it is exposed to higher temperatures.

The fire shelter is a tool, do not hesitate to use it if your situation is uncertain and you think it can be improved by deploying a shelter. Deploying a shelter does not need to be a last-second lifesaving event, if it provides you additional protection, it should be used without hesitation.

Preparing for Deployment

If you are part of a crew, your supervisor will decide where and when to deploy fire shelters. Follow direction, deploying together provides additional protection and eases communication between crewmembers. If you are not in a crew or have become separated from your crew, you must rely on your own judgment. Make sure you and your crew members are wearing your PPE, this includes gloves and your helmet. Without your gloves, you may burn your hands and be unable to hold down the shelter. Without your helmet, your head can receive burn injuries from contacting the hot shelter material.

Scrape away ground fuels only if time permits. Clear an area 4 by 8 feet, or larger, down to mineral soil. An area cleared of fuels minimizes flame contact with the shelter. Never deploy your shelter immediately downwind or uphill from a large concentration of fuel. The heavier the fuel loading, the larger the fuel break needs to be.

Although the shelter offers some protection from direct flame, you will be more likely to survive if flames do not contact it.

After removing your shelter from its case or your fireline pack, throw your pack (if you have not already dropped it) and any flammable objects, such as fusees or gasoline, far from your deployment area. Toss your tools and chainsaws away from the deployment site to avoid catching fire or causing damage to the shelter. Do not throw them near others who are deploying their shelters.

Pick the site for your shelter. The lowest depression on the site is best. It should be as free of fuels as possible.

How to Deploy Your Shelter

Opening the PVC bag

Pull one ring on the red tear strip of the PVC bag down to the bottom and up the other side (see Figure 1). Pull the ring initially with a sharp, strong downward pull as the PVC bag does not open as easily as the practice shelter bag. Remove the shelter, discarding the PVC bag and tear strip (see Figure 2).

Figure 1 Pull down on one ring of the red tear strip to the bottom and then up the other side of the bag to open.

Figure 2 Remove and discard the PVC bag.

Opening the shelter

Grasp the shake handles that extend from the folded shelter (see Figure 3). The handles are marked, RIGHT HAND in red and LEFT HAND in black. When you have the shake handles in the proper hands, the shelter will unfold with the opening toward your body. Grasping the wrong handles will not prevent you from entering the shelter, but it may slow your deployment by a few seconds. Shake out the shelter by spreading your hands wide and using short, determined, jerking shakes to unfold the shelter (see Figure 4).

Figure 3 Grasp the appropriate shake handle with each hand.

Figure 4 Spread your hands wide and vigorously shake out the shelter. Keep a firm grip on the shelter during deployment, you don't want it to be blown away by strong winds.

Getting in the shelter

While getting into your shelter, maintain a firm grip on it. Strong, gusty winds are common in entrapment situations and shelters can be blown away by them. If your shelter gets blown away and is not retrievable, be prepared to share with someone else. Lie face down so your feet are toward the oncoming flames.

The hottest part of the shelter will be the side closest to the advancing fire. Keep your head and airway away from these high temperatures. The hold-down straps on the shelter are sewn onto the floor panels. As soon as you are under your shelter, slip your arms through the straps up to your elbows (see Figure 5). Hold the shelter down with your feet, legs, elbows, and hands.

Figure 5 Loop your arms up to your elbows through the hold-down straps on each side of the shelter.

Once inside the shelter

It is critical to be on the ground and under the shelter before the fire arrives. Once you are inside your shelter on the ground, push the top and sides of the shelter out and away from you so it holds as much air as possible, do not pull the shelter against you like a blanket. The air between you and the sides of the shelter is excellent insulation. Be sure that the shelter is fully unfolded and not bunched beneath you when you get inside it.

Keep your nose and mouth on the ground. Temperatures just a few inches off the ground are dramatically higher than those at the surface.

If you use a face and neck shroud, pull it into place. If you have a radio and enough time, keep it with you in the shelter so you can communicate during and after the entrapment.

Radio effectiveness

Be aware that your radio’s effective range will be greatly reduced by the shelter materials. Studies at NTDP have shown that fire shelters reduce radio transmission distances to approximately 2000 feet. Communication from shelter to shelter via radio is limited to approximately 100 feet. Touching the inner surface of the shelter with the radio’s antennae significantly reduces radio signal strength and range. If you need to get a radio transmission out, and if the conditions permit, lift the edge of your shelter and extend the antennae out from under the shelter. This should help reduce the interference to the transmission caused by the fire shelter material.

Get on the ground

If time runs out while you are attempting to escape, you must get on the ground before the fire arrives and finish deploying your shelter on the ground. Keep your face next to the ground as you pull the shelter over you. Death is almost certain if the fire catches you off the ground.

The optimal survival zone with or without a fire shelter is within a foot of the ground. Once you are entrapped, your highest priority is to protect your lungs and airway by staying low and deploying your shelter.

Water Can Make the Difference

It is extremely important that you stay well hydrated when fighting fire. Drink water often during your shift and when you are off duty. If you are well hydrated, your body can sweat and cool itself more effectively. This is particularly important during an entrapment. Do not use your water to wet your clothing or your bandanna inside the fire shelter. Wet clothing conducts heat to the skin more quickly than dry clothing, so burns are more likely. As the water on the clothing evaporates, it increases the humidity inside the shelter. Moist air will cause more damage to your airway than dry air at the same temperature. The best way to use your water is to drink it. Take canteens into your fire shelter if you have time. Continue to sip the water to replace lost fluids.

Sharing a Shelter

Never plan to share a shelter unless someone is without one.

The shelter is designed for one person. Sharing a shelter greatly increases your risk of injury because it reduces the amount of insulating airspace and increases the chances your body will contact the hot shelter material.

If you can’t avoid getting into someone else’s shelter, yell at them so they know you are coming in. Always enter from the side away from the flames or hot air, so you don’t expose the occupant to the full force of the wind and heat. Your head should be by the other occupant’s head. It may be difficult to keep the edges of the shelter on the ground when sharing with another person. This could increase the amount of hot gasses, smoke, and embers that enter the shelter. When sharing a shelter, there may be an increase in the stress on the material and the seams while holding the shelter in place, and shelter damage may be more likely. If you are sharing a shelter, be aware that fighting the other occupant to hold the edges down will not benefit either of you. Work with the other occupant to prioritize keeping the edges down on the hottest side while working with body positioning to better fit two people into a shelter designed for one.

Group Deployment

If you are with a group, deploy your shelters close together. Adjacent shelters can provide added protection from radiant heat. In addition, it will be easier to communicate when the shelters are close together. Optimal shelter placement depends on the conditions. Select the best deployment sites available.