Fire Fundamentals
This type of fire spreads across the tops of trees or shrubs and is the most intense.
What is a crown fire?
This is the number one specific human cause of wildfires in Wisconsin.
What is debris burning?
This term refers to the physical features of the land, such as slopes, which influence how a fire moves.
What is topography?
This piece of heavy equipment is used to create a dirt barrier by plowing fuel away from the fire's path.
What is a tractor plow?
This specialized tool, often seen in the movie, combines an axe and a grub hoe to remove fuel.
What is a Pulaski?
This is the name for the three elements—oxygen, heat, and fuel—required for fire to exist.
What is the fire triangle?
This type of forest plantation is at higher risk for crown fires because trees are planted close together.
What is a red pine plantation?
Because heat rises and pre-heats the fuel above it, wildland fires typically move faster in this direction.
What is uphill?
This is the primary priority for all firefighters upon arriving at a fire scene.
What is saving human life?
This is the last-resort safety device used by the Granite Mountain Hotshots to protect themselves from radiant heat.
What is a fire shelter?
This type of fire is planned and contained to meet the specific goals of a land manager.
What is a prescribed fire?
In Wisconsin, the fire season typically begins when this happens in the spring.
What is the snow melting?
This behavior occurs when wind-blown sparks or embers start new fires outside the original fire area.
What is spotting?
This chemical substance is dropped from aircraft to coat fuels and slow the spread of the fire.
What is retardant?
This sudden change in weather trapped the crew in the movie by rapidly shifting the fire's direction.
What is a change in wind direction?
This fire type burns the organic material, such as peat or duff, located beneath the forest floor.
What is a ground fire?
This term describes the area where human development and houses meet undeveloped wildland.
What is the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)?
These structures are used by lookouts to spot smoke and determine a fire's location using intersecting lines.
What are fire towers?
This tactic involves setting a controlled fire in the path of a wildfire to consume fuel before the main fire arrives.
What is a backfire (or burnout)?
The crew creates these "lines" in the forest to establish a boundary where the fire has no more fuel to burn.
What are firelines (or control lines)?
Removing this specific element of the triangle is the goal when firefighters use water to cool a flame.
What is heat?
When this weather measurement drops to very low levels, forest fuels become dry and prime for ignition.
What is relative humidity?
If a fire is reported at 225 degrees (Southwest), it is predicted to move toward this opposite direction.
What is 45 degrees (Northeast)?
This is the name of the phase where firefighters ensure all smoldering embers are out so the fire does not restart.
What is mop-up?
When a fire climbs from the ground into the canopy, it is using vegetation as this.
What is ladder fuel?