Instructor's Guide

This training takes 3 to 4 hours to present, depending primarily on the time spent in discussion.

The training program does not address all of the factors that had a significant contribution in the outcome of the Thirtymile Fire. The Thirtymile Fire Investigation Report provides more detail. Your presentation will be more credible if you can rely on the report itself to answer questions from trainees.

Format of the Training Program

This training has been created in two different formats:

1. An HTML version that will run with your computer's default web browser (usually Internet Explorer or Netscape). This version was designed to meet Section 508 accessibility requirements, and to provide hyperlinks that will allow you to locate additional information resources easily. This version can either be run live from the Internet, or downloaded to your local hard drive and viewed through your default web browser without the need for a live Internet connection while running the presentation.
   
   
2. A PowerPoint version of the training program, which can also be downloaded and run from your local computer without the need for a live Internet connection. This version will be best if you want to print a hard copy of the full program or individual slides within the program.

• To download a zip file containing all of the necessary HTML and supporting documents, right-click this icon and choose the Save Target As (or Save Link As) option. Unzip the files to a new directory on your hard drive and start the program by double-clicking the file named index.htm (5,131 KB).
  
  
• To download the PowerPoint version, right-click this icon and choose the Save Target As (or Save Link As) option. Start the program by double-clicking the file named Lessons_MTDC.ppt (4,634 KB).

  Note to Internet Explorer users.
  Note to Netscape users.
  Note to PowerPoint users.
  

Equipment and Facility Requirements

You will need a room large enough for the trainees with a way to project the program. If the room has windows, you will need to block out sunlight. The pictures are an extremely important part of the program. The pictures will be easiest to see in a completely darkened room.

The training program can be viewed over a network connection, and several of the hyperlinks will not function without a live Internet connection.

The training is available as HTML (the standard for display over the Internet) or as a PowerPoint presentation. The two versions are identical, but if you choose to print the material, you will have more options when using PowerPoint.

To present the training, you will need a computer, an LED projector, a cord to connect the computer to the projector, and a projection screen. You should test the system before the training so you can be ready to correct problems that may arise.

For the exercises, you will need a flip chart and easel, magic marker(s), and tape (tape won't be needed if you are using flip chart paper with adhesive).

Presenting the Training

Use the computer to advance each slide.

You should read each slide as it is presented. You will facilitate two group exercises during the training program. The first exercise is divided into three sections:

1. Before entrapment
2. Between entrapment and deployment
3. Deployment

Read the guidelines for the exercise before you begin. Show the slide that corresponds to the section being discussed. Attempt to elicit all of the responses for each section before moving to the next.

If trainees stray from the guidelines of the exercise, remind them to stay focused on what happened during the fire and to avoid extensive discussion of peripheral events. Discourage trainees from focusing on who was responsible for particular events; do not allow them to turn the exercise into a "blame game."

During both group exercises, you, or someone you ask to help, should write the trainees' responses on flip chart paper. Post the sheet where trainees can see it.

During the Lessons Learned section following the group exercise, check off trainees' responses that are similar to conclusions presented in this training program.

The second group exercise, Risk Management, applies the Ten Standard Fire Orders, the Eighteen Watchout Situations, and LCES (Lookouts, Communications, Escape Routes, and Safety Zones) to the Thirtymile Fire. Trainees should identify fire orders that were broken, watchouts that were present or compromised, and consider how LCES was applied (or was not applied).

You, or an assistant, should write the responses for each section on a flip chart and post them. Compare the trainees' responses with the conclusions that follow each topic before you move to the next.

Discussion Topics

Fatigue
Risk management
Reengagement after arrival of engines
Recognition of extreme fire behavior conditions
Entrapment avoidance
Entrapment reaction
Need for effective communications in stressful situations
Command and control of personnel during entrapments
Crew cohesion
Delineation of supervisory roles
Situation awareness
Head counts
Predeployment rehearsal or preparation
Recognizing potential safety zones or deployment sites
Position on the slope
Plume-dominated fires
Timber crown fires
Changing tactics (handline to pumps)
Failure to block the road
Influence of terrain
Problems obtaining a seal around the fire shelter in rockslides or on uneven terrain
Changing location during deployment
Water deployments
PPE: gloves, hardhat, clothing, shrouds, etc.
Ensuring that all personnel have all items of PPE
Use of shrouds in deployments
Line gear packs in or near the fire shelter
Placing fusees and saw gas a safe distance from people during deployment preparations
Ground and surface fuels, adjacent fuels
Taking care of civilians in entrapment situations
Frequency and realism of practice deployments

Companion Documents

Companion documents are all available through hyperlinks in the HTML version of the program.