Professionals - Wildfires - Response part 3

1. E-Learning for Wildfires
Professionals

2. Wildfire Response and Recovery
Part 3:
The recovery phase
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3. You have successfully developed and implemented a wildfire suppression
plan. You have also selected appropriate suppression tactics. The wildfire is
now controlled – what do you do now?
There are a number of activities that need to follow during the recovery phase
(once the fire has been controlled), including:
1. Completion of the mop up phase
2. Scaling down wildfire suppression operations
3. Facilitate debriefs
4. Fire investigation
5. Assisting with the recovery phase
6. Hand over to the landowner
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Recovery

4. You have successfully developed and implemented a wildfire suppression
plan. You have also selected appropriate suppression tactics. The wildfire is
now controlled – what do you do now?
There are a number of activities that need to follow during the recovery phase
(once the fire has been controlled), including:
1. Completion of the mop up phase
2. Scaling down wildfire suppression operations
3. Facilitate debriefs
4. Fire investigation
5. Assisting with the recovery phase
6. Hand over to the landowner
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This final section of
the module will
now explain each of
these activities in
turn.
Recovery

5. 1. Completion of the mop up phase
The mop up phase involves extinguishing all
parts of a fire after it has been brought under
control
Mop up involves carrying out all necessary
actions to prevent re-ignition and to fully
extinguish the fire.
The mop up phase is also sometimes referred
to as “mopping up” and “damping down and
turning over”.
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Recovery
Source: Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency

6. The type of fuel that the fire is burning in
will influence the amount of time and
resources required during the mop up
phase.
Fires burning in peat can be very
challenging to extinguish completely. It
may take a number of hours or days for
the fire to be completely extinguished.
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Source: Junta de Castilla y Leon (Spain)
Recovery

7. Sometimes a combination of suppression tactics will need to be used during
the mop up phase.
For example, it may be effective to extinguish a ground fire by excavating
ground to create fuel breaks around burning areas and to also apply water.
Deep penetration lances can sometimes be useful for extinguishing ground
fires burning in peat. the nozzle should be jabbed into the smoking ground
and water applied until the peat takes on the appearance of porridge – a sign
that it is saturated with water. Personnel should continue to pierce the ground
until the fire has been extinguished.
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Recovery

8. Recovery
2. Scaling down suppression operations
The Incident Commander will determine when it is safe and appropriate to scale down operations,
having ensured the incident is under control or concluded. This decision will be made in conjunction
with all relevant Multi agency services attending the wildfire incident.
Once the decision has been confirmed to scaled down the incident, it should be communicated to
everyone onsite and relayed to central control rooms following the procedures in place. The planned
operation will then commence in an orderly structured manner, with the relevant service commanders
overseeing the operations.
This is an important phase of the incident and one during which accidents and injuries may occur due
to complacency. It is important to maintain the highest attention to command and control throughout
this phase of the operations, to reduce the risk of avoidable injuries or damage to vehicles and
equipment.
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9. Recovery
The closing phase of a wildfire incident may take an extended period to complete due
to its scale. However, it is imperative that all personnel, vehicles and equipment are
returned to operational readiness within their area of responsibilty as soon as possible.
Each service/organisation present should:
• Ensure appropriate inventories of equipment have been undertaken before leaving
the site
• All vehicles and equipment are fully checked and in good working order before they
are made available for further use
• Arrangements are made to ensure any missing equipment that is later found is
returned to its owner
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10. Recovery
There are numerous issues to consider during the scaling down of an incident.
Here are some examples:
• Continued dynamic management of risk
• Patrolling the outer perimeter to prevent re-ignition or breach of control lines
• Mopping up of hot spots or deep seated fires
• Appropriate replacement of personnel and resources with those from partner and
land management agencies, if appropriate
• Liaison with relevant agencies and authorities
• Collection of appropriate data that may be required post incident
• Public access of roadways which may have been closed during the incident
• Arrangements for the public to return to their property if they were evacuated
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11. Recovery
It may also be necessary to provide information about the incident to a range of other
organisations, such as:
• Local authority
• Insurance investigators
• Land managers/owners
• Utility companies
• Police
• Environmental agency
• Other interested parties including the press
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12. Recovery
It is therefore important that the
Incident Commander ensures that a
record of all actions taken is produced
and kept.
It is also essential for the Incident
Commander to collect all necessary
information from multiagency
partners to ensure that reports and
other communications produced are
accurate and complete.
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Source: Frederiksborg Fire and Rescue Service (Denmark)

13. Recovery
3. Facilitate debriefs
Debriefing is another element of scaling down and closing any emergency incident, including
wildfires. Debriefs play an important part in promoting improvements in personal and
organisational performance and should take place whenever there is an opportunity to
improve standards.
Debriefs may be delivered in a range of different formats, including:
• On scene “hot“ debriefs
• Structured internal debriefs
• Structured multiagency debriefs
• Critical incident debriefing and counselling (for example if fatalities have been involved)
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14. Recovery
Here is an example of a “hot” debrief
taking place (see right).
All personnel should be given the
opportunity to comment on the
incident during a debrief – they may
have seen or heard things that the
incident commander and other
commanders did not see or hear.
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Source: Frederiksborg Fire and Rescue Service (Denmark)

15. Recovery
Some of the important information that may form the basis for a debrief could include an
evaluation of:
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• Pre-planning
• Partnership working
• Appropriateness of fire plans
• Multi-agency response arrangements
• Existing operational intelligence information
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• The provision and use of equipment
• Safe systems of work
• FRS and partnership training
• Levels of safety supervision

16. Recovery
All important action points and learning outcomes raised during a debrief should be fed
back into policies and procedures.
Importantly, any equipment, systems or procedures which did NOT work satisfactorily,
or which made the working environment unsafe, should be highlighted and measures
should be taken to ensure that the problems do not reoccur at future incidents.
It is equally important to highlight any unconventional systems, procedures or tactics
that were successful and/or which improved the safety of the working environment.
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17. 4. Fire investigation
Fire investigation is defined as “The process of determining the origin,
cause, and development of a fire.”*
Fire investigation is a specialist task which requires specific knowledge
and training.
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Recovery
Source of definition: NFPA (2011) NFPA 921 – Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations (NFPA, Quincy,
Massachusetts), page 14.

18. • The point of origin of the wildfire
• The cause of the wildfire
• The extent and area of the fire 'footprint'
• Environmental impact
• The extent of damage to habitat, wildlife
and property.
• Records of any fatality or injury
• Criminal activities
• Estimated costs of the incident
• Any extreme or unusual fire behaviour
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Fire investigations can help to gather a significant amount of really important
information concerning the wildfire incident, including:
Recovery
Source: Junta de Andalucia (Spain)

19. The collection and recording of this information through appropriate
fire investigations is extremely important for ensuring all suppression
agencies continually develop and improve their approaches to wildfire
prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
In short, fire investigations are an important element of the continuous
improvement cycle for wildfire suppression organisations.
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Recovery

20. This section has only provided a brief overview of why fire investigations are important for
wildfire incidents. Further information concerning fire investigation can be found in a
number of places, including:
• National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) (2005) Wildfire Origin
and Cause Determination Handbook (USA)
• Interfire website
You can also try watching the videos on the next pages.
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Recovery
Further information on Fire Investigation

21. 4. Assisting with the recovery phase
While response encompasses the actions taken to deal with the immediate effects of
an emergency (such as a wildfire), we can define recovery as:
“The process of rebuilding, restoring and rehabilitating the community following an
emergency”. (Source: UK National Recovery Guidance)
Recovery is an integral part of the emergency management process.
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Recovery

22. Actions taken to suppress a wildfire and
actions taken during the closure of the
wildfire can have an impact on the recovery
phase.
While many suppression organisations are
unlikely to play a major role during the
recovery phase, they may be able to assist
those organisations that are involved. This
assistance may come during fire suppression
operations and/or during the recovery phase
itself.
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Recovery
Source: Junta de Andalucia (Spain)

23. One area that fire and rescue
services/wildfire suppression organisations
may be able to assist with during recovery is
to reduce the potential impact of erosion.
When wildfires burn and remove
vegetation this can sometimes create
instability and the soil which leads to
increased erosion. Suppression activities
during a fire can also increase erosion –
such as the removal of vegetation to create
control lines or washing away of soil by
vehicles, pumps and hoses.
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Recovery
Here is an example of an erosion control
measure after a wildfire…
Source: Junta de Andalucia (Spain)

24. To help reduce some of the potential negative impacts on recovery,
suppression organisations should try to pre-plan with organisations
responsible for recovery.
They should also look to liaise with recovery organisations at an early
stage in the incident.
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Recovery

25. Recovery
5. Handover to the landowner or manager
Following the scaling down of operations the
responsibility for the incident will need to be
handed over to a responsible authority/person. This
is often called “handover”.
There should be a formal procedure for handover.
Some fire and rescue services have developed
standard forms which are used to document key
information which is passed on to the
landowner/manager during the handover phase.
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26. Recovery
Useful information that could be included
on handover forms includes:
• Date, time and location of the incident
and the handover
• Details of the situation
• Identified hazards
• Contact numbers and names
• Any further visits they may be required
or special measures that may need to be
put in place
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Source: Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency

27. Try watching the videos on the next pages to find out more about some
of the considerations that need to be taken into account during the
recovery phase.
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Further information on wildfire recovery
Recovery

28. We hope you enjoyed this
part of the module!
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End of Wildfire Response and
Recovery : Part 3
Source: Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service (UK)

29. e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
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End of Wildfire Module Summary

30. Now that you have worked through this module you should understand the
importance of safely and effectively responding to wildfires.
You should now know:
• How to formulate a tactical plan
• Which types of suppression tactics are suitable for particular conditions and
situations
You should also understand the importance of the recovery phase and how you can
help.
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End of Module Summary

31. e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
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End of Wildfire Unit Summary

32. This is the last module in the series on the topic of wildfires.
Thank you for taking the time to complete these modules. We hope you enjoyed
them and hope that you now feel better prepared to plan for and respond to
wildfires!
We hope the modules were informative and that you now feel more
knowledgeable on the subject. You may want to find out more about specific
issues and terminology, so we have included some suggestions for further
information and resources. Click on the hyperlinks on the next page.
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End of Wildfire Unit Summary

33. The videos on the following pages were produced in Spain.
They provide an overview of some of the important material covered
throughout the three modules on wildfire prevention, wildfire
preparedness and wildfire response and recovery.
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Unit Summary Videos
End of Wildfire Unit Summary

34. e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
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Sources of further information on Wildfire Terminology
European Glossary for Wildfires
and Forest Fires (2012) – EU
(within European forest fire
networks project section)
International Multi Lingual Fire
Management Terminology
(Global Fire Monitoring Center)
Glossary of Wildland Fire
Terminology (2015)
(National Wildfire Coordinating
Group (NWCG), USA)
End of Wildfire Unit Summary

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Sources of further information on Wildfire Terminology
Wildfire Glossary (2009)
(Rural Land Management Group
for AFAC)
End of Wildfire Unit Summary
Forest Fire Fighting Terms
Handbook (2009)
(EU F.i.r.e 4 Project)

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Other sources of information on wildfire terminology include:
• Fire Terminology - United States Forest Service (USA)
• Glossary of wildfire terms – British Columbia Wildfire Service (Canada)
• Wildfire Dictionary – New South Wales Rural Fire Service (Australia)
Sources of further information on Wildfire Terminology
End of Wildfire Unit Summary

37. Please visit the other e-PPR modules
on the topics of storms, flooding and
heat waves to learn more about how
to prevent, prepare for and respond
to other natural disasters.
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End of Wildfire Unit Summary

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Response to Natural Disasters) with the support of the Erasmus+ programme.
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