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Tactical Truths - Fires give the test just ahead of the lesson
(sent in by BLM Bob on Dec 18, 2000)
Fire Ops:
- Move quick - young conditions are easier to control than old ones.
- A little effort in the beginning can eliminate the need for lots of effort at the end.
- It is better to get out (of a situation) five minutes too soon than five seconds too late.
- When you're having problems, take a partner.
- Very little on a fire falls up.
- Don't ever let your inclination to gamble outdistance your fear.
- Never confuse repeat fires for routine fires; the same basic deadly elements are present at every fire -
there are no routine fires.
- Don't spend all your chips - always have a tactical reserve.
- If you're gonna order, you gotta pay the check.
- Good procedures are so simple you don't need to write them down to remember them, or use a
dictionary to understand them.
- There ain't no fair fights on a fire.
- Be suspicious of smoke - it can hide what is really going on.
- Most of the time, the first five minutes are worth the next five hours.
- The longer you wait to make a decision, the fewer options you will have. (Bob's exception - BUT, the more information you will have - it's a tricky balancing act.)
- There is no connection between the amount of hose on a fire and the amount of water put on the fire.
- The most important fire is the next one.
Planning:
- The very worst fire plan is no plan - the next worse is two plans.
- The only safe wildfire assumption is to assume the worst.
- If you have lots of ideas, you will need lots of help.
- Fires all go out eventually.
- If you don't have a plan, don't add additional resources.
- Hope for the best - plan for the worst.
- The more routine decisions you make prior to a fire, the more time you will have to make critical
decisions during a fire.
- Every fire situation has a limited number of decisions - they can be made by you or the fire.
Working With People:
- Vomiting firefighters are ugly firefighters.
- Don't stand too close to people that are always bandaged up.
- Losing your temper usually represents the incipient stage of rectal-cranial inversion.
- When someone screws up, yell at them - they'll really appreciate it.
- Be careful around people who attach status to knowing things you don't.
- Beware of Kamikaze pilots with 65 missions under their belt.
- Beware of a supervisor who says "Don't do anything until I get there."
- Always take care of people who are trying to make you look good and make it as easy as possible for them to do so.
- Smart people on a fire can tell what is going to happen - anyone can tell what has happened.
- We don't generally get called to go on a fire because someone did something smart.
- Be careful of what you say in difficult situations - offhanded, dumb comments are like aluminum cans,
they last forever in the environment.
- Do not think you are communicating just because you are talking.
Taking Care of Yourself:
- If you panic, be certain to run in the correct direction.
- Safety prevents meetings.
- Gravity will always culminate at the bottom.
- Trust safety, not luck.
- Keep working on the basics - most of us are not advanced enough to make advanced mistakes.
- Be careful of people who close their eyes and open their mouths.
- A hero is nothing but a sandwich.
- If you aren't dressed to play, stay in the bleachers and off the field.
- If you are not willing to disagree with a decision, stay home and watch the fire on TV.
Important Things You'll Learn:
- Take firefighting seriously, but do not take yourself seriously.
- Educational times on a fire are not always fun times.
- Experience and education are like oregano - they must be mixed with a lot of other stuff to be good.
- It is difficult to get just a little bit excited.
- Some days on the fireline, the best it gets is so-so.
- When you lose your head, the next thing is your ass.
- When the forest burns, don't take it personally, you didn't make the woods combustible.
- If looking at a fire makes you crazy, don't look at it.
- If you can't control yourself, you can't control anything.
- Never is a long time.
- If you think the cost of fire training is expensive, check out the cost of ignorance.
- Surprises are nice on your birthday, not on a fire.
- Everything on a fire is "too" something.
- There are no credit cards on a fire - you pay for everything you do at the time you do it.
- There aren't any "time outs" on a fire.
- Don't change the rules by breaking them.
- The next tragedy will take the pressure off the last tragedy.
- The further you are from the last fire the closer you are to the next one.
- Experience is something you gain right after you need it.
Revised: March 16, 2005
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