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THE MOST EFFECTIVE METHODS FOR QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY EXTINGUISHING FOREST FIRES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
HEALTH AND PROTECTION – Wildfire Prediction, Prevention, Preparedness, and Suppression:
Fire Suppression: Fire suppression or firefighting is a procedure or activity that mitigates the consequences of an existing fire. A fire consists of three combined components (oxygen, heat, and fuel): eliminating any of these components extinguishes the fire. The primary flammable component in forest fuels is carbon. The reaction can be expressed as: carbon plus oxygen yields carbon dioxide plus energy (C + O2 = CO2 + heat energy).
Suppression (firefighting) can be divided into tactics and techniques.
1- Tactics: After remote sensing or aerial detection data and images are analyzed, it is time to develop tactical approaches for firefighting. Tactics explain how human resources and equipment should be used at the right time and place; techniques refer to specific technical applications in a particular fire situation (hand tools, pumps, water, foam, aircraft, etc.).
Fire extinguishing tactics depend on available resources; removing or reducing oxygen can be challenging but is partially possible. The air contains 21% oxygen; if this proportion is reduced to 15%, the fire will be extinguished. This is typically done in the case of light fuels, where gases emitted from the fire are sprayed back toward the fire using a firefighting tool, thereby reducing the oxygen mixture; or by placing sand or soil over the fire. These methods eliminate both oxygen and heat (applying cold soil to the heat source). Heat is removed from the fire by applying a coolant, typically water; when the heat drops below 220-250°C, the fire is extinguished. Fuel can be removed by predetermined burning or other methods, during the fire using manual or mechanical methods, or through “backburning,” which involves removing both fuel and oxygen in the face of the advancing fire. Tactics will select combinations of activities that will extinguish the fire together. In industrialized countries, methodologies for firefighting are well developed, including the use of aircraft, chemical fire retardants mixed with water, and heat detection cameras. All these technologies require high levels of complexity, significant investment in equipment, and focused targeting for heat removal.
In areas with water scarcity, fire management is combined directly with fuel management, also involving using fire to remove fuel, as well as burning another fire to extinguish the existing one, known as the counterfire method. This involves focusing on removing fuel and small-scale oxygen removal, which is again only feasible in light fuel situations.
Incident Command System:
In the event of a fire accident or natural fire situation, a reactive fire management strategy is required to suppress these fires. Firefighting is the simple action of extinguishing a fire as quickly and effectively as possible. Therefore, it resembles a military command system; the most effective system developed for controlling forest fires is the so-called incident command system, which can also be applied to other national emergencies that involve only a few or thousands of people.
Techniques:
1- Firefighting aims to stop the fire by building a fire line (a line where all combustible materials are removed) or applying a mixture of water or foam to make it easier for water droplets to penetrate the soil or biomass layer by reducing surface tension (using the same principle as dish detergent).
2- Direct attacks on the fire can be made, or if this tactic is not possible, the fire can be indirectly attacked to narrow the moving fire edge. A fire can also be extinguished using another fire to consume the fuel or oxygen in front of the advancing fire; this technique is known as backburning.
3- Mop-up: Mop-up is the final step in the entire fire extinguishing process. It can also mean controlling the area around the burned point to the extent that the fire can no longer escape. The size of the area to be mopped up depends on the fuel and the location of the smoldering fires around the area. The success or failure of the entire firefighting operation may rely on the quality of the mop-up operation; it may also require long-term patrolling of the burned area even weeks or months after the initial fire burns out.
— Once the fire is ‘extinguished’ and the danger has passed, planning for the forestry rehabilitation of the burned area can begin.
Source: Tarım Haberleri
John Peterson graduated with a degree in Agricultural Sciences from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. His specialization is in sustainable crop production and soil health management. John is passionate about integrating modern technology with traditional farming methods to enhance productivity while preserving the environment. He currently works as a consultant, helping farmers adopt sustainable practices.
