WARDEN and DEPUTY WARDEN
TRAINING
LAW OVERVIEW and
WARDEN / DEPUTY WARDEN
RESPONSIBILITIES
TRAINING OBJECTIVES
• Review Roles and Responsibilities of
Wardens and Deputy Wardens
• Review the process for issuing permits
and handling illegal fires
• Review fire safety, weather and
equipment
• This training is set up in Question/Answer
form and requires group interaction
FIRE STATISTICS
TEN YEAR AVERAGE 2002 – 2011
IN THE PAST TEN YEARS….
WHICH COUNTY HAD THE MOST FIRES?
HILLSBOROUGH – 790 FIRES
WHICH COUNTY BURNED THE MOST ACREAGE?
HILLSBOROUGH & ROCKINGHAM – 275 ACRES
WHICH COUNTY HAD THE MOST ACREAGE BURNED IN ONE YEAR?
COOS – 104 ACRES IN 2006
GRAFTON – 78 ACRES IN 2004
HILLSBOROUGH – 75 ACRES IN 2006
FIRE STATISTICS
TEN YEAR AVERAGE 2002 – 2011
IN THE PAST TEN YEARS….
WHAT WAS THE NUMBER 1 CAUSE OF FIRES?
•DEBRIS BURNING – 176 FIRES PER YEAR
•MISCELLANEOUS – 134 / YR.
•CAMPFIRES – 29 / YR.
•SMOKING – 28 / YR.
•CHILDREN – 17 / YR.
•ARSON – 11 / YR.
•LIGHTNING – 7 / YR.
•EQUIPMENT – 6 / YR.
•RAILROADS – 2 / YR.
FOREST FIRE WARDEN
The Warden’s job has four main duties
NAME TWO...
FIRE PREVENTION
FIRE PREPAREDNESS
FIRE SUPPRESSION
FIRE REPORTS & BILLS
FOREST FIRE DEPUTY WARDEN
The Deputy Warden’s job has four main
duties
NAME TWO...
FIRE PREVENTION
FIRE PREPAREDNESS
FIRE SUPPRESSION
RECORDS
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Driving down the
road and this
catches your eye…
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does
not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?
• What laws or rules are in violation?
• From what you can see, What would you do?
SUGGESTED
ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT DID YOU DO?
•
•
•
•
SUGGESTED ANSWER
Stop and investigate
If individual is around, ask for permit
Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire
Advise Forest Ranger of situation
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
PREVENTION
NAME TWO
PREVENTION ITEMS
THE WARDEN IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR.
• Requiring & Issuing Fire Permits
• Enforcing Forest Fire Laws
• Following up on all known violations
• Educating the public – posting law posters, direct contact etc…
• Informing the Forest Ranger of active timber sales, slash
violations and potential fire situations
WHY WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TIMBER HARVESTS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
FOREST RANGERS INSPECT
TIMBER HARVEST
OPERATIONS FOR:
Proper filing of intent to cut
form
Posting of certificate or;
Posting of copy of intent
signed by assessing officials
Verification of volumes on
report of wood cut
Basal Area
Wetlands
Slash
Contract & Deceptive
Forestry
Trespass
RSA 227-J:10
CARE OF SLASH AND MILL RESIDUE
SLASH DEFINED:
Branches, bark, tops,
chunks, tops, cull
logs, uprooted
stumps, and broken
and uprooted brush
and trees left on the
ground after logging
or other cutting
operations.
RSA 227-J:10
CARE OF SLASH AND MILL RESIDUE
Forest Rangers
inspect timber
harvest operations
to ensure
compliance with
the slash law.
Specific
requirements are
displayed on this
diagram.
WE ALSO NEED HELP WITH THE
FIREWOOD QUARANTINE
• Effective July 2011
• Anyone transporting firewood into
New Hampshire needs a Compliance Agreement
• Firewood dealers need to contact Forests & Lands for a
compliance agreement
• Homeowners can get one online
• Quarantine is to stop the spread of invasive insects
• Let us know about out of state firewood dealers in your
area
Backyard fire with
Category III Permit
to burn brush
WHAT
WOULD
YOU
DO?
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does
not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?
• What laws or rules are in violation?
• From what you can see, What would you do?
?
SUGGESTED
ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT
DID YOU
DO?
SUGGESTED ANSWER
•
•
•
•
?
Stop and investigate
If individual is around, ask for permit
Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire
If the violation is small and the individual is cooperative, you may issue a
Written Warning (if you are authorized by your Warden).
• Advise Forest Ranger of situation
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
PREVENTION
NAME TWO
PREVENTION ITEMS THE
DEPUTY WARDEN IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR.
• Check on all burning noticed. If a
required permit has not been obtained,
order the fire extinguished and inform the
Warden
• Assist the Warden with educating the
public
• Inform the Warden of potential fire
situations
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
FIRE PREPAREDNESS
WHICH ONE OF THE
FOLLOWING IS NOT A
REQUIREMENT UNDER
YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION?
• Attend
Association
Meetings,
• AttendWarden
forest fire
training
but you are encouraged to.
• Preplanning forest fire hazards
Association Meetings are a great place for Wardens
• Know
the firefrom
hazards
in your
town,inasthe
well
as to
sources
and
Deputies
different
towns
area
share
ofinformation
water, roadsand
andideas.
trails Forest Rangers attend the
meetings
to Association
give updates
on fire activity and
• Attend
Warden
Meetings
opportunities statewide, such as grants and
•upcoming
Obtaining training.
suppression
tools
and equipment
and and
It is
important
for Wardens
maintaining
them to attend these meetings.
Deputies
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
FIRE SUPPRESSION
WHO IS IN COMMAND OF
THE FIRE SCENE IF THE
WARDEN IS NOT PRESENT?
• When arriving as the first official on scene, a Deputy Warden
will assume command.
• The Warden will assume command from the Deputy Warden
when they arrive on scene.
• The Warden and Fire Chief should work in unified command.
• The Forest Ranger will join unified command when on scene.
• It is best to establish command protocols before an incident
occurs.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Friday, late
morning.
Toned by
Dispatch for a
smoke
investigation
and you find…
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does
not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?
• What laws or rules are in violation?
• From what you can see, What would you do?
SUGGESTED
ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT DID YOU DO?
•
•
•
•
SUGGESTED ANSWER
Stop and investigate
If individual is around, ask for permit
Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire
Advise Forest Ranger of situation
FOREST FIRE DEPUTY WARDEN
What Records are
Deputy Warden’s
responsible for?
• Names of personnel assigned to them
• Time of assigned personnel
• Any Fire Information they have – area
of origin, suppression actions,
witnesses, responsible party, etc…
FIRE REPORTING
The Warden shall prepare a full and accurate
fire report and send it to the district Forest
Ranger within
?
hours of a fire.
48 Hours
The BLUE portion of the Fire Bill meets this requirement, if a Fire Bill is not going
to be submitted, the Warden needs to call or email the Ranger
FIRE
REPORTING
Maintaining accurate records and reporting them nationally is very important to us.
We provide this information to towns working on Community Wildfire Protection Plan’s
and use it when awarding VFA Grants.
What is the minimum information the Warden needs to provide
their Ranger with for EVERY fire in their town?
•
•
•
•
•
Date of Fire
Location
Size
Cause (name of person responsible)
Type (Wildfire or Non-permit/illegal fire)
When you are not filling out a Fire Bill –
You can call or EMAIL the information to your Ranger –
It is important that we get it.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
You drive this
road every day
to work, Monday
morning you see
this…
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does
not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?
• What laws or rules are in violation?
• From what you can see, What would you do?
SUGGESTED
ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT DID YOU DO?
SUGGESTED ANSWER
• Check with Warden, Deputies and Fire Department to see if
anyone knows about the incident
• Find out who the landowner is, Warden and/or Fire Chief
should obtain preliminary information
• Notify Forest Ranger of situation
FIRE REPORTING
How many days after a fire do you have
to submit the bill?
60 days
TRUE or FALSE
You can suspend a Fire Permit and order
a fire to be extinguished if you determine
the smoke to be causing a nuisance.
The definition of “nuisance smoke” was
through DES. They have removed this
definition from their rules; therefore,
smoke from a fire can no longer be
defined as a nuisance.
FALSE
TRUE or FALSE
When mutual aid departments respond to your town
for a fire, their firefighters go on your Fire Bill.
The process for Fire Bills is the same for
every fire, every time, for every town.
ALWAYS:
1. Fill out Fire Bill for YOUR firefighters
2. YOUR town pays YOUR firefighters
3. Send Fire Bill to your Forest Ranger
4. If it was a fire with mutual aid, the
Ranger will organize all of the bills for
delivery to the town which had the fire.
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CAMPGROUNDS
Before receiving a seasonal permit,
campgrounds must meet four additional
requirements for site preparation.
Name two of the four additional requirements.
•
Be on an area cleaned to mineral soil at least 8 feet
across
•
Have at least 6 inches of sand or gravel under the fire
for any fire built on the ground
•
Have no limbs or other burnable material to a height of
10 feet above the fire area
•
Have a ring of fire resistive material constructed so it
cannot be moved from the mineral soil area.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Saturday, early evening. PD
responds to a noise complaint,
they call you because there is a
fire as well. When you arrive you
find that the owner has a
category I permit. PD asks if you
can suspend the permit.
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does
not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?
• What laws or rules are in violation?
• From what you can see, What would you do?
SUGGESTED
ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT DID YOU DO?
SUGGESTED ANSWER
• Look over area for any violations
• If there are any violations, illegal material etc… suspend the
permit
• If there are no violations, you cannot suspend the permit
ISSUING AGENTS
Where do Issuing Agents get their authority to
write fire permits?
STATUTE: RSA 227-G:4,IX
directs the Commissioner of DRED to
create rules regarding the issuance of
burning permits.
RULE: RES 5601.03
(a) Except as provided in this section, no
person other than a forest fire warden
shall issue fire permits.
(b)The director shall authorize others to
issue fire permits after recommendation
by the forest fire warden.
The A.G.’s Office has determined that this covers the
appointment of Issuing Agents.
CATEGORY IV PERMITS
Res 5601.05
The Forest Ranger
& Warden must
sign the Category
Who has the authority to
IV Permit.
issue a Category IV
If the Warden
is not
Permit?
available, a person
authorized to issue
permits, may sign
along with the
Forest Ranger.
Steven Sherman
Maynard Farr
Monroe
CATEGORY IV PERMITS
Category IV Permits are
commonly issued to:
• Transfer Stations
• Land Clearing Companies
Who are Category IV
This
is
allowed
because:
Permits commonly issued
• Individualsto?
are usually not
working after 5:00pm
Why?
• Equipment is on site to
control a fire
• Other means of disposal
would be difficult
CATEGORY IV PERMITS
Res 5601.05 Category IV Permits are not different than any other
permit, the only material allowed to be burned is:
Clean, untreated wood or brush less than 5 inches in diameter
and meets applicable air resource regulations.
Clean, untreated wood or brush, no greater than 5 inches in diameter
What materials can be
burned with a Category IV
(“Commercial”) burn
permit?
Neighbor Complaint.
A contractor has
made this pile and
the neighbor thinks it
may be burned soon
WHAT
WOULD
YOU
DO?
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does
not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?
• What laws or rules are in violation?
• From what you can see, What would you do?
?
SUGGESTED
ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT
DID YOU
DO?
SUGGESTED ANSWER
• There is no violation of the permit law at this point, so you
are limited in what you can do
• Use as an educational opportunity and talk with the
contractor about the permit laws
• Keep an eye on the pile
?
FIRE PERMIT
What is wrong with this Fire Permit?
Res 5601.04
Category I fires can
be burned anytime
of day
DOCUMENTED
VIOLATIONS
How many DOCUMENTED violations
must a person have before you can
deny them a permit?
3rd Offense,
3 years after
2nd Offense
2nd Offense,
2 years later
1st Offense
Permits
DENIED for 2
Years
7 Years
3 within a 7 year period
FIRE
PERMIT
What additional information would you ask for before issuing this
permit?
Res 5601.01 & RSA 227-L:17
The Permittee is not the Landowner and must
have Written Permission from the Landowner
1300 Hours, Saturday.
Individual has a
Category III permit. It
has been raining all
morning, but the sun is
now coming out.
WHAT
WOULD
YOU
DO?
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does
not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?
• What laws or rules are in violation?
• From what you can see, What would you do?
?
SUGGESTED
ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT
DID YOU
DO?
SUGGESTED ANSWER
?
• Stop and investigate
• If individual is around, ask for permit
• Since this fire is in the middle of the day and it is no longer raining,
it will need to be extinguished; if the individual is able to do so,
have them put the fire out, otherwise have the Fire Department
Respond to extinguish fire
• You can issue a Written Warning to document the violation
• Advise Forest Ranger of the fire
FIRE PERMITS
How far must snow be extending
from the base of a fire to be
considered “adequate snow cover”
100’
100’
100’
100’
100
Feet
FIRE PERMIT
What is wrong with this Fire Permit?
Res 5601.04 (a)(5)
Category III fires should not be issued
for long periods of time because it is not
possible to predict favorable weather
conditions to prevent the spread or
escape of the fire
Monday morning,
no one on site…
WHAT
WOULD
YOU
DO?
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does
not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?
• What laws or rules are in violation?
• From what you can see, What would you do?
?
SUGGESTED
ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT
DID YOU
DO?
•
•
•
•
SUGGESTED ANSWER
Stop and investigate, take photographs (cell phones work
well for this)
If individual returns, ask for permit
Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire
Advise Forest Ranger of situation
?
FIRE BEHAVIOR
What factor influences fire spread more than any other?
A. Fire Behavior
WIND
B. Wind
C. Topography
D. Relative Humidity
A.M.
AFTERNOON
P.M.
RELATIVE HUMIDITY
TEMPERATURE
Why are Category II and III fires only
allowed to be burned between
5:00 pm and 9:00 am?
As the day progresses from morning to afternoon the environment changes and
makes fire control more difficult.
The temperature increases in the afternoon and the surface fuels on the ground are preheated.
The relative humidity decreases in the afternoon and small fuels such as grasses,
leaves and twigs dry out.
Winds pick up allowing sparks and embers to travel away from the fire, making control
more difficult.
L.C.E.S
LCES is the minimum level of hazard control
that must be in place before making the
decision to engage a fire.
L
LOOKOUTS
C
What does “C” stand for?
COMMUNICATIONS
E
ESCAPE ROUTES
S
SAFETY ZONES
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
You notice this pile
Sunday afternoon…
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does
not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?
• What laws or rules are in violation?
• From what you can see, What would you do?
SUGGESTED
ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT DID YOU DO?
•
•
•
•
SUGGESTED ANSWER
Stop and investigate, take pictures
If individual is around, ask for permit
Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire
Advise Forest Ranger of situation so enforcement action can
be taken
OFFICIAL WARNING
Who has
the
authority
to issue
Official
Warnings?
Why do
you need
to fill out
Official
Warnings?
RSA 227-G:7, II
All Patrolmen,
Wardens &
any DW
authorized by
the Warden.
To document
violations.
After you turn
them in they
are entered into
the statewide
database.
OFFICIAL WARNING
What box
would you
check if an
individual
did not have
a permit?
X
Updated OFFICIAL WARNING
OFFICIAL WARNING
What box
would you
check if an
individual
had a
Category I
permit, but
was burning
a brush
pile?
X
Landowner calls for a
Seasonal Category I
Permit, you meet him to
look over the site…
WHAT
WOULD
YOU
DO?
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does
not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?
• What laws or rules are in violation?
• From what you can see, What would you do?
?
SUGGESTED
ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT
DID YOU
DO?
•
•
•
•
SUGGESTED ANSWER
Inspect the area for compliance with the rules for Cat. I Fires
Is the pit under 2 feet in diameter and enclosed with fire
resistive material?
Is the pit 25 feet from a structure?
If the permit is denied, you must advise the individual as to
why the permit has been denied.
?
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE - PUMPS
Which is the correct fuel mixture for Mark III Pumps?
16:1
20:1
20:1
24:1
50:1
http://gacc.nifc.gov/rmcc/logistics/cache/policies/mark3.htm
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE - MAPS
Which shows the closest profile of the mountains on this map?
12
a
a
2
b
a
b
b
Wildfire Fighting Near High-Voltage Electric
Transmission Lines
100
FEET
FIRE FIGHTING OPERATIONS ? FEET BEYOND THE
OUTER MOST WIRE OF AN ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION LINE
REQUIRE NO UNUSUAL TACTICS
Wildfire Fighting Near High-Voltage Electric
Transmission Lines
Smoke, ash and incidental
mist from fire fighting
operations can contaminate
the insulators on
transmission structures. This
contamination may cause a
short circuit to occur at the
structure, creating an
electrical hazard.
Maintain a minimum radial
distance of
?
feet
between firefighters (and
vehicles) and transmission
structures to protect fire
fighting personnel from
this electrical hazard.
35
FEET
Wildfire Fighting Near High-Voltage Electric
Transmission Lines
SOMETIMES,
If you do, you must:
• Abandon any DIRECT
ATTACK
• Maintain the 100 foot
distance between
firefighters and heavy
smoke passing through
electric lines
?
• Maintain the 35 foot
distance between
firefighters and
transmission structures
When
in doubt,
back off
change
CAN YOU
CONTINUE
TOand
FIGHT
THE tactics.
FIRE WHEN IT ISALWAYS
UNDER
PROVIDE
FOR FIREFIGHTER
SAFETY
THE TRANSMISSION
LINES?
1630 Hours,
Saturday.
Individual has no
permit
WHAT
WOULD
YOU
DO?
• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does
not show the entire situation.
• Are there any problems?
• What laws or rules are in violation?
• From what you can see, What would you do?
?
SUGGESTED
ANSWERS…
ON NEXT SLIDE
WHAT
DID YOU
DO?
•
•
•
•
SUGGESTED ANSWER
Advise the individual of the permit requirements and how they
may obtain one
If you are authorized to issue permits and you are satisfied that
the area is safe, you may issue a permit
If you are authorized, Issue a Written Warning to document the
violation
If it is almost 5:00 p.m. when you are done and you have issued
a permit, you may consider letting the individual continue to
burn the pile, otherwise the pile will need to be extinguished
?
Name 3 things found in the
“Warden’s Corner” section of our website.
WARDEN’S CORNER
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Daily Fire Danger
Current Events – Grant opportunities, new equipment etc…
Fire Training – PowerPoint presentations
Appointment forms, Injury Report Forms etc…
Handouts for the public
Law Posters
Rate sheets and information for fire bills
Smokey Bear sign – Building Instructions
Information on equipment maintenance
Links to weather sites
Much more…
www.nhdfl.org
www.nhdfl.org
www.nhdfl.org
www.nhdfl.org
www.nhdfl.org
www.nhdfl.org
www.nhdfl.org
It’s THE
a Tough
ENDJob…
www.nhdfl.org
But somebody
has
to
do
it.
271-2214