The Nebraska Prescribed Fire Council has published its second issue of Prescribed Fire Lessons Learned! The Nebraska Prescribed Fire Council takes submissions from practitioners on lessons learned from prescribed fires to assist producers, landowners, PBAs, and other prescribed fire professionals to keep improving season after season. This forum has been invaluable in learning from one another in hopes that mistakes or judgment calls turn into valuable lessons for all of us building and contributing to prescribed fire culture. Below are some highlights from this issue.
Advice from Paul in Illinois
- Always carry a reliable method of starting fire for drip torch
- Structural firefighting Nomex® or similar hoods are worth trying
- Especially for new prescribed burners – teaching practitioners to “always keep their head on a swivel” is critically important
- Try backpack blowers
Lessons learned from South Carolina
- Don’t rush
- Delaying start time an extra hour or two can make a big difference
- Don’t discount a good backing fire when fuel consumption is an objective
Lessons learned from Alabama
- Communication is key
- Always allow a backing fire to black in at least a few chains before setting a head fire
- Always pay attention to potential wind funnels, like right-of-ways
Advice from Grant in Nebraska
- Tanks with center drains will help mitigate this issue
- If building a tank, add internal baffling
Lessons learned from Nebraska
- Any large equipment like a dozer used for fire break periodically could have rodents build nests in the engine exhausts
- Carry a fire extinguisher or other suppression equipment in hazardous landscapes
For more information and lessons learned, be sure to check out the full article here!