Protecting Emergency Responders from Moving Vehicles During Wildfire Responses

As buildings and infrastructure encroach further on undeveloped land, wildfire flames and smoke increasingly impact traffic on roadways. In addition, movement of wildland firefighting vehicles both on and off road pose a struck-by hazard to wildland firefighters. In fact, several struck-by line-of-duty deaths have occurred at wildfire responses. Traditionally, traffic control and responder safety around moving vehicles have not been part of wildland firefighting training. Vehicle hazards persist at wildfires and responders must know how to protect themselves, control traffic, and manage emergency vehicle movements to minimize the chances that someone will be struck and killed or injured.

In response to this need, the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firefighters Association’s Emergency Responder Safety Institute has developed a package of training materials to assist organizations responding to wildfires with training personnel in how to integrate recommended traffic incident management practices into wildfire response to improve the safety of responders operating on foot near moving vehicles. The package includes:

• Training Program Guidelines
• Protecting Emergency Responders from Moving Vehicles During Wildfire Responses (Project Report)
• Responder Safety Learning Network “Wildland Fires and Traffic Management” (Online Training Module)
• Roadway Safety Short: Traffic Incident Management at Wildfires (Short Video)
• Traffic Incident Management at Wildfires: Part 1 (PowerPoint Presentation)
• Traffic Incident Management at Wildfires: Part 2 (PowerPoint Presentation)
• Roadway Incident Cue Card for Wildfire Responses 1: Implementing a Traffic Incident Management Area at Wildfires
• Roadway Incident Cue Card for Wildfire Responses 2: Essential Actions for Roadway Incidents or Operational Along Roadways

These materials can be freely used. Please credit ERSI/CVVFA when using the materials.

In addition, the ERSI provides the following model Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) from the Phoenix Fire Department:

• M.P. 205.07: Apparatus Placement
• M.P. 202.15: Brush Wildland Fire
• M.P. 202.07A: Safe Parking While Operating In or Near Vehicle Traffic
• M.P. 202.15B: Urban-Interface Deployment

All materials can also be downloaded in one zip file.

The Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firefighters Association/Emergency Responder Safety Institute conducted this project under contract 70FA2022P00000034, authorized by the United States Fire Administration.