Fire and Water
A firefighter extinguishes flames during the training exercise. Photo courtesy US Forest Service.
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Interagency Cooperation
Approximately 150 firefighters from Teton, Sublette and Lincoln counties; Bridger-Teton National Forest; Grand Teton National Park; the National Elk Refuge; the Bureau of Land Management; and the Wyoming State Forestry Division participated. Photo courtesy US Forest Service.
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Fire Evacuation Info
Fire evacuation information was available for local residents. Photo courtesy US Forest Service.
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All Fire Days Vehicles
Firefighters from many agencies participated in the annual fire training exercise. Photo courtesy US Forest Service.
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All Fire Days - Homeowners and Firefighters train together
150 firefighters train at Hoback Ranches near Bondurant
by Bridger-Teton National Forest
June 16, 2008
(Bondurant) – The Bridger-Teton National Forest, along with cooperators from state and federal agencies, held its 10th annual All Fire Day training exercises on Saturday, June 14, 2008, at Hoback Ranches in Bondurant. Approximately 150 firefighters from Teton, Sublette and Lincoln counties; Bridger-Teton National Forest; Grand Teton National Park; the National Elk Refuge; the Bureau of Land Management; and the Wyoming State Forestry Division gathered to work together to improve interagency coordination and emergency preparedness, communication, and skills. This year the event included residents from the nearby subdivision who were asked to participate in a mock evacuation of Skyline and Fisherman Roads.
Firefighters participated in drills to sharpen their skills. These included: laying firefighting hoses for defending areas from approaching wildfire; running scenarios as if they were attaching an approaching wildfire; digging line to confine a wildfire to a particular area; techniques and tactics for insuring a fire is totally “mopped up” or extinguished; and even a simulated medical emergency. Brian Karchut, Skyline Division Facilitator said “It’s really useful to be able to use live fire for these drills, as it adds a real sense of urgency. I think the whole day was a valuable training experience from the ground firefighter on up the Agency Administrator.”
Some of the engine crews performed home assessments in the subdivision to see how defensible structures would be in the event of an approaching wildfire. Homeowners had been asked in advance to perform their own assessments so they could compare notes with the firefighters. Traci Weaver, Public Information Officer for All Fire Day, said, “I think it will be very valuable for the homeowners to see how the firefighters look at their homes, and how they perceive the structure and the risks associated with it.” The assessments are meant to identify steps homeowners can take to ensure the survivability of their home if a wildfire passed through the area. Seventeen individuals participated in the mock evacuation. “I received a lot of positive feedback from the folks who evacuated. They are very interested in seeing how safely and efficiently the process might go during a real emergency situation,” said Weaver
Steve Markason, Operations Section Chief for the event, said in the de-briefing at the end of the day, “This is the most complex All Fire Day we’ve pulled off in the ten years we’ve been doing this, considering the homeowner involvement. I think everything went really well and was a great success.” Markason also stated “We are very grateful to the Hoback Ranches Subdivision. These people basically gave up their Saturday. They got up early, let us take invade their neighborhood, and were incredibly good sports about the whole thing. We really owe them our thanks!”
Photos courtesy Bridger-Teton National Forest
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