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Nothing tests the efficacy of remote firefighting gear like a wildland fire. Naturally, it requires special considerations for wildland firefighting equipment, which must be extremely versatile and enable fast adaptation to all of:
- Changing fire conditions
- Uncertain terrain
- Frequent movement, often on foot
- Unique wildland firefighting strategies
- Accessibility limits on trucks and heavy equipment
For emergency applications as broad as moving people, equipment, and heavy natural or man-made objects, a durable material lifting device plays an essential role in portable wildland fire gear. It can also expand the capabilities of smaller teams, as when wildland fire brigades must split into multiple smaller units, yet still require the means of handling extremely heavy materials.
Adaptability to Fast-Changing Conditions
Wildland firefighters must overcome numerous overlapping hazards by moving wildland fire gear (such as hoses or pumps), clearing debris, or directly lifting and moving victims out of harms way. In the latter case, a material lifting device must be specifically rated for man-riding. In all cases, portable lifting devices must meet numerous design and build standards for reliable function in an emergency situation.
That's true of any firefighting, search and rescue, and other emergency application. For wildland fires, several functional design features become all the more essential:
- Lightweight and smaller design to expand range and reduce storage space
- High heat and cold tolerance
- Hand-powered function, plus compatibility with electrical or gas-motor power packs
- Easy, effective deployment for even one firefighter
- Low lever effort to prevent operator fatigue
- Extreme durability and low-maintenance
- High lifting capacities (upwards of 8,000 lb for manual operation, and 28,000 lb with hydraulic power)
- Variable speed control and ability to move wire rope in small increments
- Capable of pulling loads or creating tension across vertical, horizontal, or diagonal planes
- Compatible with unlimited wire rope length
Overcoming Physical Limitations in Wildland Settings
Always check your OSHA, state plan, or CCOHS regulations to ensure your wildland fire gear meets or exceeds the legal requirements of your jurisdiction. What many find is – unlike most other industries and even urban firefighting requirements – OSHA regulations for wildland fires don't provide as much "play-by-play" oversight.
Yet if anything, wildland firefighting involves a much higher amount of general overlapping safety regulations. This includes guidance and strict requirements for all of:
- Lifting injuries
- Worker fatigue
- Extreme heat
- Carbon monoxide
- Unstable structures
- Downed power lines
- Confined spaces
These and other hazards underscore the need for wildland firefighting equipment to be versatile, reliable, and easy to use.
For example, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program for wildfires (powerpoint presentation) emphasizes the need for anchoring man-lifting equipment to stable structural elements while exploring debris. The program then suggests tying lifelines to "suitable anchorage points, including bucket trucks," whenever possible.
The issue is, wildland firefighters frequently find themselves away from work vehicles. It's just one of many scenarios that challenge wildland firefighters to use their equipment more creatively, and when seconds count. A material lifting device helps firefighters, already burdened with heavy gear and exhaustion, heed the NIEHS training's primary ergonomic recommendation:
"Use proper machinery to assist in lifting materials[.]" (p. 42)
Without technology-assisted lifting strategies, wildland firefighters become mentally and physically burdened with several other NIEHS wildfire lifting guidelines:
- Limit hand-lifting to 50 lbs (22.7 kg) per person
- Avoid repetitive motions, awkward postures, and excessive force
- Use two or more team members to handle bulky materials "[i]f equipment is not available"
You can eliminate these limitations completely by incorporating a portable and versatile material lifting device into your wildland fire gear. Be sure that you incorporate such equipment into your department's training, per OSHA Subpart L subsection (c), as well as any functional claims in your fire brigade's organizational statement, per subsection (b)(1).
Selecting Wildland Fire Gear for Lifting Requirements
All this raises the question: can a portable device truly compare to the lifting capacities of larger equipment? The answer is proportional to the situational requirements you're preparing for.
In most cases, the ability to single-handedly lift thousands of pounds, in exchange for approximately 50, 100, or 150 lbs of carrying weight – hoist, rope, and all – is unquestionably an advantage for wildland fire unites. Even just accommodating around 25 lbs (55 kg) allows a single firefighter to surpass recommended hand-lifting limits (50 lbs, repeatedly) by up to 40x (2,000 lbs, and with little fear of fatigue).
For even greater lifting capacities, it's possible to amplify these figures ten-fold or more with a separate gas-powered or electrical power pack. It gives wildland firefighters a tremendous range of choice when it comes to portable high-capacity material lifting devices, rated also for man-riding applications.
By adding a hydraulic power pack (1.6–6.4 ton and 3.2–12.8 ton capacities available), it's possible to dramatically increase these limits while still retaining a high degree of mobility. High-capacity material lifting devices fit easily into the bed or cabin of a truck, taking up an extremely small material footprint (about the size of a microwave).
It's important to ensure a griphoist rescue kit for wildland fire operations are built to the highest standards, to minimize wear during hard use. The griphoist's enclosure should feature tight seals and corrosion-resistant materials, including the wire rope.
Build quality directly impacts safety and ongoing maintenance requirements – an extremely important aspect of any wildland firefighting equipment. OSHA Subpart L standards for fire brigades and equipment (see 1910.1569d]), requires all of:
- Annual equipment inspections
- Further inspections as needed to ensure "safe operational condition of[…] equipment"
- Removing and replacing damaged or unserviceable firefighting equipment
Working directly with a leading manufacturer of wildland fire gear is the most reliable way of meeting these and other important regulatory considerations (including also ASME and ANSI technical design standards). The most dedicated manufacturing partner can also provide long-term support to help you maintain your material lifting device at peak operating condition.
Protecting Wildland Fire Victims Begins With Equipment Selection
Time spent analyzing your materials-handling requirements translates to the efficiency and reliability of lifting operations during wildfire emergencies. By emphasizing the portability and versatility of wildland firefighting equipment, you can maximize your fire brigade's range and capacities at the same time.
Tractel is a world leader in innovative safety equipment solutions, including material lifting devices built to the highest technical and compliance standards. To learn more about our griphoist rescue kits, download our technical specs sheet or contact a team member for more information.