WILDLAND FIRE SUPPRESSION

with Heavy Equipment in Spain

Juan Bautista García Egido
Domingo Molina Terrén
Outline

1. Use and integration of heavy equipment in wildland

fire suppression in Spain. Historical background
2. Types of machines used in wildland fires in Spain.
Heavy equipment teams
3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain.
4. Efficiency/Performance of lines implementation. Cost
5. Lessons learned from 15 years of wildland fire
suppression in Spain
6. Next Challenges (innovation and development)

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1. Use and integration of heavy equipment in wildland fire
suppression in Spain. Historical background
FOREST MAP OF SPAIN

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1. Use and integration of heavy equipment in wildland fire
suppression in Spain. Historical background
-Number of Fires and area affected:

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1. Use and integration of heavy equipment in wildland fire
suppression in Spain. Historical background

-Evolution of % of the Large Fires (>500 ha) and Evolution of % of area

affected by Large Fires:

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1. Use and integration of heavy equipment in wildland fire
suppression in Spain. Historical background

CANADA (Alberta 1940)

USA 1940

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1. Use and integration of heavy equipment in wildland fire
suppression in Spain. Historical background
FOTOTECA FORESTAL, DGB-INIA

Indeterminate place, Ciudad Real, Aforestation

Building terraces 1958 Riofrío Plough1975

CIUDAD REAL 1980,

Pumper
Cat/Caterpillar D7

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1. Use and integration of heavy equipment in wildland fire
suppression in Spain. Historical background

TYPES OF FIRE
AGENCIES IN SPAIN

Map showing the number of heavy equipment teams by Regions (Size of Icon)
Map Credit: Juan José Fernández

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2. Types of machines used in wildland fires in Spain. Heavy equipment
teams

Eartmoving machines:
- Dozers (68)
- Excavators
Machines to cut and extract products:
- Harvesters and Feller-Bunchers
- Skidder and Forwarders
Machines with tanks:
- Pumpercats
- Skidgines
Other implements and machines:
- Walking excavators/Mulchers/Agricultural tractor with ploughs

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2. Types of machines used in wildland fires in Spain. Heavy equipment
teams .
DOZERS/EXCAVATORS

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2. Types of machines used in wildland fires in Spain. Heavy equipment
teams

HARVESTERS/FELLEN-BUNCHERS/SKIDDERS

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2. Types of machines used in wildland fires in Spain. Heavy equipment
teams

PUMPERCATS

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2. Types of machines used in wildland fires in Spain. Heavy equipment
teams
AGRICULTURAL PLOWS OVER
TRACK AND WHEELED
TRACTORS. LUCKY MACHINES

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2. Types of machines used in wildland fires in Spain. Heavy equipment
teams

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2. Types of machines used in wildland fires in Spain. Heavy equipment
teams

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Direct attack.
Fuel Models: Grass, Shrubs (4,5) and Clear Forest (11)
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real

Zamora
Toledo

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Direct attack.
Fuel Models: Grass, Shrubs (4,5) and Clear Forest (11)

Performance of construction of control lines (in Spain) with dozer according Ayala and
Holguin (2000) in "La defensa contra incendios forestales. Fundamentos y experiencias".

FUEL MODEL VEGETATION DESCRIPTION Yields km/hr IN Yields km/hr IN

CONTOUR LINE DOWNHILL
OPERATIONS
4 Shrubs> 2 m 0,5-1 1,5
5y6 Shrubs < 1 m 1,50 2
7 Shrubs de 0,5-2 m in conifers 0,50 1
8y9 Forest of conifers 0,50 0,7
10 Forest with debris 0,30 0,5
11 Forest clear 0,40 0,6
12 y 13 Debris predominant 0,70 0,9

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Direct attack.
Fuel Models: Grass, Shrubs (4,5) and Clear Forest (11)

Ciudad Real

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Direct Attack. Fuel
Models: Shrubs and Conifers (7) Forest and Debris (8, 9, 10, 12, 13)

Cáceres Toledo

Cuenca

Lleida

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Direct Attack. Fuel
Models: Shrubs and Conifers (7) Forest and Debris (8, 9, 10, 12, 13)

Cuenca

Albacete

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Direct Attack.

1º Dozer
2º Dozer
Hand tool
crew

Dozer Boss

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Direct Attack.

Aerial Resources
Aerial support

1º Dozer
1º Dozer

2º Dozer

2º Dozer

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Paralel/Indirect
Attack.
Ciudad Real

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Paralel/Indirect
Attack.
Ciudad Real

Valencia

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Control of fire
perimeters.

Albacete

Ciudad Real

Ciudad Real

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Creating access to
other resources.

Albacete

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Creating access to
other resources.

Albacete

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Creating access to
other resources. Firelines restoration
Firelines restoration

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3. Suppression Operations in wildland fires in Spain. Creating access to
other resources. Firelines restoration
Firelines restoration

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4. Efficiency/Performance of lines implementation

Performance of construction of control lines (in Spain) with dozer according Ayala and
Holguin (2000) in "La defensa contra incendios forestales. Fundamentos y experiencias".

FUEL MODEL VEGETATION DESCRIPTION Yields km/hr IN Yields km/hr IN

CONTOUR LINE DOWNHILL
OPERATIONS
4 Shrubs> 2 m 0,5-1 1,5
5y6 Shrubs < 1 m 1,50 2
7 Shrubs de 0,5-2 m in conifers 0,50 1
8y9 Forest of conifers 0,50 0,7
10 Forest with debris 0,30 0,5
11 Forest clear 0,40 0,6
12 y 13 Debris predominant 0,70 0,9

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4. Efficiency/Performance of lines implementation. Costs

The service dozer and lowboy prices, for 10 hours in the presence of the team and 24 hours
of on call availability with two full shifts machine operator and lowboy driver range from
(Prices of Dozer Service in Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) for 2012):

- Dozer type 1> 200 hp: The hourly cost of the dozer and lowboy is about 87.2 €/hour.

- Dozer type 2 <200 hp: The hourly cost of the dozer and lowboy is about 72.1 €/hour.

The price of the extra hour in suppression tasks for dozer type 1> 200 HP: 75 €/hour + VAT
(Tax) = 90.75 €/hour.
(1 Euro=$1.11 USD or $1.44C CAD).

Most Technical Conditions of the Heavy Equipment in different Regions in Spain also has a
portion of work by hours, hectares or linear meters, to review firebreaks or improvement
of roads.

Dozer production rate in Spain, determined by Ayala and Holguin (2000), can be
determined operational costs, applying the price extra hour of 90.75 €/hour (track-type
tractor Type 1). Therefore these operational costs would range between 30 €/km-303
€/km.

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Actions to ensure the intrinsic safety of the heavy equipment used in
suppression wildland fires

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5. Lessons learned from 15 years of wildland fire suppression in Spain

- Heavy Equipment Sets (HES) are highly adapted to the forest environment and to wildland
fires. They have an excellent great grip and stability on steep slopes (<75 %), slippery surfaces
and rough land. They have greater maneuverability than other resources.

- HES are able to handle direct attacks on high intensity (>2,5 m) fireline wildland fires.

- HES are used to implement emergency road access.

- HES are used to save time and hours of manual work in fire line control; therefore,
unloading work to be allocated to other tasks.

- HES perform fire line control faster and in a less expensive manner.

- HES eliminate part of safety iusses by reducing the number of people in your work area.

- HES allow safer night time line building operations, especially where dead trees or branches
(widow-makers) exist.

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5. Lessons learned from 15 years of wildland fire suppression in Spain

- In Spain, it is necessary to establish a training program for dozer boss, machine operators,
and lowboy drivers to standardize and rank their capabilities (as regulated the Regional Fire
Agencies) so they can fit into a system like the Incident Command System (ICS).

- In order to successfully introduction the HES and be truly effective it is also necessary to
train middle managers and command officers in the equipment characteristics, types,
potential utilities and integration within suppression operations.

- The integration of the figure of Strike Team Heavy Equipment in

the Incident Command System of the Regional Governments is
necessary.
- Investigation of accidents (and near-hits) involving heavy equipment is needed in order to
establish the causes and resulting conclusions.

- Is necessary to carry out the firelines restoration after the wildland fires.

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5. Lessons learned from 15 years of wildland fire suppression in Spain

HES in Spain need the figure of Stike Team

Heavy Equipment

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5. Lessons learned from 15 years of wildland fire suppression in Spain

HES in Spain need the figure of Strike

Team Heavy Equipment

Guadalajara

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5. Lessons learned from 15 years of wildland fire suppression in Spain

LESSONS LEARNED.
ACCIDENTS AND
INCIDENTS
(Guadalajara). 2012

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5. Lessons learned from 15 years of wildland fire suppression in Spain

LESSONS LEARNED. ACCIDENTS AND

INCIDENTS (Ciudad Real). 2009

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5. Lessons learned from 15 years of wildland fire suppression in Spain

LESSONS LEARNED. ACCIDENTS AND

INCIDENTS. (Zamora) 2002

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6. Future challenges (innovation and development)

Community Fire Shelter

(Development by Safety Zone a
Spanish Company)

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6. Future challenges (innovation and development)

Development tools such as water

tanks approved for dozers and
forwarders with CE labeling

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6. Future challenges (innovation and development)
Remote Control

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6. Future challenges (innovation and development)
Simulated virtual environments

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6. Future challenges (innovation and development)

Other types of incidents

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Summary

1. Dozers and used in Spain in fire suppression.

2. More use, more training, and more efficiency
is expected in the new future.
3. We use both “direct” and “parallel attack”
(along with technical fire). Indirect attack and
securing the control line (latter action) too.
4. Challenges
5. Training in dozer use at all levels, from drivers
to fire chiefs. And in masterFUEGO (a M. Sc.
program)
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WILDLAND FIRE SUPPRESSION
with Heavy Equipment in Spain
Juan Bautista García Egido
Domingo Molina Terrén

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Juan Bautista García
jbgarcia@geacam.com

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