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Equipment forconducting a prescribed fire can range from simple and low cost, to multifaceted and expensive. Many times it may be limited by budget, experience, or agency requirements. The main thing to remember is to use dependable, practical equipment that everyone on the fire crew can operate. Protective Clothing The first type of equipment that you need to think about for prescribed burning is clothing for personal safety. Many governmental agencies and personnel who manage private lands often disagree on this topic, but when working with private land managers, you cannot force or expect them to wear full wildland personal protective equipment (PPE). From working with private landholders for years and knowing other people who also do, I have learned that experienced private landowners will lose all interest in prescribed fire, along with all respect for you, if you show up to a burn in full PPE. In many locations you will be laughed off the fireline if you show up in yellow wildland fire gear, so you should plan your clothing accordingly. Every year, private land managers safely burn millions of acres with little or no PPE. For safety, everyone should wear long-sleeved shirts made of 100% cotton or wool. Long sleeves are important for protecting your arms from burning embers , hot parts of a drip torch, and radiant heat, along with briars, thorns, and other things that can scratch you. Pants should also be full length and made of cotton or wool. These clothing articles should be free of rips, frays, tears, and holes (Figure 11-1). The fabric along the edge of these rips, frays, and tears can burn, although cotton or wool will not flame up but will burn like a wick. Also, any type of hole in your clothing will allow radiant heat or possibly flames to burn your skin. Do not wear synthetic fibers, especially nylon, because most synthetics will melt or are flammable. Be careful not to wear any clothing that you like while you are working on the fireline because most likely falling embers will burn holes in it. If you choose to wear wildland fire–type clothing, use Nomex or Indura FR cotton. These clothes come in different material thicknesses, so pick the one that is right for your situation. When burning in warm-weather conditions, choose a shirt made of lighter-weight material so it will be cooler. I prefer Indura FR cotton over Nomex for two reasons. First, Indura FR cotton is a natural chapter 11 Fire Equipment Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow. —Isaiah 50:11 Fire Equipment 107 cotton fiber that breathes and wicks away moisture. Nomex is a synthetic aramid fiber that does not breathe or wick any moisture away. Second, Indura FR costs much less than Nomex. You might also choose to wear coveralls that fit over your regular clothes.You can purchase your coveralls new, or often you can find them used and at no cost. All the coveralls used by refinery workers or petroleum truck drivers are Nomex jumpsuits. These companies require their employees to change out their coveralls periodically. Many times these coveralls are in good shape and can be purchased for next to nothing, or you can ask to have them donated to your program. Another source for low-cost coveralls is military surplus through the Department of Defense’s Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) or through military surplus stores. All pilot jumpsuits are made of Nomex and often are put into surplus with very little wear or damage. These jumpsuits can be obtained at no cost by federal and state agencies through DRMS or purchased by others at military surplus stores. One point to remember about clothing is that two layers provide better protection from radiant heat and better moisture absorption than one layer does. On the other hand, two layers can cause an increase in heat disorders by trapping and holding more of your body’s heat. In the late winter to early spring I normally wear a long-sleeved cotton T-shirt under my fire shirts to help keep me warm when I am not doing a lot of physical labor. This added layer will also help wick away some moisture when I exert myself. In the summer months I typically...

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