Not all firefighters use the same gear while on the job. If you’re curious as to what wildland firefighters typically use, we’ve compiled a list for you.
Even though the role of fighting fires is relatively the same across the board, taking on a forest fire has a lot of challenges. Because of that, wildland firefighters use a lot of unique gear while on the job that most standard firefighters wouldn’t necessarily require. In this article, we’ll list some examples of the equipment they need to effectively battle a forest fire.
Backpacks
One key element differentiating wildland firefighters from standard ones is that they constantly deal with a large area of land that’s currently burning. Most firefighter operations deal with a house or two. Due to this size difference, wildland firefighters need to carry most of their gear with them constantly, which is why they need some form of a backpack.
Depending on what they need to take with them, these packs can vary in size and design. For example, if someone requires an extra hose further away from the base of operation, they can take one of the many different types of hose backpacks with them to haul it. Regardless of the type of pack they use, though, they’ll need them to carry much of the following unique wildland firefighter gear that’s necessary for the job.
Chainsaws
When most of what’s on fire are trees, you’ll need a way to remove them quickly. That’s why most wildland firefighters always carry a lightweight chainsaw with them. The models they need must be powerful enough to cut through a tree in a timely manner, which means it’s not uncommon for users to carry extra bottles of fuel with them as well.
Water Bottles
Of course, they won’t want to mix those fuel bottles up with their water bottles. When hiking through the forest with a loaded backpack and fighting off intense flames, dehydration due to the amount of sweating a person will do is very much a real threat. That’s why almost every wildland firefighter carries up to five liters of water with them at all times. Water is one thing that it never hurts to bring extra of.
Headlamps
Unlike most residential fires, forest fires can last multiple days or even weeks. That means there’s going to be a lot of nighttime firefighting. Carrying a headlamp for that reason becomes a necessity. Obviously, the fire will keep the area well-lit to an extent, but when searching through your backpack or climbing over some jagged rocks, you’ll want to make sure you can see everything clearly.
GPS Device
Finally, no wildland firefighter setup is complete without a personal GPS device. Due to the scale and uniformity of the landscape that the fire is currently blazing through, knowing your exact location at a moment’s notice is crucial. Whether you get lost or need to know if potential dangers are coming your way, having a precise measurement of where you are will save your life more than once. You can never be too safe when it comes to this aspect of the job.