The Maryland Wildland Fire Crew is a professional
Interagency Wildland Fire Crew dedicated to the safety of not just its own
crew members, but to all the firefighters they work with as well as the community
they are charged with protecting. Always remember LCES, the 10 Standard Fire
Orders, and the 18 Watch Out Situations.
The 10 Standard Fire Fighting Orders
Keep informed on fire weather conditions
and forecasts.
Know what your fire is doing at all times.
Base all actions on current and expected behavior
of the fire.
Identify escape routes and make them known.
Post lookouts when there is possible danger.
Be alert, Keep calm, Think clearly, Act decisively.
Maintain prompt communications with your
forces, your supervisor, and adjoining forces.
Give clear instructions and insure they are
understood.
Maintain control of your forces at all times.
Fight fire aggressively, having provided
for safety first.
The 18 Watch Out Situations
Fire not scouted and sized up.
In country not seen in daylight.
Safety zones and escape routes not identified.
Unfamiliar with weather and local factors
influencing fire behavior.
Uninformed on strategy, tactics, and hazards.
Instructions and assignments not clear.
No communication link with crewmembers/supervisors.
Constructing line without safe anchor point.
Building fireline downhill with fire below.
Attempting frontal assault on fire.
Unburned fuel between you and the fire.
Cannot see main fire, not in contact with
anyone who can.
On a hillside where rolling material can ignite
fuel below.
Weather is getting hotter and drier.
Wind increases and/or changes direction.
Getting frequent spot fires across line.
Terrain and fuels make escape to safety zones
difficult.
Taking a nap near the fire line.
