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The New Generation Fire Shelter

Training

Seconds are critical. Repeated hands-on training in shelter deployment is an essential part of fire shelter training. Firefighters have died when they were unable to deploy their shelters in time. Each year, every firefighter should practice fire shelter drills repeatedly. Drill until each step, from dropping your gear to deploying your shelter, can be done automatically. Practice should allow you to deploy the new shelter in 15 to 20 seconds.

Firefighters who have been through entrapments have reported that deploying the shelter had a calming effect—they were doing something they had been trained to do. The more you practice using your shelter, the more likely you are to react correctly in an emergency.

Training Scenarios

Each individual should practice deploying the fire shelter under the following six scenarios. It is best to train in realistic field conditions. Remember, always train wearing gloves, a hardhat, a full pack, and if you have one, a face and neck shroud.

1. Standard deployment, clearing a 4- by 8-foot site.
   Practice a standard deployment, first clearing a 4- by 8-foot site to mineral soil. Practice preparing the site so you can do so quickly. Some firefighters have found that the best way to deploy the new shelter is to step in, sit down, and roll over (figure 23).
2. Proper use of shake handles.
   The handles that extend from the end of the folded shelter allow the shelter to be unfolded quickly. When you grasp the handles correctly, the shelter’s opening will be toward your body, allowing you to get inside quickly. Practice looking at the shake handles and grasping them with the correct hands before shaking.
3. Deploy your shelter while lying on the ground.
   If a fire approaches before you are fully deployed, your most important action is to get flat on the ground. Practice deploying your shelter from the ground by opening the shelter and pulling it over you.
4. Drop your gear and remove your shelter while escaping.
   When speed is essential for escape, drop your gear and run with just your fire shelter and your tool. You are more likely to remember these steps when stress and fear set in during an escape if you practice them each year.
   You can strip off the shelter’s plastic bag as you are escaping. A partially unfolded shelter can be used as a heat shield and can be fully deployed in a matter of seconds. Be careful not to catch the shelter on brush or rocks.
5. Deploy your shelter in a strong wind.
   Because fires are accompanied by high winds and turbulence, it is important to practice in these conditions. Some people find it easier to deploy from the ground in strong winds. Try a variety of deployment techniques to find one that works for you. Always remove your pack at the earliest stage of deployment—it is extremely difficult to deploy a fire shelter in the wind while you are wearing a pack.
   While windstorms provide the most realistic training, you can get a good feel for wind deployments by using one or more strong fans, such as the positive ventilation fans used by fire departments.
6. Lie in your shelter.
   Lie in your shelter and picture yourself in an actual entrapment situation. Fear of confined spaces and the dark, combined with extreme heat, turbulence, and noise, can cause you to panic. Imagine the sounds, heat, and fear. Imagine steeling yourself to pain and staying in your shelter no matter what. Some firefighters have suffered claustrophobia while inside their shelters. Spend enough time inside a shelter to find out whether you’re claustrophobic. If you are, gradually increase the time you spend inside a shelter to help you adapt.

Figure 23—Some firefighters have found that the best
way to enter the new shelter is to step in,
sit down, and roll onto your stomach.

-Continued-

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