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The New Generation Fire Shelter
The new generation practice fire shelters are made from green plastic and can be reused many times. The practice shelter’s carrying case is orange. Never mix practice and real fire shelter components. If you did, someone could carry a practice shelter to the fireline. This is another reason to inspect your fire shelter when you first receive it.
The best training locations are in the field where different deployment site selections can be discussed. Practice evaluating possible deployment sites when out on the fireline so you can recognize deployment sites quickly, even when you are under stress. Remember, deployment requires removing your pack, clearing a site, removing your shelter, getting inside the shelter, and deploying on the ground.
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Training should not be done [under] controlled circum-stances. Catch [firefighters] when they’re tired; catch them when they are off guard; it may be more similar to what it’s like in the real world. Supervisor and entrapment survivor |
For more realism in training, some crews have occupied shelters near burning brush piles. This is unacceptable. Such training is extremely dangerous and risks firefighters’ lives. NEVER use live fire for fire shelter training.
In addition to hands-on training, visualize yourself practicing the deployment scenarios. Think of visualization as a dress rehearsal. It is a form of practice that allows you to experience events before they happen. Images have a powerful effect on us. The mind treats an imagined entrapment as if it were real. If you ever do have to drop your pack and deploy your shelter, visualization makes it more likely that you’ll react correctly, quickly, and without panic. Visualization should be used only to supplement—never to replace—hands-on training.
Picture yourself in different entrapment situations. Think your way through the entrapments and imagine yourself reacting correctly to each situation. The most important actions to visualize are:
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