2001
Completed
Greg Baxter (Lead)
Marty Alexander
When fire behaviour becomes threatening, firefighters disengage the fire and travel along escape routes to reach safety zones to avoid being entrapped or burned over. The Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada (FERIC) studied the travel rates of various types of Alberta fire suppression crews using simulated escape routes. This projected focused on the travel rates of Type I firefighters on a moderately steep slope (26%) in two different fuel complexes—grass on a powerline and a white spruce stand. Researchers discuss the influence of using a marked trail or escape route and dropping one’s pack and tool on travel rates, and the effect of slope steepness on fire spread in relation to firefighter travel rates upslope.