WARDEN and DEPUTY WARDEN TRAINING LAW OVERVIEW and WARDEN / DEPUTY WARDEN RESPONSIBILITIES

WARDEN and DEPUTY WARDEN TRAINING

LAW OVERVIEW and WARDEN / DEPUTY WARDEN

RESPONSIBILITIES

TRAINING OBJECTIVES

• Review Roles and Responsibilities of Wardens and Deputy Wardens

• Review the process for issuing permits and handling illegal fires

• Review fire safety, weather and equipment

• This training is set up in Question/Answer form and requires group interaction

FIRE STATISTICSTEN YEAR AVERAGE 2002 – 2011

IN THE PAST TEN YEARS….

WHICH COUNTY BURNED THE MOST ACREAGE?

WHICH COUNTY HAD THE MOST FIRES?

WHICH COUNTY HAD THE MOST ACREAGE BURNED IN ONE YEAR?

HILLSBOROUGH – 790 FIRES

HILLSBOROUGH & ROCKINGHAM – 275 ACRES

COOS – 104 ACRES IN 2006

GRAFTON – 78 ACRES IN 2004

HILLSBOROUGH – 75 ACRES IN 2006

FIRE STATISTICSTEN YEAR AVERAGE 2002 – 2011

IN THE PAST TEN YEARS….

WHAT WAS THE NUMBER 1 CAUSE OF FIRES?

•DEBRIS BURNING – 176 FIRES PER YEAR

•MISCELLANEOUS – 134 / YR.

•CAMPFIRES – 29 / YR.

•SMOKING – 28 / YR.

•CHILDREN – 17 / YR.

•ARSON – 11 / YR.

•LIGHTNING – 7 / YR.

•EQUIPMENT – 6 / YR.

•RAILROADS – 2 / YR.

FOREST FIRE WARDEN

The Warden’s job has four main dutiesNAME TWO...

FIRE PREVENTIONFIRE PREPAREDNESSFIRE SUPPRESSION

FIRE REPORTS & BILLS

FOREST FIRE DEPUTY WARDENThe Deputy Warden’s job has four main duties

NAME TWO...

FIRE PREVENTIONFIRE PREPAREDNESSFIRE SUPPRESSION

RECORDS

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

?• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does not show the entire situation.

• Are there any problems?• What laws or rules are in violation?• From what you can see, What would you do?

Driving down the road and this

catches your eye…

SUGGESTED ANSWERS…

ON NEXT SLIDE

WHAT DID YOU DO?

?SUGGESTED ANSWER• Stop and investigate• If individual is around, ask for permit• Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire• Advise Forest Ranger of situation

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

PREVENTION

NAME TWO PREVENTION ITEMS

THE WARDEN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR.

• Requiring & Issuing Fire Permits

• Enforcing Forest Fire Laws

• Following up on all known violations

• Educating the public – posting law posters, direct contact etc…

• Informing the Forest Ranger of active timber sales, slash violations and potential fire situations

WHY WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TIMBER HARVESTS

FOREST RANGERS INSPECT TIMBER HARVEST OPERATIONS FOR:

• Proper filing of intent to cut form

• Posting of certificate or; Posting of copy of intent signed by assessing officials

• Verification of volumes on report of wood cut

• Basal Area• Wetlands• Slash• Contract & Deceptive

Forestry• Trespass

IF A TIM

BER HARVEST

DOES NOT H

AVE AN

INTENT TO C

UT OR

CERTIFICATE P

OSTED –

LET US K

NOW

RSA 227-J:10CARE OF SLASH AND MILL RESIDUE

SLASH DEFINED: Branches, bark, tops, chunks, tops, cull logs, uprooted stumps, and broken and uprooted brush and trees left on the ground after logging or other cutting operations.

RSA 227-J:10CARE OF SLASH AND MILL RESIDUE

Forest Rangers inspect timber harvest operations to ensure compliance with the slash law. Specific requirements are displayed on this diagram.

WE ALSO NEED HELP WITH THE FIREWOOD QUARANTINE

• Effective July 2011• Anyone transporting firewood into

New Hampshire needs a Compliance Agreement• Firewood dealers need to contact Forests & Lands for a

compliance agreement• Homeowners can get one online• Quarantine is to stop the spread of invasive insects• Let us know about out of state firewood dealers in your

area

• The picture shows a fire, this is a snapshot in time that does not show the entire situation.


?

WHAT WOULD

YOU DO?Backyard fire with Category III Permit

to burn brush


ON NEXT SLIDE

SUGGESTED ANSWER• Stop and investigate• If individual is around, ask for permit• Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire• If the violation is small and the individual is cooperative, you may issue a

Written Warning (if you are authorized by your Warden).• Advise Forest Ranger of situation

?

WHAT DID YOU

DO?

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIESPREVENTION

NAME TWO PREVENTION ITEMS THE

DEPUTY WARDEN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR.

• Check on all burning noticed. If a required permit has not been obtained, order the fire extinguished and inform the Warden

• Assist the Warden with educating the public

• Inform the Warden of potential fire situations

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

FIRE PREPAREDNESS

WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING IS NOT A

REQUIREMENT UNDER YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION?

• Attend forest fire training

• Preplanning forest fire hazards

• Know the fire hazards in your town, as well as sources of water, roads and trails

• Obtaining suppression tools and equipment and maintaining them

• Attend Warden Association Meetings

• Attend Warden Association Meetings, but you are encouraged to.

Association Meetings are a great place for Wardens and Deputies from different towns in the area to

share information and ideas. Forest Rangers attend the meetings to give updates on fire activity and

opportunities statewide, such as grants and upcoming training. It is important for Wardens and

Deputies to attend these meetings.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIESFIRE SUPPRESSION

WHO IS IN COMMAND OF THE FIRE SCENE IF THE

WARDEN IS NOT PRESENT?• When arriving as the first official on scene, a Deputy Warden will assume command.

• The Warden will assume command from the Deputy Warden when they arrive on scene.

• The Warden and Fire Chief should work in unified command.

• The Forest Ranger will join unified command when on scene.

• It is best to establish command protocols before an incident occurs.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?



Friday, late morning. Toned by

Dispatch for a smoke

investigation and you find…


ON NEXT SLIDE

WHAT DID YOU DO?

?SUGGESTED ANSWER• Stop and investigate• If individual is around, ask for permit• Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire• Advise Forest Ranger of situation

FOREST FIRE DEPUTY WARDENWhat Records are

Deputy Warden’s responsible for?

• Names of personnel assigned to them

• Time of assigned personnel

• Any Fire Information they have – area of origin, suppression actions, witnesses, responsible party, etc…

The Warden shall prepare a full and accurate fire report and send it to the district Forest Ranger

within ? hours of a fire.

48 HoursThe BLUE portion of the Fire Bill meets this requirement, if a Fire Bill is not going

to be submitted, the Warden needs to call or email the Ranger

FIRE REPORTING

FIRE REPORTING

• Date of Fire• Location• Size• Cause (name of person responsible)• Type (Wildfire or Non-permit/illegal fire)

Maintaining accurate records and reporting them nationally is very important to us.

We provide this information to towns working on Community Wildfire Protection Plan’s and use it when awarding VFA Grants.

What is the minimum information the Warden needs to provide their Ranger with for EVERY fire in their town?

When you are not filling out a Fire Bill – You can call or EMAIL the information to your Ranger –

It is important that we get it.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?



You drive this road every day

to work, Monday morning you see

this…


ON NEXT SLIDE

WHAT DID YOU DO?

?SUGGESTED ANSWER• Check with Warden, Deputies and Fire Department to see if

anyone knows about the incident• Find out who the landowner is, Warden and/or Fire Chief

should obtain preliminary information• Notify Forest Ranger of situation

How many days after a fire do you have to submit the bill?

60 days

FIRE REPORTING

TRUE or FALSE

You can suspend a Fire Permit and order a fire to be extinguished if you determine

the smoke to be causing a nuisance.

FALSE

The definition of “nuisance smoke” was through DES. They have removed this

definition from their rules; therefore, smoke from a fire can no longer be

defined as a nuisance.

TRUE or FALSE

When mutual aid departments respond to your town for a fire, their firefighters go on your Fire Bill.

FALS

E

The process for Fire Bills is the same for every fire, every time, for every town.

ALWAYS:

1.Fill out Fire Bill for YOUR firefighters

2.YOUR town pays YOUR firefighters

3.Send Fire Bill to your Forest Ranger

4. If it was a fire with mutual aid, the Ranger will organize all of the bills for delivery to the town which had the fire.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CAMPGROUNDS

Before receiving a seasonal permit, campgrounds must meet four additional

requirements for site preparation.

Name two of the four additional requirements.

• Be on an area cleaned to mineral soil at least 8 feet across

• Have at least 6 inches of sand or gravel under the fire for any fire built on the ground

• Have no limbs or other burnable material to a height of 10 feet above the fire area

• Have a ring of fire resistive material constructed so it cannot be moved from the mineral soil area.

http://www.inmagine.com/glowbotanica-005/ptg01522553-photo

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?



Saturday, early evening. PD responds to a noise complaint, they call you because there is a

fire as well. When you arrive you find that the owner has a

category I permit. PD asks if you can suspend the permit.


ON NEXT SLIDE

WHAT DID YOU DO?

?SUGGESTED ANSWER• Look over area for any violations• If there are any violations, illegal material etc… suspend the

permit• If there are no violations, you cannot suspend the permit

ISSUING AGENTS

STATUTE: RSA 227-G:4,IX directs the Commissioner

of DRED to create rules regarding the issuance of burning permits.

RULE: RES 5601.03 (a) Except as provided in this section, no person other than a forest

fire warden shall issue fire permits.(b)The director shall authorize others to issue fire permits after recommendation

by the forest fire warden.

Where do Issuing Agents get their authority to write fire permits?

The A.G.’s Office has determined that this covers the appointment of Issuing Agents.

CATEGORY IV PERMITS

Who has the authority to issue a Category IV

Permit?

Res 5601.05

The Forest Ranger & Warden must

sign the Category IV Permit.

If the Warden is not available, a person authorized to issue permits, may sign

along with the Forest Ranger.

Steven Sherman

Maynard FarrMonroe

CATEGORY IV PERMITS

Who are Category IV Permits commonly issued

to?

Why?

Category IV Permits are commonly issued to:

• Transfer Stations

• Land Clearing Companies

This is allowed because:

• Individuals are usually not working after 5:00pm

• Equipment is on site to control a fire

• Other means of disposal would be difficult

CATEGORY IV PERMITS

What materials can be burned with a Category IV

(“Commercial”) burn permit?

Res 5601.05 Category IV Permits are not different than any other permit, the only material allowed to be burned is:

Clean, untreated wood or brush less than 5 inches in diameter and meets applicable air resource regulations.

Clean, untreated wood or brush, no greater than 5 inches in diameter



?

WHAT WOULD

YOU DO?Neighbor Complaint.

A contractor has made this pile and

the neighbor thinks it may be burned soon


ON NEXT SLIDE

SUGGESTED ANSWER• There is no violation of the permit law at this point, so you

are limited in what you can do• Use as an educational opportunity and talk with the

contractor about the permit laws• Keep an eye on the pile

?

WHAT DID YOU

DO?

FIRE PERMITWhat is wrong with this Fire Permit?

Res 5601.04 Category I fires can be burned anytime

of day

DOCUMENTED

3 within a 7 year period

VIOLATIONS

How many DOCUMENTED violations must a person have before you can

deny them a permit?

7 Years

1st Offense

2nd Offense, 2 years later

3rd Offense, 3 years after 2nd Offense

7 ye

ars

from

1st O

ffens

e

Permits DENIED for 2

Years

FIRE PERMITWhat additional information would you ask for before issuing this permit?

Res 5601.01 & RSA 227-L:17 The Permittee is not the Landowner

and must have Written Permission from the Landowner



?

WHAT WOULD

YOU DO?

1300 Hours, Saturday. Individual has a

Category III permit. It has been raining all

morning, but the sun is now coming out.


ON NEXT SLIDE

?

WHAT DID YOU

DO?

SUGGESTED ANSWER• Stop and investigate• If individual is around, ask for permit• Since this fire is in the middle of the day and it is no longer

raining, it will need to be extinguished; if the individual is able to do so, have them put the fire out, otherwise have the Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire

• You can issue a Written Warning to document the violation• Advise Forest Ranger of the fire

FIRE PERMITSHow far must snow be extending

from the base of a fire to be considered “adequate snow cover”

100 Feet

100’

100’

100’ 100’

FROZEN PRECIP

ITATIO

N

FROZEN PRECIP

ITATIO

NFROZEN PRECIPITATION

FROZEN PRECIPITATION

FIRE PERMITWhat is wrong with this Fire Permit?

Res 5601.04 (a)(5) Category III fires should not be issued

for long periods of time because it is not possible to predict favorable weather conditions to prevent the spread or

escape of the fire



?

WHAT WOULD

YOU DO?Monday morning, no one on site…


ON NEXT SLIDE

?

WHAT DID YOU

DO?

SUGGESTED ANSWER• Stop and investigate, take photographs (cell phones work

well for this)• If individual returns, ask for permit• Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire• Advise Forest Ranger of situation

FIRE BEHAVIOR

A. Fire BehaviorB. WindC. TopographyD. Relative Humidity

What factor influences fire spread more than any other?

WIND

Why are Category II and III fires only allowed to be burned between

5:00 pm and 9:00 am?

RE

LA

TIV

E H

UM

IDIT

Y

TE

MP

ER

AT

UR

E

A.M. P.M.AFTERNOON

As the day progresses from morning to afternoon the environment changes and makes fire control more difficult.

The temperature increases in the afternoon and the surface fuels on the ground are pre-heated.

The relative humidity decreases in the afternoon and small fuels such as grasses, leaves and twigs dry out.

Winds pick up allowing sparks and embers to travel away from the fire, making control more difficult.

L.C.E.SLCES is the minimum level of hazard control that

must be in place before making the decision to engage a fire.

L LOOKOUTS

C What does “C” stand for?

E ESCAPE ROUTES

S SAFETY ZONES

L LOOKOUTS

C COMMUNICATIONS

E ESCAPE ROUTES

S SAFETY ZONES

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?



You notice this pile Sunday afternoon…


ON NEXT SLIDE

WHAT DID YOU DO?

?SUGGESTED ANSWER• Stop and investigate, take pictures• If individual is around, ask for permit• Have Fire Department Respond to extinguish fire• Advise Forest Ranger of situation so enforcement action can

be taken

OFFICIAL WARNINGWho has

the authority to issue Official

Warnings?

Why do you need to fill out Official

Warnings?

All Patrolmen, Wardens &

any DW authorized by the Warden.

To document violations.

After you turn them in they

are entered into the statewide

database.

RSA 227-G:7, II

OFFICIAL WARNING

What box would you check if an individual

did not have a permit?

X

Updated OFFICIAL WARNING

OFFICIAL WARNING

What box would you check if an individual

had a Category I permit, but

was burning a brush

pile?

X



?

WHAT WOULD

YOU DO?Landowner calls for a Seasonal Category I

Permit, you meet him to look over the site…


ON NEXT SLIDE

?

WHAT DID YOU

DO?

SUGGESTED ANSWER• Inspect the area for compliance with the rules for Cat. I Fires• Is the pit under 2 feet in diameter and enclosed with fire

resistive material?• Is the pit 25 feet from a structure?• If the permit is denied, you must advise the individual as to

why the permit has been denied.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE - PUMPSWhich is the correct fuel mixture for Mark III Pumps?

16:1

20:1

24:1

50:1

20:1

http://gacc.nifc.gov/rmcc/logistics/cache/policies/mark3.htm

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE - MAPSWhich shows the closest profile of the mountains on this map?

1 2

a ab ba b

2

Wildfire Fighting Near High-Voltage Electric Transmission Lines

FIRE FIGHTING OPERATIONS ? FEET BEYOND THE OUTER MOST WIRE OF AN ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION LINE

REQUIRE NO UNUSUAL TACTICS

100 FEET


Smoke, ash and incidental mist from fire fighting

operations can contaminate the insulators on

transmission structures. This contamination may cause a short circuit to occur at the

structure, creating an electrical hazard.

Maintain a minimum radial distance of ? feet

between firefighters (and vehicles) and transmission

structures to protect fire fighting personnel from this electrical hazard.

35 FEET


CAN YOU CONTINUE TO FIGHT THE FIRE WHEN IT IS UNDER THE TRANSMISSION LINES?

SOMETIMES, If you do, you must:

• Abandon any DIRECT ATTACK

• Maintain the 100 foot distance between

firefighters and heavy smoke passing through

electric lines

• Maintain the 35 foot distance between firefighters and

transmission structures

When in doubt, back off and change tactics. ALWAYS PROVIDE FOR FIREFIGHTER SAFETY

?



?

WHAT WOULD

YOU DO?1630 Hours, Saturday.

Individual has no permit


ON NEXT SLIDE

?

WHAT DID YOU

DO?

SUGGESTED ANSWER• Advise the individual of the permit requirements and how they

may obtain one• If you are authorized to issue permits and you are satisfied that

the area is safe, you may issue a permit• If you are authorized, Issue a Written Warning to document the

violation• If it is almost 5:00 p.m. when you are done and you have issued

a permit, you may consider letting the individual continue to burn the pile, otherwise the pile will need to be extinguished

Name 3 things found in the “Warden’s Corner” section of our website.

• Daily Fire Danger• Current Events – Grant opportunities, new equipment etc…• Fire Training – PowerPoint presentations• Appointment forms, Injury Report Forms etc…• Handouts for the public• Law Posters• Rate sheets and information for fire bills• Smokey Bear sign – Building Instructions• Information on equipment maintenance• Links to weather sites• Much more… w

ww

.nhd

fl.or

g

WARDEN’S CORNER

www.nhdfl.org

www.nhdfl.org

www.nhdfl.org

www.nhdfl.org

www.nhdfl.org

www.nhdfl.org

www.nhdfl.org

It’s a Tough Job…

But somebody has to do it.

THE END

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http://www.nhdfl.org/

Documents

WARDEN and DEPUTY WARDEN TRAINING LAW OVERVIEW and WARDEN / DEPUTY WARDEN RESPONSIBILITIES