Equipment Operator Fire Safety
&
Fire Attack Procedures

MODULE TWO

TABEL OF CONTENTS

Chapter 2 - Operations & Safety

Lessons 1 - 8

1. Heavy Equipment Varieties and sizes
2. Operating Costs
3. General Equipment Considerations
4. General Equipment Uses
5. Specific Equipment Uses
6. Equipment and the Incident Command System (I.C.S.)
7. Building the Wireline / Guard or Fuel Break
8. Safety Considerations

Section 3

FULL COURSE TABLE OF CONTENTS

MODULE ONE - Basic Fire Suppression & Safety

MODULE TWO - Equipment Operator Fire Safety and Fire Attack   Techniques

MODULE THREE - Fire Entrapment Avoidance & Safety

MODULE FOUR - Short Quiz

Sec 1    Sec 2    Sec 3    Sec 4    Sec      Sec 6    Sec 7    Sec 8 

Chapter 2, Lesson 2 -  Operating Costs

This relates mostly back to the contract.  However there are some other  costs  that, in particular, the owner must consider - but it is important for the operator to know and understand these too. ... AND, it behooves the Contract Manager (person overseeing the contract) to also be aware of and to understand all these various other costs. 

• there is a high cost to transport heavy equipment to and from the work site
• the overall logistics of arranging to have a piece of heavy equipment on the worksite can be complicated
• there is a high cost to properly maintain the equipment
• there is a cost to "maintain" the operator (i.e. shelter and food)
• the equipment requires quality fuel - who supplies, pays for and where does it come from?

Downtime!

This phrase is well understood by the equipment owner but often not so well understood by all the other personnel involved with a particular piece of heavy equipment - except maybe the operator. 

If a piece of heavy equipment is "broken" it cannot work and thus, is NOT generating an income for the owner.  

AND - in the case of fires, floods, (incidents) etc. - the "broken" equipment cannot perform the tasks planned for it and that situation may lead to a "chain reaction" of negative events on the fireline. (incident)

...if a firefighter breaks a pulaski handle a replacement pulaski or handle is usually quite easy to obtain...

...if something breaks on a piece of heavy equipment, it may take hours or days to just obtain the needed parts AND then it may take several more hours to make the repairs and get the machine operating again.  

It may be easier to find and replace an operator than it is to obtain new parts and fix the machine.

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