Wildland Firefighter

2011-01-08T11:24:00.001-08:00

The idea of creating this blog is to publicize my professional experience in preventing and suppressing forest fires. Since I finished my degree of Forestry Engineer in 2003, I have professionally dedicated myself to the management of forest fires, working for the Ministry of Environment, the Environmental Agency of the province of Madrid and the Junta de Andalucia. Throughout this blog I would try to explain the different jobs where I participated.

- 2010 to 2011

2011-01-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

Cos de Bombers de la Generalitat de Catalunya. GRAF

GRAF units are based on a thorough knowledge on fire behavior and the variation of the factors that affect it. These units are composed by highly trained professionals and are able to perform any tactical operation on a wildfire. Their experience allows them to work with water, hand tools and fire. They are characterized by a high degree of autonomy, and can perform direct attack, indirect and parallel.

Firing the head. La Riba 19/07/2011

Parallel attack. Medol 30/07/2010

- 2006 to 2009

2008-09-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

- Técnico de Operaciones de Centro de Defensa Forestal (CEDEFO) de Sierra Nevada, Granada, Spain.

Function:

Lead, plan, and implement the Fire Management Program (Plan INFOCA) of the Junta de Andalucia in the south of the province of Granada.
Incident Leadership
Aviatión management, tactical and logistical uses of aircraft and helicopters.
Task Force/Strike Team Leader
Instructor on Wildlandfire Management.

CEDEFO Sierra Nevada. Wildlandfire Lanjarón, 09/18/2005

- Attended the National Interagency Prescribed Fire Training Center. 01/02/2009

The National Interagency Prescribed Fire Training Center (PFTC) is a facility designed to give individuals an opportunity to increase their prescribed fire practitioner skills. Over the course of their 21-Day training assignments, participants will gain confidence in their own ability to conduct prescribed fires and assume leadership roles in their home unit’s fire program by experiencing 10 - 12 days of hands-on burning in wildland urban interface, a variety of fuel types, and for a variety of management objectives

- Coursing Wildland Fire Management Master Degree, University of Lleida, 2008

Fire Behavior Analyst. 03/11/2008
Wildland Urban Interface course in California. CALFIRE 29/03/2009 - 15/04/2009

- Course First Aids, Spanish Red Cross, Boltaña, Huesca (Spain). 4-18/02/2006

- 2005

2008-09-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

- BRIF-A. Técnico de Brigada de Refuerzo contra Incendios Forestales (Técnico Brif) in La Iglesuela, Toledo (Spain). Helitack Crew Leader (HTCL). (Summer 2005)

- Técnico del Equipo de Prevencion Integral de Incendios Forestales (Técnico EPRIF), in Valle Cabuerniga, Cantabria. (Winter 2005-2006)

Prescribed Fire Burn Boss/Manager (RxB,RxM)

Precribed Burn-Técnico EPRIF, Valle Cabuerniga (Cantabria)

This crew is aimed to prevent forest fires by executing prescribed burns.

Prescribed fire, Vega del Pas, Cantabria 07-02-2006

- 2004

2008-09-06T04:01:00.000-07:00

- Tecnico de Brigada de Actuación Especial Helitransportada (BAEH). Bustarviejo, Comunidad de Madrid. HTCB (Summer 2004)

Brigada de Actuación Especial Helitransportada - BAEH. Comunidad de Madrid

This crew is similar to the BRIF-B. They depend on the Counseling of Environment of the province of Madrid, so its radius of action is the region of Madrid. This is an Initial Attack crew.

- Técnico del Equipo de Prevencion Integral de Incendios Forestales (Técnico EPRIF), in Valle Cabuerniga, Cantabria. (Winter 2004-2005)

- 2003

2008-08-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

-BRIF-B. Técnico de Brigada de Refuerzo contra Incendios Forestales (Técnico Brif) in Cartama, Malaga. Helitack Crew Boss (HTCB). (Summer 2003)

BRIF Cartama

Practicing Stationary Jump. Helicopter Sokol PZL W3-A

This Helicopter Crew depends on the Ministry of Environment, and its radius of action is all the national geography, supporting in large wildfires.

Estepona, Malaga. 13/09/2003

- Técnico del Equipo de Prevencion Integral de Incendios Forestales (Técnico EPRIF), in Valle Cabuerniga, Cantabria. (Winter 2003-2004)

- Completing the Course "Técnico de Brigada Helitransportada" taught by the company EIMFOR S.L. This course prepares you to be a Helicopter Crew Boss (HECB) (May 2003)

Course content:

S-131 Advance Firefighter/Squad Boss
S-134 Lookouts, Communications, Escape Routes and Safety Zones (LCES)
S-200 Initial Attack Incident Commander
S-230 Crew Boss
S-270 Basic Air Operations
S-271 Helicopter Crewmember
S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior
S-300 Incident Commander Extended Attack
S-330 Task Force/Strike Team Leader
S-336 Tactical Decisión Making in Wildland Fire

- Completing the Course " Curso Básico contra Incendios Forestales" taught by the Ministry of Environment.

Course content:

S-130 Basic Firefighter
S-190 Introduction To Fire Behavior

NWCG. Wildland Fire Qualification System

- MSc Forestry Engineering. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain)

Forestry Engineering in Spain, is a six years degree, and it is compulsory to complete a thesis at the end of the last course. It is equivalent to a bachelor´s plus a master´s in forest Engineering, and the thesis is equivalent to the master thesis.
It is divided in two cycles lasting three years each: the first one is equivalent to the bachelor (but lasting three years instead of four) and the subjects are all the same for all students (in the first course, the subjects are almost the same in all the Engineering degrees in Spain). The last three years are the specialization courses, being equivalent to a master´s degree.

Brigada de Refuerzo Contra Incendios Forestales (BRIF)

2008-08-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

BRIF-B Cartama

The BRIF-B Crew is managed by three Forestry engineers (Helitack Crew Boss- HTCB) that supervise the crew, manage training, manage the aircraft, and participate in fire suppression. There are also three Foremen (Senior Firefighters), and the remainder of the crew are twenty one firefighters . This is an initial attack and large fire support crew.

This Crew uses for their displacement Type II Helicopters (PZL W3-A Sokol, Bell-212,Bell-412), equipped with a bucket or fixed tank to drop water or retardant during firefighting operations.

BRIF-A La Iglesuela

BRIF-A La Iglesuela. Helicopter Puma SA 330

This Crew is formed by three Forestry engineers, six Foremen and forty two firefighters. Unlike the BRIF-B they use Type I Helicopters (Puma SA 330) or two Type II Helicopters.

Serranillo del Llano, Salamanca 31/08/2008

Aircrafts and Helicopter

2008-08-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

These are the aircrafts most use on firefighting operations in Spain:

Canadair CL-215 T

The CL-215T is a twin-engine, high-wing amphibious aircraft designed to operate well at low speed and in gust-loading circumstances, as are found over forest fires.This aircraft has a 1,400 US gal (1167 Imp gal, 5300 liter; 12,000 lb, 5442 kg) fluid capacity, and can refill its tank in ten seconds at 75-80 knots (140-150 km/h, 86-92 mph).

Air Tractor-802 AF

The Air Tractor AT-802 is a fire-fighting aircraft that carries a chemical hopper between the engine firewall and the cockpit and another one under the belly. It is also equipped with the Air Tractor Computerized Firegate. Capacity: 810 US Gal (3,070 L)

Cesnna 337

The Cessna 337 is use to coordinate aircrafts in fire-fighting operations, aerial photography and infrared detection.

Type I - Helicopters

AS 350B3 Ecureuil

Type II - Helicopters

Bell - 412

Sokol PZL W-3A

Type III - Helicopters

Puma SA 330

Kamov Ka-32

Rx training programs in Canary Islands

2007-12-29T05:46:00.000-08:00

Rx Training Program

For over a decade in the Canary Islands, professionals on fire management have been executing prescribed burning with many objectives , fuels reduction, improvement of forest ecosystems, etc.;

Since 2009 I have become one of the instructors on Rx in the Canary Islands.

The characteristics of the territory, make this islands a perfect place for conducting courses in fire management.