The Twin Falls District Fire Management program
recently distributed nearly 60 fire shelters to our local rural fire department
partners; King Hill, Wendell, Castleford, Albion, Raft River, Sun Valley,
Ketchum, Fairfield, Bellevue, and Carey.
According to Carey
Rural Fire Department Assistant Chief Bradly Mechan, “For us, receiving these
shelters from the BLM is huge. Our budgets are small, and having the
partnership with the BLM allows us to equip our volunteers and allow them to do
their jobs safely.” The Carey Rural Fire Department received four new shelters,
which will replace older shelters that are currently being used.
What is a Fire Shelter?
A fire shelter is a critical safety device used by
wildland fire fighters when entrapped by a wildfire. Constructed of layers of
aluminum foil, woven silica and fiberglass, a fire shelter helps protect
firefighters by reflecting radiant and convection heat as well as trapping
breathable air. They are only intended to be deployed when all other options of
safety are compromised.
History of Fire Shelters
The first recorded use of a fire shelter was in the
1800s by Lewis and Clark, during their exploration of the America’s.
The modern fire shelter was developed in Australia,
in 1958, and was a bell-shaped shelter made of laminated aluminum and glass
cloth. In 1959, the Australians abandoned the bell-shape design for the now
common A-frame design.
Following the Battlement Creek Fire in Colorado in
1977, the United States made it a requirement for all wildland fire fighters to
carry the shelter while engaged in wildland fire suppression activities.
For more information about fire shelters visit:
https://www.nwcg.gov/sites/default/files/committee/docs/fsppes-fire-shelter-history.pdf
