S-130 Fire Suppression 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of 'scarifying' the soil during mop-up operations?
- Removing flammable duff and litter to expose mineral soil and cool hotspots (Correct answer)
- Applying chemical retardant into the root zone
- Marking the boundary of the mop-up zone with tool scratches
- Breaking up aerial fuels that have fallen to the ground
Correct answer: Removing flammable duff and litter to expose mineral soil and cool hotspots
Scarifying means scraping away duff and organic material to expose mineral soil, which helps cool hotspots and eliminate smoldering fuel.
Question 2: Which scenario best illustrates a 'slopover,' a common suppression problem?
- The fire jumps an established control line and starts burning outside the contained area (Correct answer)
- The fire backs downhill against the wind unexpectedly
- The air tanker drops retardant on the wrong side of the fireline
- Crew members inadvertently enter the fire's safety zone
Correct answer: The fire jumps an established control line and starts burning outside the contained area
A slopover occurs when fire crosses a control line, typically due to embers, rolling debris, or incomplete line construction.
Question 3: During extended attack on a large fire, night operations may be used primarily because:
- Fire always stops spreading completely at night
- Lower temperatures and higher humidity typically reduce fire behavior, making conditions safer (Correct answer)
- Aerial resources can see the fire more clearly in darkness
- Firefighters are legally required to rest during daylight hours
Correct answer: Lower temperatures and higher humidity typically reduce fire behavior, making conditions safer
At night, cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity typically reduce fire intensity, providing safer and more effective suppression conditions.
Question 4: A firefighter notices smoke coming from a stump 30 feet inside the black during mop-up. The correct action is to:
- Flag it as a known hazard and continue working elsewhere
- Fell the stump, dig out burning material, and extinguish with water or soil (Correct answer)
- Apply foam suppressant to the stump's exterior only
- Leave it since it is inside the black and cannot spread
Correct answer: Fell the stump, dig out burning material, and extinguish with water or soil
Burning stumps must be felled, dug out completely, and thoroughly extinguished to prevent re-ignition and escape.
Question 5: In suppression operations, 'size-up' refers to:
- Measuring the exact acreage of the fire using GPS
- The process of evaluating all factors that influence fire behavior and resource needs before acting (Correct answer)
- Ranking the severity of the fire on a standardized scale
- Estimating the cost of suppression operations before deployment
Correct answer: The process of evaluating all factors that influence fire behavior and resource needs before acting
Size-up is the systematic evaluation of the fire situation—including fuels, weather, terrain, and available resources—to guide suppression decisions.
Question 6: What is the role of the 'Division Supervisor' during a wildland fire suppression operation?
- Managing all logistics and supply chain for the incident
- Directing tactical operations and supervising resources within an assigned geographic division (Correct answer)
- Coordinating with cooperating agencies at the policy level
- Overseeing all aviation resources assigned to the incident
Correct answer: Directing tactical operations and supervising resources within an assigned geographic division
The Division Supervisor directs tactical suppression operations and supervises all resources operating within their assigned geographic division.
Question 7: When a Type 1 handcrew encounters an area of unburned fuel ('island') inside the fire perimeter during mop-up, they should:
- Leave it, as it is surrounded by black and poses no threat
- Burn it out in a controlled manner or mop it up to eliminate a potential re-ignition source (Correct answer)
- Flag it and report it to the crew boss only if it is larger than one acre
- Avoid the area entirely due to snag hazards
Correct answer: Burn it out in a controlled manner or mop it up to eliminate a potential re-ignition source
Unburned islands inside the fire perimeter can re-ignite and cause slopovers, so they must be burned out or thoroughly moped up.
S-130 Fire Suppression 5
What is the purpose of 'scarifying' the soil during mop-up operations?