Does a Personal Fire Shelter Provide Better Protection Than a Fire Appliance?

There is no clear answer as to whether, given the choice, a firefighter should ride out a burnover in the appliance, or in a personal fire shelter. Temperatures tend to reach higher levels, though for shorter times, inside fire shelters than in vehicles. The vehicle may provide better protection, provided premature ignition of the door liners does not occur. It seems, however, that fire crews often appear to have little choice. Bushfire fighting in Australia is largely mechanised, and most burnovers have involved firetrucks over run with little warning, forcing crews to ride out the fire wherever they are. There are however instances in which circumstances have prevented crews from sheltering in their vehicles, or forced them to abandon them during a burnover, and bail out into a still hostile environment.

When the Carey Gully Tanker was overrun at Mount Bonython, 3 of the crew were unable to return to the vehicle as it was already immersed in flames. They were forced to flee on foot. One successfully outran the flames, but the other 2 were forced to seek shelter whilst the flame front passed. The Captain described crouching in a clearing and turning like a chicken on a rotisserie to stop the side facing the fire from getting too hot. He was seriously burned. The other fireman was burned to death in a culvert nearby. Two men died at Lithgow in 1997 when a sudden flare up caught them away from their vehicle. The survivors of the State Forests Tanker used blankets to shield themselves from the heat after heat and smoke forced them to bale out of their tanker after a burnover. The crew of the Wingello Tanker sheltered in the crew haven of their appliance until forced out by intense heat. They then described kneeling on the ground in an environment that was still so hot it caused further burns.

When Engine 2387 was suddenly over run by a fire whirlwind in California, 5 crew were caught away from their vehicles. One successfully deployed his shelter and survived without injury. Four others were burned, one critically. Even in the US, where personal fire shelters are mandatory for all wildland firefighters, crews continue to be caught unexpectedly and forced to take shelter in their trucks. In many instances, personal fire shelters have been used as additional radiant heat shields by crews taking shelter in vehicles. Conversely, most shelter deployments in the US have involved ground crews with no other form of protection.

Ground based firefighters have no other options, they should receive fire shelters and appropriate training. Mobile crews should have appliances with optimal inbuilt burnover protection. In some circumstances, appliance crews may derive additional protection if they also carry personal fire shelters.