Fire shelter

A modern fire shelter is a safety device carried by every wildland firefighter that is employed by a state or federal agency. It is only used as a last resort in the event that a firefighter should become trapped in a wildfire. It is constructed of woven silica laminated to an aluminum foil outer shell and fiberglass laminated to an aluminum inner layer. When deployed, its maximum dimensions are 86in. x 15.5in. x 31in. (approximately 218.44 cm x 39.37 cm x 78.74 cm) and is shaped like a mound. When the shelter is packed into its carrying case, its dimensions are 8.5in. x 5.5in. x 4in (approximately 21.59 cm x 13.97 cm x 10.16 cm).

The New-Generation fire shelter was developed in 2002 to replace the old style fire shelter which is shaped like a pup-tent and has a yellow carrying case. Its dimensions are smaller than that of the old-Generation shelter.

The first known use of a fire shelter was in 1804, when a boy was saved from a prairie fire when his mother covered him with a fresh bison hide. Clark noted in his journal that the fire did not burn the grass around the boy. [cite journal|date=Summer 2000|title=First Peoples First in Fire Shelter Use|cite journal|journal=Fire Management Today|publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service|location=Washington, DC|volume=60|issue=3|pages=39]

References