Wednesday, September 5, 2018

An Introduction to Firebreaks


A former resident of Charleston, South Carolina, Bill Oliver leads a varied career. Now living in Florida, he has worked in the sales, mechanical, and R&D industries. Before relocating to Florida, Bill Oliver served as a first line firefighter for the Columbia Fire Department for five years.

Also known as fuel breaks and fireguards, firebreaks are an important tool for preventing the spread of wildfires. These temporary or permanent barriers usually measure between 10 and 60 feet wide. However, some firebreaks are more narrow, while others are as wide as 3,000 feet to accommodate the area and the specific fire burning around it. 

Different types of firebreaks are used for different reasons. Most commonly, firefighters and property owners use disturbed bare-soil firebreaks to combat the spreading of flames. These firebreaks are made by removing soil and vegetation from a strip of land using a plow, bulldozer, or other type of equipment. If prepared too early, vegetation will grow back in these areas, thus reducing the effectiveness of the bare-soil firebreak.

Another type of firebreak, roads are produced using dirt, pavement, or gravel. While roads can move firefighting equipment more easily around areas with fires, they often have fences or utility lines along them that require additional firefighting labor and water. Further, property owners who want to perform a controlled burn up to a road must check with their local authorities to make sure such an event is approved for the area.

Water, elevation changes, and wet lines also serve as potential firebreaks. Bodies of water and elevation changes usually require little to no prior preparation before they are made; however, they can prevent access to fires that break out along the elevation change or shoreline. Meanwhile, wet line firebreaks are temporary and simply involve spraying vegetation with water to reduce the risk of it catching fire.

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