WILDLAND FIRE APPLICATIONS AND TRAINING BEING DEVELOPED IN VENTURA
County Fire Protection District has recognized a need and capitalized
on an opportunity for new and innovative training in wildland fire
behavior predictions and tactics development. Doug Campbell, a retired
Forest Service Fire Control Officer and Qualified Fire Behavior
Analyst had been retained in temporary employment and a beneficial
partnership developed. Doug was asked to develop an 8-hour course
in wildland fire fighting, for the Captains level. The course is
what became called " THE CAMPBELL PREDICTION SYSTEM",
County Fire Officers recognized the CPS program as an improvement
in wildland fire size up and tactics training. The Department tested
the 8-hour version on the Battalion Chiefs and followed up by training
Captains, Engineers, and fire fighters. The results were such that
Chief officers and firefighters would comment about the usefulness
of the training on the fireground.
Department approved for practical application, the 8-hour course
procedures and the prescribed burning version of CPS.
could there be anything new and original in wildland fire behavior
training? This department feels CPS is a leap ahead into the light.
personnel encouraged Campbell to write the course into a book. Campbell
took the advice to heart and early in 1991 the book was finished.
personnel have been field testing CPS on wildland fires and prescribed
burns in Ventura County for four years now. The training is practical
in design and recognizes the situation that fire fighters are in
during wildland and prescribed fires.
What began as an 8-hour lesson in the practical applications of
fire behavior prediction and tactics selection, has now evolved
into a 40 hour course covering the new and innovative system in
detail. Scheduled for 1994, the CPS course will be the main portion
of what the Department envisions as Ventura County's Wildland Fire
Behavior and Tactics course. Having been trained in all the existing
wildland fire courses available, the Department has chosen CPS and
selected prerequisite basic fire training for their wildland fire
parts of CPS are: the language devised to express the cause and
potential of fire behavior changes; the concept of fuel flammability
variations according to time and aspect; the potential of fire on
fire affects and much more. All predictions made while engaged in
action on the fire line. Learning what the fire behavior is telling
you and when, where and why the intensity can change. Used on US
Forest Service, California Department of Forestry and Fire, Ventura
County Fire and National Park Service wildfires, the CPS has been
tested on many of the historical wild fires since 1987.
has been accepted as user friendly by Operations, Plans, the IC
and firefighters. CPS is a new leading edge pushing the art further
toward science of wildfire behavior prediction and tactics selection.
Burnover accidents get a new treatment and are questioned for situation
experienced wildland firefighters become excited about this new
insight. It enables them to express what they instinctively knew,
but had no way to communicate to others. Class evaluations reveal
that most agree that the CPS course should be adopted in their training
program. In many other ways wildland firefighters have expressed
their support for this training. Ventura County Fire Department
is considering training qualified instructors to start in service
is more than a subject taught in the classroom. The author is utilized
in the Department's ICS overhead team as their Fire Behavior Analyst.
The US Forest Service uses Campbell and his CPS on a regular basis.
of the Forest Service's other qualified Fire Behavior Analysts are
beginning to use the tools and system on their assignments.
Ventura County Fire Department endorses and recommends that other
Fire Departments evaluate this program.
has a copyright on the book and it and the course is available directly
from Doug Campbell.
County Fire Protection District