RT-130, Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR)

Watch Out Situations

RT-130 Decorative banner. Group of photos depicting wildland firefighters performing various duties.

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An introduction to the history and intent of the Watch Out Situations and a review of the watch outs.
Category: Operations
Core Component(s): Entrapment Avoidance
Estimated Delivery Time: 30 Minutes; Video Length: 6:10 Minutes

Video Information

This above video is also available as a download.  (Size 1.4GB)
Download the .srt file for closed captioning (you may need to right click and Save As). For information on how to add closed captioning to a video, see this how to page.

Note: For Chrome and Firefox, right click the word download and select Save Link As; For IE, right click and select Save Target As.

Suggested Classroom Activity

  • Watch the Watch Out Situations (above), Standard Firefighting Orders, and LCES videos. As a class or in small groups, discuss the topics below. If discussed in groups, share with the class.

Discussion Points

  • The Standard Firefighting Orders were first developed in 1957. The recommendation in the original report states that the Fire Orders “are to be committed to memory by all personnel with fire control responsibilities.” What do you and your crew/unit do to help each other remember and understand the 10 Standard Firefighting Orders and 18 Watch Out Situations?
  • Originally, there were 13 Watch Out Situations, with the last 5 being added in 1987. If you could add one more Watch Out, what would it be and why?
  • The Standard Firefighting Orders, Watch Out Situations, and LCES are just three of the many tools firefighters must use to manage risk and to aid in decision making. What other tools might you use, and where can you find them?
  • Many of the official risk management and decision making tools firefighters use today were first developed by personnel in the field. Are there of these tools you use personally, within your crew, or on your local unit?

References

It is recommended that the facilitator and/or students refer to the following additional resources to support and guide discussion in the classroom:

 

 

 

Page Last Modified / Reviewed: 
2019-08-02

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