Application
This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to prepare and conduct complex prescribed burns, in accordance with approved burn plans. A prescribed burn is the controlled application of fire under specified environmental conditions to a predetermined area and at the time, intensity and rate of spread required to attain planned resource management objectives. An approved prescribed burn plan includes a map identifying the area to be burned and incorporates the specifications and conditions under which the operation is to be conducted. Complex prescribed burns are characterised by moderate to high risk, a range of fire intensity, being in medium to large areas, having significant potential impact on assets and involving a variety of fuels and terrain. A burn operation may involve a large number of resources requiring the establishment of a formal management and support structure. A prescribed burn may require several separate ignitions (ground and/or aerial) possibly over several days. It may have several high value assets requiring complex protection actions. The unit applies to personnel responsible for preparing, conducting and evaluating complex prescribed burns on public and private land. The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services. No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication. |
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENTS | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA | ||
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. | ||
1 | Prepare to burn | 1.1 | Complex prescribed burn operations are identified and undertaken, in accordance with approved prescribed burn plan, burn objectives, organisational procedures, and legislative and regulatory requirements |
1.2 | Permits are obtained, in accordance with organisational procedures and legislative and regulatory requirements | ||
1.3 | Burn notifications and plans are issued to personnel or organisations, in accordance with prescribed burn plan, organisational procedures and legislative requirements | ||
1.4 | Control lines, including secondary control lines are specified and prepared, in accordance with organisational procedures | ||
1.5 | Prescribed burn plan, operational hazards and risks to safety of people, property, assets, ecology and environment are identified and risk mitigation works completed | ||
1.6 | Forecast weather conditions are monitored, recorded and assessed, in accordance with organisational procedures | ||
1.7 | Fuel conditions are monitored, in accordance with organisational procedures | ||
1.8 | Resource requirements are confirmed with reference to burn plan and anticipated conditions | ||
1.9 | Forecast weather conditions are monitored throughout prescribed complex burn | ||
2 | Conduct burn | 2.1 | Burn notifications are issued, in accordance with organisational procedures |
2.2 | Pre-burn checks are conducted, in accordance with organisational procedures | ||
2.3 | Local weather conditions for day of burn are monitored and contingency arrangements actioned and communicated accordingly | ||
2.4 | Resources are gathered and personnel briefed, in accordance with prescribed burn plan and contingency arrangements | ||
2.5 | Burn ignition strategies and tactics are implemented, in accordance with prescribed burn plan and organisational procedures including lighting techniques for ground and aerial ignition, as relevant to the specific burn, lighting patterns and lighting sequence | ||
2.6 | Burning is monitored, patrol activities are conducted and operational changes made, as required | ||
2.7 | Contingencies are implemented, as required, in accordance with prescribed burn plan | ||
2.8 | Burn documentation is kept, in accordance with organisational procedures | ||
2.9 | Burn operations are concluded and burn security is implemented in accordance with organisational requirements | ||
2.10 | Crews are debriefed and resources released from the burn | ||
2.11 | Incidents are reported and investigated in accordance with organisational procedures | ||
3 | Conduct post burn activities | 3.1 | Outcomes of burn are assessed and reported against burn objectives, in accordance with organisational procedures |
3.2 | Variations from burn plan are reported, in accordance with organisational procedures | ||
3.3 | Restoration and rehabilitation works are identified and carried out, in accordance with organisational procedures | ||
3.4 | Complex prescribed burn records are submitted, in accordance with organisational procedures |
Foundation Skills
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency. |
Range Statement
Range is restricted to essential operating conditions and any other variables essential to the work environment. Non-essential conditions may be found in the Companion Volume Implementation Guide. | |
prescribed burn plan must include | an approved plan for conduct of prescribed burning map identifying the area to be burned specifications and conditions under which operation is to be conducted |
burn objectives must include one or more of the following | asset protection biodiversity protection community protection habitat management hazard reduction management of cultural sites and activities protection of fire sensitive ecological communities vegetation management |
operational hazards must include one or more of the following | adverse terrain or weather conditions crew size falling trees and limbs hazardous materials ignition methods plant road traffic vegetation |
environmental and ecological risks must include three or more of the following | impact of smoke impact of use of any chemical fire suppressants impact on native flora and fauna, including rare and endangered species impact on soil impact on water quality or supply |
contingency arrangements must include | actions to take in the event of unexpected weather command structure dealing with escapes resource breakdowns resource requirements safety considerations including escape routes and safety zones special resources and/or secondary control lines wind changes |
personnel or organisations must include one or more of the following | personnel or organisations who have an interest in managing the consequences of a burn have an interest in preventing health impacts from smoke e.g. nursing homes, health departments have an interest in specific assets have an interest in the area to be burned may be adversely affected by the burn may be concerned by evidence of a burn may have adjacent land to which a burn could spread |
resource requirements must include one or more of the following | contingency resources crews for aircraft ground support control and suppression ground ignition equipment and supplies logistical support tankers and other vehicles |
burn ignition strategies and tactics must include: | contingency arrangements fire behaviour to be achieved ignition methods, lighting patterns, sequencing and timing of ignition |
lighting techniques for ground and aerial ignition must include | aerial drip torch aerial incendiaries hand held of vehicle mounted propelled incendiaries wind and/or waterproof matches |
lighting patterns must include | contour lighting echelon grid line multi-line spot |
lighting sequence must include | fuel arrangement fuel moisture slope time of day wind direction |
monitoring complex prescribed burn must include | fire development, shape and spread flame height fuel moisture content predictions rate of spread recording safety considerations smoke development weather observations |
conclusion and complex prescribed burn security activities must include | mitigating hazards for public safety mopping up and blacking out patrolling burn area reopening roads transfer of responsibility procedures |
outcomes of the complex prescribed burn must include | achievement of burn objectives escapes external impacts levels of scorch percentage of area burnt reporting and storage of burn documentation |
safety of people must include | all those involved with burn implementation any in areas adjacent to burn area any permanently or temporarily in burn area impact of smoke on vulnerable communities near burn area |
Sectors
Fire |
Competency Field
Fire |