After reviewing the tactics that resulted in one firefighter death and several serious burn injuries during last year’s wildfires across Texas and Oklahoma, the Texas Forest Service developed the “Attack from the Black” training program to encourage rural firefighters to approach wildfires differently.

The program is designed to counter the mindset of many firefighters who feel that grassfires aren’t serious and can be fought without taking adequate safety precautions. One of the most unsafe practices discovered during the review was the common tactic of attacking wildland fires from a position directly in front of the advancing flames — often while standing in unburned fuel. Instead, the program encourages firefighters to position themselves and their apparatus behind the flames in the area that has already burned — attack from the black.

Other unsafe firefighter practices discovered during the review included riding on the outside of moving apparatus to direct hose streams, wearing street clothes instead of proper protective gear, not having easy escape routes and failing to watch for changing fire conditions.

To help departments counter these unsafe practices, the Texas Forest Service has prepared a DVD training aid and made it available for purchase by any department.

For more information, go to the Texas Forest Service Web site or call 979-458-7307.