Council Rake
Authored By: R. Reitz
The council rake, or fire rake, is a versatile tool. The council rake is a standard tool in fireline construction and during mop-up operations. The council rake is used for:
- raking light brush, duff, and small roots
- cutting and digging
- pulling or pushing burning material deeper into the body of the fire
- scraping charred bark from boles of trees and snags
- cutting small trees or brush and raking it away from fire
- moving soil to stumps and logs and it mixing with charred material to cool surface
- raking embers and mixing them with soil to cool
To sharpen the council rake, stabilize it in a council tool slide and clamp. An ordinary emory wheel should not be used. Rakes that have square, rather than pointed tines, are ground with a straight stone. This is done after the sloping edges have been ground with a beveled rock. A straight stone is then placed on the grinder and the square tines are ground again. The rakes handles are not removed during the sharpening process.
Encyclopedia ID: p332
