Firefighting Broom

Broom

Firefighting brooms are useful for working in light fuels when flame lengths are less than 2 feet high. Firefighting brooms are most effective for extinguishing small embers that have been blown across a fireline into an unburned area. Quick slaps with the firefighting broom deprive the fire of oxygen and can quickly extinguish small fires.

Often a fire line is hand dug using tools such as Pulaskis and shovels. These larger, and heavier, tools are not very effective scraping small light combustible materials surrounding the fireline whereas the light weight firefighting brooms effectively clean smaller combustible materials away from firelines.

A broom is a nice addition to firefighters tool boxes, but green conifer tree boughs may be equally as effective as a broom. Although the broom weighs a mere 3 lbs, firefighters who are already carrying 40 or 50 lbs of equipment, will choose not to carry it.

Firefighting brooms are typically made of fire resistant fibers. The wooden handle should be kept smooth and replaced if there are slivers, cracks, and excessive warp or twist. The broom fibers should be tightly fastened to the handle.