Firefighting Shovel

Shovel

Shovels are probably the most durable tool in wildland fire service. A shovels longevity is probably due to its many uses. It is useful for digging and removing fuel along the fireline, occassional cleaning of a fireline by scraping off small combustible material after fireline construction, throwing soil to smother fire on the ground as well as up a tree bole, swatting the fire, and cutting through small roots and branches.

Fre shovels are different from typical garden shovels. Compared to common shovels, it has a smaller blade (#1 rather than #2), a longer handle, and a neck that is bent to make scooping dirt and scraping easier for firefighters. Additionally, the edges of the fire shovel blade are sharpened to within one-and-a-half inches of the top of the blade. The sharpened bevel is on the inner face of the blade. The fire shovel handle is made of wood. The handle should be smooth and kept tight. Handles with splinters, cracks, excessive twist or warp should be replaced or reconditioned.

Rather than digging into plant detritus with a shovel, lifting the material, and throwing or carrying it out of the fireline it is more effective to scrape the combustible material off the fireline. This is accomplished by bending the body forward until the outside of the arm nearest the blade of the shovel is in contact with the inside of the leg on the same side of the body. The body pivots with the arm and leg working in tandem to scrape combustible material off the fireline while the shovel blade is slightly tilted upward and only deep enough to scrape the surface. This action is repeated until all the combustible material is removed in a section of fireline.

When building a direct handline (a fireline immediately adjacent to the fire), shovels are sometimes used to throw soil on the fire to reduce its intensity until the firefighters move past that spot in their attempt to build the fireline. In this case a shovel is used with a side arm throw. This throwing action spreads the soil rapidly and evenly across a wide section of fire. The action moves oxygen away from the fire for a brief moment and the fire falters. If done in light fuels the fire may not recover and stay in a smoldering stage until it goes out. Most times this fanning action by soil causes the fire to falter for the amount of time it takes for the crew to finish the line in that area. The fire then regains its intensity until it runs out of fuel at the newly constructed fireline.

Sometimes fire travels up the boles of trees aided by sap or lichens on the bole. It is usually desireable to keep fire from reaching the crown of trees. To accomplish this a shovel may be used in an overhand throw to cast dirt onto the target.