Portable fire shelters are essential pieces of equipment for wildland firefighters and sometimes the last resort for firefighters trapped in a blaze. You can instantly deploy a shelter if you find yourself surrounded by flames. The shelters provide short-term protection from flames, high temperatures, and a lack of oxygen. Well before a fire starts, you should check your shelter for issues to ensure it’s in good condition and ready to go. Here are a few tips for inspecting your wildland fire shelter.
Perform a Visual Inspection
Start out by subjecting your shelter and its attendant parts to a visual inspection. This means checking to see that the shelter is there and ready for use. Inspect any carrying cases or similar means of conveyance, looking for holes or weak spots that could cause the shelter to slip free. See if there are any missing parts or accompanying equipment as well. If anything is missing or in a state of damage or disrepair, replace or fix it immediately.
Don’t Remove the Shelter From Its Case
To be clear, you should never remove the fire shelter from its case to inspect it. It’s difficult to replace the case, and you run the risk of damaging the shelter. Be assured that all shelters are checked for flaws at the factory before packing. Even so, it’s fair to make a quick assessment of the packed shelter’s casing, looking for corrosion, tears, holes, and the like. If you find any external damage, report it to the seller immediately.
Ensure Appropriate Storage
Before and after the inspection, be sure to stow your shelter in a safe, clean, and dry place. Keep it out of direct sunlight and ensure it’s nowhere near sources of moisture that could provoke the growth of mold, mildew, rust, and corrosion. These substances might weaken the casing or shelter itself. Finally, keep the shelter stored in a space that is immediately accessible and within reach.
Get Ready With Practice Shelters
You should never perform test runs with a real fire shelter for the reasons given above. Fortunately, practice shelters that you can pack and repack are available to firefighting teams for training. When using a practice shelter, time yourself as you deploy it. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with how a deployment system should work so you can recognize problems with your real shelter in advance.
Those are just a few tips for inspecting your wildland fire shelter. When buying a wildfire shelter, don’t be shy about asking the seller for more information on the product, including how to use it. Do you have questions, or are you ready to purchase shelters for you or your crew? Contact us today!