Our Safe Zones May be Too Small – updated guidelines from the US Forest Service

I sent this 10 minute presentation out to my customers to make sure they are aware of the research so they can make better decisions in the field. Let me know what you think.

Having an at least adequate Safe Zone is a key component of LACES and Wildfire Entrapment Avoidance. All wildland fire fighters on every fire must always know where their safe zone is and how to get there. During recent wildfire events many of us who live, work, and / or play in rural and remote BC have been on our own more than expected and may have to identify and evaluate Safe Zones with little outside help or advice.

The information in the BC Wildfire S100 is vague and outdated. As a followup to a close call in 2021 I researched information from the US and realized many of the Safe Zones I have established in the past 20 years were really just parking spots and turnarounds. Fortunately other than some singed hair no injuries occurred.

The US Forest Service (USFS) updated it’s Safe Zone size guidelines and decsion making process in 2014. In early 2025 they updated it again and produced a decsion making app to help with evaluating our choice.

https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab/articles/new-wildfire-safety-zone-guidelines-theres-app#:~:text=The%20weather%20conditions%20that%20drive,times%20the%20flame%20height%E2%80%9D%20standard.

I have messed around with the app a bit and don’t have a good handle on it’s usefullness to us in BC or if it is accurate enough for site specific decision making. I have watched the instructional video and it has very valuable information on the how’s and why’s of the researchers data and decision making process in establishing the guidelines.

Since 2017 I have incorporated the new USFS Safe Zone Guidelines into the MacLeod S100 Wildfire for Industry. This spring I revised the content to include these most recent updates.

Stay safe this summer.

Doug