In going through some papers today I rediscovered “Murphy’s Fire Behavior Rules” that govern wildfire suppression. I have no idea who created them. It’s possible that Rick Gale handed them out during a session in S-520, Advanced Incident Management, but I don’t think he was the author.
Murphy’s Fire Behavior Rules
- Winds will remain constant until your backfire is lit.
- Upon reaching the far side of the fire, all batteries cease to function.
- The last hard freeze of winter occurs the day after you fill the pumper.
- Rain occurs only after a fire is finally controlled.
- The arrival time for backup coincides precisely with fire containment.
- A 3:1 gas/diesel mixture burns hotter than 3:1 diesel/gas. So does the person carrying the drip torch.
- You are always one lunch short.
- Leakproof bladder bags will. Self-priming pumps won’t.
- Burning out the wrong side of the line will prolong the time of containment.
- Critiques are sometimes painful.
You may have some suggestions for #11.
This is a free translation into Galician language.
As leis de Murphy sobre o comportamento dos incendios:
1. Os ventos manteranse constantes ata que se inicie o contralume.
2. Tódalas baterías deixan de funcionar tras chegar á parte máis alonxada do incendio.
3. O derradeiro día realmente frío do inverno (con xeada) prodúcese o día despois de ter enchido a autobomba.
4. A chuvia ocorre só despois de que o incendio é finalmente controlado.
5. A hora de chegada dos reforzos coincide precisamente coa contención do lume.
6. Unha mistura 3:1 de gasolina/gasóleo quéimase máis facilmente que unha mistura 3:1 gasóleo/gasolina. Tamén o fai a persoa que leva o pingalume.
7. Vostede ten sempre un breve almorzo.
8. Mochilas extintoras flexibles si. Electrobombas autocebantes non.
9. Queimar o lado trabucado da liña (do contralume) prolongará o tempo de contención.
10. As críticas son ás veces dolorosas.
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The Galician language is a official language in Galicia, a nation located in northwestern Spain.
Galician is very similar to the Portuguese language. as a matter of fact, 600 years ago were the same language; the Galician-Portuguese language.
http://maps.google.es/maps?hl=es&ll=42.79137,-7.404785&spn=2.148467,4.938354&t=h&z=8&vpsrc=6
Sorry for my english.
Juan Carlos Lemos Rodríguez
forest engineer.
Galicia, Spain.
My sincere appreciation to Bill Gabbert.
Thanks for the translation, Juan.
– Even during the slowest of seasons, you WILL have a late-in-the-day fire on a day that your spouse, kids, etc. have a very important event scheduled that you need to be at right at end of shift.
I might suggest refining #2 to read “all equipment fails” rather then just the battery. I’ve toted many a chainsaw that wants to stop working one I’ve walked a 1/4 mile with it. Might also add:
11) the only snag found burning the morning after a fire will be on the farthest away, downwind corner of the burn block (which ties back into #2).
12) if you find a cured (dead) oak snag burning, the only tool at your disposal to fell the tree will be a pulaski
13) If a jump happens, it will be 5 minutes before quitting time.
True words spoken