Carry out prescribed burning as part of vegetation management

URN: LANCS91
Business Sectors (Suites): Crofting and Smallholding,Environmental Conservation,Game and Wildlife Management,Treework
Developed by: Lantra
Approved on: 2022

Overview


This standard describes your role in safely carrying out the prescribed burning of surface vegetation, commonly heather and grass. It relates to the work activities that you undertake in preparing for and completing vegetation burning activities.  

This standard is for those who work in game and wildlife management, environmental conservation, farming or forestry and can be applied to any area of land where heather or other surface vegetation is managed by burning.

To meet this standard you will be able to:
prepare tools and equipment for use in igniting and supressing vegetation fires
prepare the area of vegetation so that it is safe for prescribed burning
work with others to carry out the prescribed burning of surface vegetation, under controlled conditions
react appropriately to a fire escape incident

When carrying out prescribed burning you should be trained, and hold current certification where required, in accordance with nation-specific legislation.

You must also conform to current legal requirements and codes of practice controlling vegetation burning, relevant to the nation where the burning is taking place. 

For you to fully understand the content of the standard, and the activitiesit describes, it is important that you are able to understand the terms used within the standard. See the Glossary for some definitions that should help you with this.


Performance criteria

You must be able to:


  1. maintain the health and safety of yourself and others at all times when carrying out prescribed burning, in accordance with the relevant health and safety legislation and codes of practice
  2. wear suitable clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE) that provide the required level of protection for the task
  3. confirm the identification of the area of surface vegetation to be burnt and the planned burning requirements
  4. confirm your appointed role, objectives and level of responsibility on the day, and who you should report to
  5. identify hazards and report risks associated with the planned burn and take action to minimise these
  6. assist in the preparation of firebreaks and fuel breaks, where required, to contain the planned burn, taking account of fuels, weather, aspect and terrain
  7. prepare the tools and equipment required to ignite and supress the prescribed burn to a safe and effective working condition, ready for use
  8. carry out a test burn to check burn conditions and to inform any adjustments required to the burn plan
  9. use ignition devices safely to ignite the vegetation in a controlled manner, according to the ignition plan
  10. carry out the prescribed burn, according to planned burning objectives, using specified ignition patterns, tools and equipment
  11. follow the LACES safety system at all times when carrying out prescribed burning
  12. follow instructions and take immediate action, where necessary, to correct any variation from the planned burning objectives
  13. monitor and report any variation in prevailing weather conditions or fire behaviour 
  14. maintain effective communication with others throughout the operation
  15.  suppress fires when the required burn objectives have been achieved using the relevant equipment
  16. take the relevant action in the event of an emergency
  17.  report information on the results of the burning activities 


Knowledge and Understanding

You need to know and understand:


  1. the health and safety requirements associated with prescribed burning, including the relevant legislation
  2. why vegetation is burnt as part of habitat and wildlife management
  3. the current legal requirements and codes of practice controlling vegetation burning, relevant to the nation where the burning is taking place
  4. the potential impact of prescribed burning and wildfire on other aspects of the natural environment including air and water quality, sensitive habitats, plant species, game and wildlife
  5. the wildfire prevention techniques that should be used when carrying out prescribed burning
  6. the hazards and risks associated with vegetation burning, including risks to yourself, others, the environment and wildlife
  7. the importance of the initial and ongoing identification of hazards and assessment of risks and the action to take
  8. the importance of training to carry out prescribed burning and the requirements of current legislation and codes of practice that are relevant to the nation where the burning is taking place
  9. the importance of following the LACES safety system and how it is applied in prescribed burning operations
  10. the suitable fire-resistant clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE) required for use by those involved in prescribed burning and suppression 
  11. your role, objectives and responsibilities and those of others, who you report to and why it is important to follow instructions through a chain of command 
  12. the purpose, value and construction of firebreaks and fuel breaks
  13. the elements (heat, fuel, oxygen) that are required to sustain fire and the methods of heat transfer that can cause vegetation fire to spread
  14. how the weather, fuel condition and arrangement, and terrain, can affect the spread, intensity and severity of fires and how changes in the weather can affect planned burns and wildfires
  15. how to use fuels, wind, slope and aspect, included in the Wildfire Prediction System (WiPS), to predict changes in fire behaviour, including intensity and direction
  16. how to safely prepare, use and maintain the tools and equipment required to ignite and supress vegetation fires
  17. the safe use of ignition devices
  18. the way different ignition patterns work and how they can impact on the burn
  19. how different tools and equipment are used to control vegetation fires and ground (peat) fires
  20. the fire plans, maps and other procedures used by the organisation that you work for, which enable you to respond effectively in the event of an emergency
  21. the importance of maintaining effective communication with team members and how this can be done
  22. why it is important to accurately assess emergencies and what key information should be collected and communicated to those in charge
  23. the required action to take in the event of an emergency


Scope/range


Tools and equipment:
fire beaters and scrapers
heather burners/drip torches
spades and digging tools
knapsack sprayer
leaf blowers
water pumps, hose and ancillary equipment

Personal protective equipment:
fire-resistant clothing 
helmet/face shield/mask/goggles/ear defenders
fire-resistant gloves
fire-resistant boots
respiratory protection

Ignite vegetation when:
it is damp
it is dry


Scope Performance


Scope Knowledge


Values


Behaviours


Skills


Glossary

  • Aspect – The direction towards which a slope faces.
  • Codes of practice – Documents giving the methods developed to assist compliance with acts and regulations in the performance of work e.g. Muirburn Code (Scotland), Heather and Grass Burning Code (England and Wales)
  • Control measure - Mitigation actions that can be taken to reduce the potential of exposure to an identified hazard
  • Fire behaviour – The reaction of a fire to the influences of fuel, weather, and topography. Different types of fire include: smouldering, creeping, running, torching, spotting and crowning.
  • Firebreak - A measure to prevent the spread of fire.
  • Fuel break - A break in the availability of fuel (combustible material) to sustain the fire which acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of the fire.
  • Fire danger - A general term used to express an assessment of both fixed and variable factors of the fire environment that determine the ease of ignition, rate of spread, difficulty of control, and impact. Fire danger is often expressed as an index.
  • Fire escape – A burn that exceeds the fire prescription, often a runaway fire or wildfire.
  • Fire hazard - Any situation, process, material or condition that can cause a wildfire or that can provide a ready fuel supply to augment the spread or intensity of a wildfire, all of which pose a threat to life, property or the environment.
  • Fire intensity – The rate at which a fire releases energy in the form of heat at a given location and at a specific point in time, expressed as kilowatts per metre (kW/m) or kilojoules per meter per second (kJ/m/s).
  • Fire risk - The probability of a wildfire occurring and its potential impact on a particular location at a particular time. Wildfire risk is calculated using the following equation: Fire risk = probability of occurrence x potential impact
  • Fire/Burn severity - A qualitative assessment of the level of heat generated by a fire/burn and the resulting impact on a fuel.
  • Fire type – There are three different schemes for classifying fire type: 1. Classification of a fire or section of fire according to the fuel level within which it occurs. For example, aerial, crown, understory, surface and ground fires. 2. Classification of a section of fire according to its position along the fire perimeter. For example, head, tail and flank fires. 3. Classification of a fire or section of fire according to the visual characteristics it displays. For example, smouldering, creeping, backing, running, torching, spotting, crowning, fire whirl, convection driven fire etc
  • Fire weather – Weather conditions which influence fire ignition, behaviour, and suppression. 
  • Fuels – The classification of fuels according to their height relative to the ground surface. There are five general fuel layers: • Aerial fuels • Elevated fuels • Near surface fuels • Surface fuels • Ground fuels
  • Fuel hazard - A fuel complex defined by kind, arrangement, volume, condition, and location that presents a threat of ignition and resistance to control
  • Hazard - Anything which has the potential to cause harm.
  • LACES – LACES is an essential safety protocol which should be implemented at wildfire incidents to address risks and hazards. LACES is an acronym for: L = Lookouts,  A = Awareness (or Anchor Point), C = Communication, E = Escape route and plan, S = Safe area
  • Landscape - The physical appearance of the land comprising of the features of the terrain, the indigenous vegetation and the human impact caused by variations in land use.
  • Likelihood - An assessment of the probability of an identified hazard resulting in a loss (normally expressed as a number 1 to 5, low to high).
  • Methods of heat transfer – The process by which heat is imparted from one body or object to another. In wildfires and forest fires, heat energy is transmitted from burning to unburned fuels by: Convection, Radiation and Conduction
  • Prescribed burning – A planned and supervised burn carried out under specified environmental conditions to remove fuel from a predetermined area of land and at the time, intensity and rate of spread required to meet land management objectives.
  • Prescribed burning plan (burn plan, prescribed fire operation plan) - A plan which specifies the area to be burned and incorporates the aims and objectives of the burn, specifications and conditions under which the burn is to be conducted and measures to be taken to ensure safety and keep the fire under control.
  • Risk - The probability (likelihood) that the harm from a hazard will be realised together with the level of resultant loss, damage or injury.
  • Risk assessment - The process of establishing information regarding acceptable levels of risk and actual levels of risk posed to an individual, group, society or the environment. The process involves the identification of risk, an assessment of the likelihood of an event occurring and an assessment of the severity of the impact if it does occur.  
  • Risk rating - The result of multiplying the likelihood by the severity to reach a value for risk. This is then expressed as either a numeric value or simply, low, medium or high.
  • Severity - An assessment of the possible outcome of an identified hazard (normally expressed as a number 1 to 5, low to high).
  • Topography – The description and study of the shape and features of the land surface.
  • Wildfire – Any uncontrolled vegetation fire which requires a decision or action regarding suppression. Wildfires are commonly classified according to size and/or impact upon suppression resources.
  • Wildfire management plan - A site specific plan developed to address the risk of wildfire and set out measures that will reduce or mitigate the risk and/or consequences of a wildfire. Ideally this is produced following a wildfire risk assessment.
  • Wildfire Prediction System (WiPS) - A recognised system for anticipating and predicting the likely behaviour of a wildfire. It is based on the consideration of wind, slope and aspect combined with fuel.
  • Wildfire prevention - A collective term for all proactive activities that are implemented with the aim of reducing the occurrence, severity and spread of wildfires.
  • Wildfire response plan - A area specific plan developed to set out the response required to a wildfire incident. WRPs should include information that would prove useful for Fire and Rescue Services such as location of infrastructure, access routes, water sources, specialist equipment, contact details and site maps.
  • Wildfire risk assessment - A Wildfire Risk Assessment is a tool for identifying fire hazards and evaluating fire risk. The process involves the identification of risk, an assessment of the likelihood of an event occurring and an assessment of the severity of the impact if it does occur.       

Links To Other NOS


External Links


Version Number

3

Indicative Review Date

2027

Validity

Current

Status

Original

Originating Organisation

Lantra

Original URN

LANGa11

Relevant Occupations

Forestry, Estate Worker, Farmer, Ranger, Gamekeeper, Crofter, Smallholder

SOC Code

9119

Keywords

heather; vegetation; moorland; heath; burn; fire; burning; prescribed fire; muirburn; swaling; forestry