Fire Hand Tools
Examples of hand tools used in fire suppression and prescribed burning activities
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- FIRE PACK: A one-person unit of fire tools, equipment, and supplies prepared in advance for carrying on the back. The personal fire pack consists of fire helmet, fire gloves, fire shirt (yellow), fussees (red), water cantine (white bottle) and the back pack itself (black), in which other necessary items will carried on and in.
2. FIRE RACK/RAKE: A long-handled combination rake and cutting tool, the blade of which is usually constructed of a single row of 3 to 4 sharpened teeth (sometimes made by fastening mowing machine cutter teeth to a piece of angle iron).
3. FIRE SHOVEL: Type of shovel specifically designed for use in constructing a fireline; has a tapered blade with both edges sharpened for scraping, digging, grubbing, cutting, and throwing. 
4. FIRE SWATTER/FLAPPER (see also FIRE BEATER): A fire tool that consists of a thick, flat piece of rubber on a long handle used to drag over or smother out flames of grass fires. This fire suppression tool, sometimes improvised, used in direct attack for smothering out flames along a fire edge.
5. DRIP TORCH: A hand-held apparatus for igniting prescribed fires and backfires by dripping flaming fuel on the materials to be burned. The device consists of a fuel fount, burner arm, and igniter. Fuel used is generally a mixture of 65-80% diesel and 20-35% gasoline.
6. PULASKI: A combination chopping and trenching tool widely used in fireline construction, which combines a single-bitted axe blade with a narrow adze-like trenching blade fitted to a straight handle.
7. FIRE GUN: A pistol, used for fire ignition from a distance. This tool is used (1) in prescribed fire burning to ignite fire in a remote area which is not totally burned, but difficult to reach. The pistol also can be used from the viewpoint of personnel security (2) for fire fighter or a prescribed burner, to speed down the faced fire front, blacken the area as safety zone and to slow down the spread of a fire
