WAC 332-24-405
Spark emitting equipment requirements. It
shall be unlawful for anyone to operate, during the closed season
as defined in RCW 76.04.005, any steam, internal combustion,
electric engines or any other devices which emit sparks on any
forest land or any other place where, in the opinion of the
department, fire could be communicated to forest land without
first complying with the following requirements for equipment or
operations:
(1) Fixed-position machine:
(a) Two fire extinguishers, each of at least a 5 B C rating;
(b) An approved exhaust system;
(c) An appropriately mounted shovel.
(2) Logging railroad locomotive or common carrier
locomotive:
(a) An approved exhaust system;
(b) Communications between the train and dispatcher for
reporting fires to the responsible protection agency;
(c) Each locomotive shall be followed by a speeder patrol at
such times, and in such locations, as designated by the
department. The speeder patrol shall be equipped with:
(i) Two shovels;
(ii) One pulaski;
(iii) One adze eye hoe;
(iv) Two serviceable five gallon backpack pump cans filled
with water;
(v) An approved exhaust system;
(vi) Communications between the speeder and the dispatcher
for reporting fires to the responsible protection agency;
(vii) One fire extinguisher of at least a 5 B C rating.
(3) Passenger vehicle used for industrial or commercial
operations:
(a) A fire extinguisher of at least a 5 B C rating;
(b) An approved exhaust system.
(4) Portable power saw:
(a) A chemical fire extinguisher of at least eight ounce
capacity, fully charged and in good working order. The fire
extinguisher shall be kept in the immediate possession of the
operator;
(b) An approved exhaust system;
(c) A shovel, which shall be kept within two minutes
round-trip of the operator;
(d) A firewatch.
(5) Spark-emitting engines used for purposes not
specifically mentioned herein, which, in the opinion of the
department, may cause a forest fire to start, unless equipped
with:
(a) An approved exhaust system;
(b) One fire extinguisher of at least a 5 B C rating;
however two-wheeled, three-wheeled, and four-wheeled motorcycles
shall only be required to have an approved exhaust system.
(6) Tractor or mobile machine:
(a) One fire extinguisher of at least a 5 B C rating;
(b) An approved exhaust system;
(c) An appropriately mounted shovel.
(7) Truck or vehicle used for hauling:
(a) One fire extinguisher of at least a 5 B C rating;
(b) An approved exhaust system;
(c) An appropriately mounted shovel.
(8) During yarding, loading, milling, land clearing and
right of way clearing, there must be kept at each landing,
yarding tree, mill or other suitable place designated by the
department, two serviceable five gallon backpack pump cans filled
with water; however such operations in other areas of the state
as may be designated by the department, in writing, must comply
with the following additional requirements:
(a) A pump truck or pump trailer to be kept on the landing
or within five minutes round-trip of the operation;
(b) A firewatch;
(c) Adequate facilities to report a fire to the responsible
protection agency within fifteen minutes of detection.
(9) Balloon, skyline and other similar long-line or aerial
logging systems with greater than a twelve hundred foot distance
between the yarder and tailhold or tailblock unless complying
with the following requirements:
(a) Two serviceable five gallon backpack pump cans filled
with water at each landing, yarding tree or other suitable place
designated by the department;
(b) Portable water supply available and equipped in order to
supply water to the furthermost extremity of the operation within
a maximum of ten minutes from the time of detection. The
portable water supply shall contain a minimum of three hundred
gallons of water and the complement of accessories and equipment
identified in the definition of the pump truck or pump trailer. The portable water supply shall be equipped with a pump capable
of delivering twenty gallons per minute, at sufficient pressure,
using a one-quarter inch nozzle tip through a fifty foot length
of one inch or one and one-half inch rubber-lined hose. The pump
shall be plumbed with a bypass or pressure relief valve. The
water supply shall be located and outfitted for immediate use at
the landing, and so that it may also be readily lifted and
transported by use of the rigging system or cargo hook. Logging
systems which are not capable of lifting the portable water
supply and the fire tool kit in one lift must accomplish this in
no more than three separate lifts. The fire tool kit shall be
packaged and located for ready attachment to the rigging for
delivery to the portable water supply while it is in operation. The fire tool kit shall contain:
(i) Three axes or pulaskis;
(ii) Six shovels;
(iii) Six adze eye hoes.
(c) Firewatch;
(d) Adequate facilities to report a fire to the responsible
protection agency within fifteen minutes of detection.
(10) Each helicopter used for yarding, loading and land
clearing or slash burning unless equipped and complying with the
following:
(a) A VHF radio, maintained in operational use, at frequency
122.9 MHg;
(b) A portable water bucket of the following capacities,
with necessary cargo hooks and tripping mechanism for dropping
water on a fire, shall be located at the heliport serving the
operation;
External Payload
of Helicopter
Minimum Required
Bucket Size
780
pounds and below
50
gallons
781
pounds - 1600 pounds
100
gallons
1601
pounds - 3900 pounds
200
gallons
3901
pounds and larger
300
gallons
(c) A water source of sufficient capacity readily accessible
to allow the bucket to be filled three times without refilling
the source. The water source must be located within five minutes
round-trip flying time of every part of the operation;
(d) The following sized fire tool kit packaged for ready
attachment to the cargo hook and located at the heliport serving
the operation:
(i) Two axes or pulaskis;
(ii) Three shovels;
(iii) Three adze eye hoes.
(e) Two fire extinguishers of at least 20 B C rating shall
be kept with refueling equipment. They shall be appropriately
mounted, suitably marked and available for immediate use.
(11) Railroad track installation and maintenance:
(a) Crews - ten people or less:
(i) A pump truck or pump trailer as defined in WAC 332-24-005(24); however the water capacity of the pump truck or
pump trailer may be less than three hundred gallons, but greater
than one hundred fifty gallons when the unit is capable of
producing department-approved high expansion foam;
(ii) One serviceable five gallon backpack pump can;
(iii) Communications between the crew and dispatcher for
reporting fires to the responsible protection agency.
(b) Crews - greater than ten people:
(i) A pump truck or pump trailer as defined in WAC 332-24-005(24) that is also capable of producing
department-approved high expansion foam;
(ii) A fire tool box containing a minimum of:
(A) Six pulaskis;
(B) Six adze eye hoes;
(C) Six shovels.
(iii) Communications between the crew and dispatchers for
reporting fires to the responsible protection agency.
(c) Track welding, cutting and grinding shall be curtained
by not less than a four foot high canvas type curtain, which
completely encloses the operation and prevents the escapement of
sparks from welding, cutting or grinding.
(12) Prior to beginning operations, all snags, stubs and
dead trees over fifteen feet in height shall be cut within fifty
feet of each fixed-position machine which will operate for two
consecutive days or more in one position.
The ground shall be initially cleared of all flammable
debris under four inches in diameter beneath and within ten feet
of each fixed-position machine which will operate for two
consecutive days or more in one position.
(13) The area around the tail, corner and haul back blocks
must be kept clean of all flammable debris under four inches in
diameter for a distance of six feet in all directions. Suitable
flame-resistant blanket devices may be substituted for the
clearing requirement when the six foot diameter area is covered. Each block must be equipped with one serviceable five gallon
backpack pump can filled with water, one shovel and one pulaski. Operations with multiple blocks must have this complement of
tools and water within one hundred feet of each block.
(14) It shall be the operator's responsibility to identify
points of line rub on cable logging operations during the closed
season. If line rub occurs, the operator shall do what is
necessary to stop, alleviate or control the line rub in order to
prevent fires at these points. Satisfactory means include, but
are not limited to:
(a) Removal of the object which the line is rubbing on;
(b) Changing the logging system;
(c) Moving the cable location.
(15) The department may designate certain areas which are
known to have rapid fluctuations of extreme fire weather and/or
concentrations of additional hazards. Operators in such areas
may be required to monitor the humidity and/or wind speed and
maintain a daily log of such readings. Relative humidity
readings and wind speed must be determined and recorded by
instruments and methods approved by the department.
The department may further require the operator in such
areas to restrict operations when, in the opinion of the
department, the recorded readings or current conditions are such
that if a fire starts in that area it would probably spread to
conflagration proportions regardless of personnel and equipment
available for initial fire suppression.