One of the most imperative responsibilities of the company officer at a wildland incident is to quickly and constandy evaluate the potential of the fire. This critical function is the foundation on which crew safety and strategic/tactical success are built. Officers and incident commanders need to remember that at any given time and location there is a complex interaction of wildland fire behavior variables that combine to produce fire behavior-either limited or extreme. This complex interaction is constant and demands constant monitoring by all personnel present at a wildland fire. Although there are numerous benefits for personnel at all levels of the incident to track the changing fire environment, one of the most vital is increasing the chances of being pleasantly surprised vs. tragically surprised. Please take a moment to consider me contrast between the two types of surprises that personnel can face during suppression and how the human mind responds to each.
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