11-1-S130-EP
11-1-S130-EP
Mop Up and Patrol

11-2-S130-EP
Objectives
1. Describe and demonstrate how to
extinguish burning materials by chopping,
scraping, and mixing them with soil and/or
water.
2. Describe a systematic method of mop up
and give two reasons for using this method.
3. Describe how four of the senses aid in
detecting burning materials.

11-3-S130-EP
Objectives
4. Discuss the importance of breaking up
and dispersing burning materials and
berms adjacent to the control line.
5. Demonstrate the technique of cold
trailing on a simulated fire perimeter.
(Field Exercise)
6. Describe the standards for declaring the
fire out.

11-4-S130-EP
Low-hanging limbs can spread fire across fireline
11-4-S130-EP
“Hot spot” to find and
extinguish burning areas
close to line
Remove branches
overhanging the fireline to
prevent fire “breaking out” if it
rekindles.

11-5-S130-EP
Strengthen the Control Line
and Rearrange Fuel
11-5-S130-EP

11-6-S130-EP
Strengthening Control Line
Build “cup trenches” where
needed
11-6-S130-EP

11-7-S130-EP
Turn logs and other
burning material to
prevent rolling
11-7-S130-EP

11-8-S130-EP
Systematic Mopup
• Work the fire perimeter first, then
proceed inwards
• Work from hottest to coolest area.
• Plan a beginning and ending point.
• Examine entire assigned area.
• Grid the area for hot spots after mop
up is complete.

11-9-S130-EP
Use your senses to detect
smoke and/or heat
• Sight
• Touch
• Smell
• Hearing

11-10-S130-EP
Sight
11-10-S130-EP
Look for wispy smoke
Walk around the area to view it from
various angles

11-11-S130-EP
Touch
11-11-S130-EP
Use the back of your hand to feel for
heat in stump holes or under logs
Be Careful! Move your hand in
slowly to avoid getting burned!

11-12-S130-EP
Smell
11-12-S130-EP
Use your nose to “sniff out”
undetected smokes

11-13-S130-EP
Hearing
11-13-S130-EP
Listen for “popping” sounds that
may indicate hidden hot fuels

11-14-S130-EP
Dry Mop Up
• Separate burning material from fuels by scraping.
• Use dirt to cool the hot fuels (Rub onto areas
after scraping and mix embers with dirt)
• Isolate and scatter burning material from
unburned material
• Spread out heavy concentrations of materials
near control line or inside burned area
• DON’T bury burning materials! They could
smolder for a long time.

11-15-S130-EP
Dry Mopup
and Bone yarding
11-15-S130-EP

11-16-S130-EP
Wet Mopup
11-16-S130-EP
Always work in pairs!
Spray water conservatively to
cool the burning material
Mix the wetted material with dirt to
further cool and smother the fire
Work the area until all
embers are out.
Check area by “cold
trailing”

11-17-S130-EP
Covered Fuels
• Break up and disperse any fuels that
are “buried”.
• These are common along the fireline
where dirt has been scraped or piled
on the inside of the line or where
dozers or graders have worked.
• Fuels will smolder for long periods in
these “covered” areas.

11-18-S130-EP
Mop Up Guidelines
• Make sure the fireline is secure!
• If the fire is small, mop up the entire
burned area
• On larger fires, mop up an agreed distance
in from the perimeter
– This distance is variable based on fuels and
expected weather
• If personnel are scarce, extinguish hot
spots first
• Don’t forget to check for spot fires
periodically

11-19-S130-EP
Patrol the Fire
10A-19-S130-
EP
Areas that once appeared
cool or “out” can re-ignite
and flare up
A routine patrol is needed
to check and detect hot
areas left along the line

11-20-S130-EP
10A-20-S130-
EP
Things to Consider
when Patrolling
• How far in from the control line will you
check for hot spots?
• Are you responsible for check the entire
area or only a portion?
• What information should you report to
your fire line supervisor?
• Work in pairs using a systematic approach

11-21-S130-EP
10A-21-S130-
EP
When patrolling, check for
Spot Fires outside the
control line
Especially where you know the following
to be true:
• Snags or torched-out trees exist near
the fireline
• Winds blew across the fireline in this
area
• Rotten logs and tree roots were found
hidden beneath the fireline in the soil
• Flashy fuels exist on the outside of
the fireline in this area.

11-22-S130-EP
10A-22-S130-EP
Searching for spot fires

11-23-S130-EP
Declaring the fire “OUT”
The fire should only be declared “OUT” or “Put Off”
after the following are true:
• The fire has been thoroughly patrolled and
checked inside and outside the fire perimeter for
spot fires and………
– No unburned patches of fuel are left.
– All fire is out of logs, stumps, roots, etc.
– All rotten material and duff pockets have been re-
checked to ensure they are dead out.
– Fires mopped up at night have been checked the
following morning.
– The entire fire edge -- on the head, rear, and flanks--- has
been checked

11-24-S130-EP
Only the Incident Manager
will declare the fire “OUT”

11-25-S130-EP
Objectives
1. Describe and demonstrate how to
extinguish burning materials by chopping,
scraping, and mixing them with soil and/or
water.
2. Describe a systematic method of mopup
and give two reasons for using this method.
3. Describe how four of the senses aid in
detecting burning materials.

11-26-S130-EP
Objectives
4. Discuss the importance of breaking up
and dispersing burning materials and
berms adjacent to the control line.
5. Demonstrate the technique of cold
trailing on a simulated fire perimeter.
(Field Exercise)
6. Describe the standards for declaring the
fire out.