RED CROSS ADULT FIRST AID TRAINING for OHV

Red Cross Training Site

Concord, CA

OPINION – RED CROSS ADULT FIRST AID TRAINING

By Don Amador

As a recreation professional that participates in - or lends support to - motorized events, trail stewardship projects, and post wildfire recovery efforts, I want to encourage heads of households, club officers, trail bosses, vehicle safety course instructors, and others in leadership roles to get Adult First Aid, CPR, and AED training from the American Red Cross.  This training will help you stabilize an injured rider or trail volunteer in the field until the emergency responders arrive on scene.

Keeping your Red Cross 1^st Aid certification up-to-date is required if you are Forest Service Chainsaw certified.  Also, it is an important prerequisite if you plan to take the Forest Service Chainsaw class.

Red Cross Certification Card

Having just taken the Red Cross 1^st Aid course yesterday, I agree with the Red Cross statement (on their website) that whether you take an in-person class, an online course, or take advantage of their Simulation Learning experience, which combines online coursework with in-person training, you'll learn from some of the best in the industry. Knowledgeable, understanding and able to deliver information suited to a wide range of learning styles, American Red Cross first aid instructors will help ensure that you not only understand the steps for performing first aid, but that you have the confidence and skills necessary to perform them correctly.

QWR's Post Wildfire Recovery Program

To learn more about the American Red Cross training programs, please visit:

https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/first-aid

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POST WILDFIRE - Dozer Line Recovery Strategy

Main Connector Route Impacted by Carr Fire Dozer Line

BLM Chappie Shasta OHV Area

It is no secret that designated roads and trails provide recreational access to the great outdoors for millions of Americans.  In addition, they are often used by dozers to cut firebreaks or to provide ingress/egress for firefighters and support vehicles to manage a wildfire.  

For the purpose of this article, QWR will focus on post wildfire recovery prescriptions for three different types of dozer line impacts to system routes.  Those situations include dozer lines created on an important connector or corridor road/trail, dozer lines that obliterate the core of a single-track or 50-inch trail network, and non-route related dozer lines that intersect a system road or trail.

Reconstructed Rolling Dips on Connector Trail Used as Dozer Line

BLM Chappie Shasta OHV Area

QWR believes the first order of priority for post wildfire recovery and reopening of a unit is for trail crews to reestablish soil loss/water control structures (i.e. rolling dips, sediment catch basins, etc.), signing, and vehicle width restrictors on key connector routes that provide public access for multiple-use recreation and post-fire management/monitoring activities. 

Secondly, the focus should be on installation of temporary pressure treated wood or natural wood/downed tree barriers and signs to restrict vehicle traffic where dozer lines obliterated the core of a single-track or 50-inch trail network.   This gives recovery crews time to focus on restoring public access on major connector routes.   Once that mission is accomplished then workers can focus on reestablishing and reopening the affected trail network.

Dozer Line Intersecting System Trail

BLM Chappie Shasta OHV Area

Lastly, dozer lines are also created on old non-system roads or historic fuel breaks from past fires.  These are not legal routes where installation of pressure treated, natural wood, or rock barriers are used to restrict vehicle traffic.

Volunteers and Agency Staff Install Temporary Natural Wood Barriers and Sign 

BLM Chappie Shasta OHV Area 

Often it is not the wildfire that directly impacts the trail but is the associated fire management activities such as building dozer lines that affect the road and trail system.

Recovery and Reopening of Connector Trail

BLM Chappie Shasta OHV Area

QWR believes a robust recovery and reopening strategy (using agency staff, contractors, and volunteers) should address dozer line impacts in a timely manner so as to avoid economic impacts to rural communities and recreation interests.

*QWR wants to thank the volunteers and agency staff who participated in the recent Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance work party at the BLM Chappie Shasta OHV Area which is now reopened for public use.

POST WILDFIRE - No-Dig Natural Trail Delineators

Over the last 18 years, QWR has witnessed the increased frequency of reoccurring intense wildfires impacting popular federal recreation areas in the California and the West.

Pressure Treated OHV Route Delineator Destroyed by Wildfire

QWR believes this fire paradigm is going to be with us for the foreseeable future.  If that belief is correct, then it forces the trail community to reconsider more sustainable and cost-effective OHV management prescriptions including use of on-site natural wood products (i.e. downed fire damaged trees, etc.) to reestablish delineation of designated routes, highlight a trail entrance, or protect natural or cultural resources.

No Dig Natural Trail Delineators 

Deer Valley Trail - Eldorado National Forest

In September of 2017, QWR participated in a joint project between the U.S. Forest Service and Motherlode Rockcrawlers to armor portions of the historic Deer Valley OHV Trail. Part of that project included using downed trees as trail delineators to help protect a nearby alpine meadow from vehicle intrusion.

Post Wildfire Installation of Pressure Treated Wood Barriers

2012 Mill Fire - Mendocino National Forest

Using downed trees, trail crews comprised of Forest Service certified sawyers (both agency and volunteers) bucked up footings (about 20-24 inches in length) and then cut v-notches in said footings.

Example of Trail Delineator Using Downed Trees

Various lengths of trees were then laid into the v-notches of the footing which created a stable natural-looking no-dig delineator that highlighted the designated path of vehicle travel and/or the area that was protected.  

Tree Section in V-Notched Footing

Showing V-Notches in Footing

Over the last 10-15 years, QWR and other OHV volunteers have helped agencies with post wildfire recovery projects which often included installation of new pressure treated wood barriers to replace existing pressure treated barriers that were destroyed by wildfire.  Those efforts were time consuming and costly.

Example of Trail Entrance Using Downed Tree Sections

While that post wildfire model to “buy and replace” pressure treated barriers may still be valid and necessary depending on desired management objectives, QWR believes our new and more frequent wildfire reality requires us to reevaluate the automatic response to purchase miles of costly pressure treated wood vs. increased use of on-site dead or dying trees to construct trail delineators.

QWR NEWS RELEASE - Launch of New Post Wildfire Recovery Program

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Don Amador

Phone: 925.625.6287

Email: damador@quietwarriorracing.com

Date: September 4, 2018

*Contact Don Amador if you need additional photos

 NEW OHV WILDFIRE RECOVERY PROGRAM

OAKLEY, CA (Sept. 4) –  Quiet Warrior Racing (QWR), a national recreation consulting company, is launching its new program in response to current and future wildfire impacts at popular Forest Service, BLM, and state off-highway vehicle (OHV) areas.  The Post Wildfire Recovery Strike Team module will work to help address the effects that catastrophic wildfires can have on OHV route and trail facilities.

Don Amador at Wildfire Recovery Area

BLM's Fort Sage OHV Area

Intense wildfires can destroy important OHV management tools such as trail delineators, signs, kiosks, and campground facilities.  Costly soil erosion and water quality trail structures can often be obliterated by dozers creating access routes for firefighters or blading fire lines around the blaze.

The program will help facilitate numerous volunteer post-fire recovery projects at OHV recreation sites in collaboration with stakeholders such as OHV clubs, volunteers, OHV Industry and other grant programs, land agencies, and conservation groups in the delivery and implementation of post-fire mitigation efforts.

Chris Conlin, Former Deputy Director of the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division and Boating and Waterways Division, states, “I strongly endorse QWR’s efforts to create a trail stewardship program that is sharply focused on important post-wildfire recovery efforts on federal and state recreation units that are being devastated in the 2018 Wildfire Season.”

“Both Don Amador and I have been long-time advocates for creation of OHV-specific post-wildfire recovery and rehabilitation programs.  I believe this Strike Team will have a strategic role in current and future collaborative efforts to deliver crucial post-fire recovery assets at important public land recreation sites,” Conlin concludes. 

“Don Amador, President of Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting, states, “It’s clear to me that OHV recreation sites in California and the West will continue to face the likelihood of more intense wildfires over the next 10-20 years.  I believe creation of our wildfire recovery program it relevant and timely given the impacts that the Mendocino Complex, Carr, and Ferguson Fires had on popular destination OHV areas.”

“I look forward to working with our land agency, OHV club, and conservation partners to recover and reopen recreation areas devastated in the 2018 Wildfire Season,” Amador concludes.

For information about opportunities to partner, sponsor, or support the program please contact Don Amador at: damador@quietwarriorracing.com

LINK TO THE POST WILDFIRE RECOVERY STRIKE TEAM MODULE

http://www.quietwarriorracing.com/recovery.html

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Don Amador has 28 years of experience in the field of OHV recreation management, federal/state land-use policy, and post-wildfire recovery.  Don is president of Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting, an OHV recreation consulting company. Don serves as Core-Team Lead for FireScape Mendocino, a forest-health collaborative that is part of the National Fire Learning Network.  Don also serves as Operations Chief for the Post-Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance.   Don is a contributor to ModernJeeper.com.

WILDFIRE UPDATE - Get Red Cross First Aid Certification BEFORE Taking FS Chainsaw Class

The Forest Service requires that volunteers - who use chainsaws to clear trails of downed trees - get certified or recertified every 3 years.  

According to the Forest Service, volunteer sawyers covered by those policies often maintain trails on national forests and grasslands or work in Wilderness where crosscut saws are required. The national saw directive standardizes training, evaluation, certification, and safety procedures for sawyers operating on lands managed by the agency.

 

Valid Red Cross Adult First Aid Card

The FS requires volunteers to have a valid Red Cross First Aid/CPR certification card BEFORE you can take the FS Chainsaw Certification class.  Depending on where you live, the Red Cross

Classes (usually ½ day or so) are either online or you attend in person. Costs vary from $25 dollars for the online course to $115 for the classroom.

 To learn more about the American Red Cross training programs, please visit:

http://www.redcross.org/

The safety planning components are related to Felling, Bucking, Brushing and Limbing Plans that uses a planning logic strategy which includes the following analysis and project description categories; Objective, Hazards/Obstacles, Leans/Binds, Escape Routes, and Cut Plan (OHLEC).  This process is applied to all phases of the saw operation.

Historically, the chainsaw certification levels were largely based on tree size or Diameter at Breast Height (DBH). The current certification rating is more focused on the complexity of the specific felling or bucking task using OHLEC as a decision matrix.  The sawyer certification levels are listed below.

A Sawyer.  An apprentice sawyer who may saw only in the least complex situations or, for training purposes, at the next higher level and in either case only under the immediate supervision of a B or C Sawyer qualified to supervise the work.

B Sawyer – Bucking Only (not applicable in the fire management context). An intermediate sawyer who may independently buck and limb any size material in moderately complex situations and who may saw at the next higher level, but only under the immediate supervision of a sawyer qualified to supervise the work

B Sawyer – Felling and Bucking.  An intermediate sawyer who may independently fell, buck, and limb any size material in moderately complex situations. This person may saw at the next higher level under the immediate supervision of a sawyer qualified to supervise the work. This person may also conduct classroom and field training for A and B Sawyers with prior written approval from the Saw Program Coordinator.

C Sawyer – Bucking Only (not applicable in the fire management context). An advanced sawyer who may independently buck and limb any size material in highly complex situations based on the Regional Saw Program Manager’s or Saw Program Coordinator’s written recommendation. The recommendation must be supported by demonstrated advanced saw knowledge, skills, and in most cases certification as a B Sawyer. This person may conduct classroom and field training within that person’s skill level for A and B Sawyers, and may conduct field proficiency evaluations within that person’s skill level for A Sawyers and B Sawyers ̶ Bucking Only.

   

C Sawyer ̶  Felling and Bucking. An advanced sawyer who may independently fell, buck, and limb any size material in highly complex situations based on the Regional Saw Program Manager’s or Saw Program Coordinator’s written recommendation. The recommendation must be supported by demonstrated advanced saw knowledge, skills, and in most cases certification as a B Sawyer. This person may conduct classroom, field training, and proficiency evaluations for A and B Sawyers.

LINK TO INFO ON THE FOREST SERVICE NATIONAL SAW PROGRAM

https://www.fs.fed.us/about-agency/regulations-policies/saw-policy

Again, the training is very comprehensive.  Topics include, but are not limited to: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), area size up, proper body positioning and stance,  familiarity with OSHA requirements and regulations, physics of “binds”,  physics of “kickback”, sawyer/swamper communication, cutting area control, danger tree awareness,  job hazard analysis and emergency evacuation plans,  Forest Service radio communication, radio procedures and how to use a Forest Service radio;  parts of the chainsaw,  how to sharpen chainsaw chain,  and saw maintenance;   and of course the inclusion of safe chainsaw handling, starting and stopping procedures, use of escape routes,  and safe fueling of the saw to avoid “fuel geysers.”

It is important to set aside two days for the FS Chainsaw Class which includes one day in the classroom and one day in the field.  And again, plan for ½ a day to attend a Red Cross First Aid class.

As OHV stakeholders and partners wait for volunteer post-wildfire projects to be scheduled  -- once the fires are out, mop up operations are concluded, and the FS or BLM are ready to starting planning for volunteer projects -- you can be proactive and get your Red Cross First Aid certification NOW and be ready to attend a FS chainsaw class when they are announced.

The need for a trained professional volunteer workforce will continue to grow as we face the current and future impacts of wildfires on federal recreation areas.

*Don Amador also serves as the Operations Chief for the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance

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