What Is The Difference Between Contained and Controlled?
Incident: Chips Wildfire
Released: 9/1/2012
The Chips Fire is 100% contained. However, the fire has no estimated date for control. Containment means that the growth of the fire has been stopped by the hard work of firefighters constructing fireline around the perimeter.
Control is when there is no threat of the fire crossing containments line. In order to control the fire, firefighters mop up the fires edge. This means they search for and extinguish areas of heat near the fireline. Mop-up standards vary on the type of vegetation (i.e., grass or timber). Firefighters are mopping up 300 feet along the fireline for the Chips Fire.
Trees with heat in them are felled interior to the line. Areas with rolling materials (loose rock, logs, etc.) must also be secured. If there are interior "islands" of green that can burn, they must be patrolled until there is no chance they could throw embers across the containment line. This is important if weather changes, such as a wind event, are in the forecast.
NorCal Team 2 is not estimating a control date at this time. As residents in this area know, there is still fire activity that must be cooled along the edge and there are interior pockets of unburned vegetation that may continue to burn. The team will work with the Plumas and Lassen National Forests and incident meteorologists to ensure that the mop up standards lead to this fire being controlled as soon as possible.
