Section 332-24-405 - Spark emitting equipment requirementsIt 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: (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;(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;(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;(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;(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:(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.
Wash. Admin. Code § 332-24-405
Statutory Authority: RCW 76.04.015. 91-20-060 (Order 583), § 332-24-405, filed 9/24/91, effective 10/16/91; 87-11-005 (Order 504), § 332-24-405, filed 5/8/87.