Military

8-1. Every Army activity must have a fire protection program that includes fire protection training, fire suppression, and fire prevention. The program's objective is to eliminate the causes of fire and reduce the potential for loss of life, injury, and property damage. This objective is consistent with peacetime, combat, and SASO.

8-2. The commander's awareness and involvement are the most critical components of an effective fire protection program. Preserving life and property is a fundamental duty of all levels of command and supervision.

8-3. Each Army installation must establish a well-planned fire prevention program that includes SOPs, fire prevention training, identification and elimination of hazards, enforcement of fire regulations, and adequate fire protection for facilities. This program requires strong command emphasis and support.

8-4. Frequent surveys and inspections help to establish the best standards and practices for preventing fires. Munitions fires are among the most feared because of the potential for casualties, destruction, and loss of property and equipment. Most fires involving munitions are preventable. Thus, fire safety awareness and training in prevention practices are especially important.

8-5. The fire prevention procedures presented here are basic. They should be supplemented by whatever other standards the commander feels are needed to protect the ASA. At minimum, the unit SOP will contain the following rules and procedures to be enforced by everyone working around munitions:

• Strictly regulate and control smoking in areas where ammunition, explosives, highly combustible materials, or flammable items are kept. If smoking can be regulated safely, designate specific locations approved by the commander or safety officer and equip these areas with proper receptacles for butts or smoking residue. Do not allow smoking in vehicles passing through these areas.
• Locate the smoking area at least 50 feet from the area containing munitions and explosives if noncombustible walls do not separate these two areas. Also ensure that at least one serviceable fire extinguisher is placed in the area. Do not permit anyone whose clothing is contaminated with explosive or hazardous material to use the smoking area.
• Do not permit use of matches or other flame-, heat-, or spark-producing devices in any magazine area or field storage activity. The only exceptions will be by written authority of the commander or safety officer.
• Use only flashlights or storage battery lamps approved by the US Bureau of Mines and listed by the UL or other recognized authority in structures that contain ammunition or explosives.
• Locate overhead transmission and power lines no closer to the storage location than the height of the pole or 50 feet, whichever is greater. If the cable is buried for at least 50 feet from the storage location, existing storage facilities may be modified with underground electrical service.
• Use dry cleaning solvent, not gasoline or other flammable liquids, for cleaning purposes. Ensure that adequate ventilation is available when using solvent. See TB MED-502 for guidance.
• Locate parking areas no closer than 100 feet outside storage areas. Control these areas to reduce fire hazards and provide easy access to firefighters.
• Police areas on a daily basis for combustible materials left over from operations. Stack and/or properly dispose of these materials. See DA Pam 385-64 for stacking guidelines and distance requirements.
• Use nonheat-producing equipment that will not exceed temperatures of 228 degrees.
• Control vegetation or undergrowth with weed killers or by mowing or plowing. Livestock grazing may be used under special, controlled conditions. Remove all cut vegetation and undergrowth. Ensure that weed killers do not contain substances that might spontaneously ignite in hot, dry conditions.
• Carefully consider controlled burning to eliminate vegetation and undergrowth. Allow no burns within 200 feet of any explosive location. Firefighting equipment and personnel will be standing by during these operations.

8-6. Any activity that stores or handles munitions must have an effective safety program and prefire plan to help prevent and fight fires.

8-7. The fire plan serves as a tool for training and for implementing prevention and firefighting rules and procedures. It must cover all munitions areas and possible exposures of munitions to fire. The plan will describe the following:

• Emergency functions of responsible personnel.
• Organization of firefighting teams and alternates.
• Communications and alarm signal activity.
• Responsibilities and emergency functions of outside agencies.

8-8. Details of the plan may vary to suit the individual installation or field activity. It must include training requirements for all personnel and establish the following procedures:

• Reporting the fire.
• Evacuating nonessential personnel.
• Notifying nearby commands and locations of impending dangers.
• Extinguishing or controlling the fire.
• Using communications and alarm signals.
• Controlling the fire until firefighters arrive, and meeting and instructing firefighters on circumstances of the fire (i.e., types of munitions involved and hazards).

The fire plan includes a map that identifies storage locations, the road network, and munitions hazard/hazards at each location (including fire and chemical symbols). See AR 420-90 for additional guidance.

8-9. Training is a vital part of the fire protection and prevention program. All personnel and firefighters involved with munitions must be trained in the precautions and proper methods of fighting fires. Training will include an understanding of individual responsibilities as identified in the fire plan. It must also include instruction in the following:

• A system for reporting fires.
• Procedures for sounding alarms.
• Evacuation procedures.
• Application and meaning of each type of fire and hazard symbol.
• Type and use of appropriate firefighting equipment.

8-10. Fire drills encourage and increase safety awareness and must be conducted at least once every six months. Although fighting munitions fires is the primary responsibility of fire department personnel, munitions personnel must be trained to act quickly and to extinguish and/or control a fire. Every attempt must be made to control or contain a fire to prevent loss of life and reduce injuries, minimize property damage and loss of munitions, and protect mission-essential functions.

8-11. Instructions to supervisors and personnel will include steps that increase fire safety. All supervisors must be thoroughly familiar with fire hazards. They are responsible for ensuring that personnel are trained in alarm procedures and firefighting equipment, and that they know the locations of emergency exits other than the usual doors, gates, or roadways. Emergency exits must be clearly marked with visible exit signs. Personnel will be trained to use these exits automatically in case of fire or other emergency. An unannounced fire drill that involves the response of a fire department must never be conducted without coordinating with the fire chief.

8-12. Serious consequences often result from the lack of training or failure to follow instructions and written safety regulations and procedures. The most common safety violations are as follows:

• Smoking.
• Carrying and using matches and other flame- or heat-producing items in forbidden areas.
• Tampering or playing with munitions, particularly grenades, demolition materials, and pyrotechnics.

8-13. A fire in the ASA can start in any number of ways. Most often, fires begin in vegetation and accumulated waste materials, wastepaper, scrap lumber, dunnage, broken pallets, and boxes. Causes include the following:

• Unauthorized use of spark-producing tools.
• Use of defective MHE and vehicles.
• Use of faulty or unapproved electrical equipment.
• Failure to provide proper barricades.
• Failure to provide firebreaks/proper firebreaks.
• Use of improper grounding techniques.
• Failure to provide lightning protection systems.

8-14. A small fire involving ammunition or explosives may rapidly become intense and lead to an explosion. While personnel must not be exposed to the hazards of an imminent explosion, it is vital to attack a small fire at once using authorized equipment and firebreaks.

8-15. Hand-held portable fire extinguishers can be used to fight small fires. All fire extinguishers must be easily accessible and maintained in good operating condition. See Figure 8-1 for the appropriate extinguishing agent to use for fighting each class of fire.

8-16. Water barrels and pails, sand boxes, and shovels provide a recognized means of combating Class A fires in ASAs where the combustible material consists primarily of grass, wood, dunnage, boxes, and empty containers. Barrels must be covered to prevent insect breeding and evaporation and will be winterized as necessary. At least two metal pails must be available for each barrel. Water barrels may not be needed if the ASA is located on an installation that meets the following conditions:

• Vegetation control measures are adequate, and the area is monitored regularly.
• A fire plan and an organized firefighting force with the equipment capable of combating grass and brush fires are in place.
• Updated fire maps are maintained at fire stations and storage areas. These maps indicate the location of each storage area and the hazard at each site.
• Storage area work crews are equipped with serviceable extinguishers.

8-17. Rakes, shovels, picks, and other equipment needed to fight grass or vegetation fires must be in adequate supply. Also, plows, graders, and bulldozers should be available.

8-18. Firebreaks may be both artificial and specific. Artificial firebreaks include roads, highways, cleared manmade areas, survey lines, and transmission lines. Specific firebreaks are cut in advance and maintained to prevent the progress of any fire. It may not be possible to cut firebreaks during tactical operations due to METT-TC factors. General guidelines for firebreaks can be found in DA Pam 385-64.

8-19. Depending on the materials involved, fires that occur in buildings and magazines containing ammunition and explosives vary in intensity and outcome. Certain explosives ignite on contact with a spark or flame or when subjected to frictional heat or concussion. Some substances burn freely. Others, such as solid or liquid propellants, explode while burning or develop heat so intense that firefighting efforts are nearly futile.

8-20. Firefighters must be well acquainted with the hazards in each fire hazard group. They must know which methods of fighting fires are most effective for the materials under their protection. Also, they must be proficient in using the personnel protective devices needed for fighting various types of fires.

8-21. Ammunition and explosives are separated into fire divisions based on the relative danger they present to firefighters (see Figure 8-2). Fire Division 1 indicates the greatest hazard, with the hazard decreasing with each ascending number. Fire Divisions 1 through 4 correspond with Hazard Classes 1.1 through 1.4. See DA Pam 385-64 for further discussion of the Hazard Classification System.

8-22. Fire Divisions 1 and 2 include the ammunition and explosives in Hazard Classes 1.1 and 1.2 (excluding nuclear weapons). In a fire, these materials can be expected to detonate with moderate to severe fragmentation hazards. Make no attempt to fight fires involving Division 1 unless a rescue attempt is being made. Attempts to extinguish a Division 2 fire may be made if it is in an early stage, or to fight the fire until the risk becomes too great.

8-23. Fire Division 3 is comparable to Hazard Class 1.3 and presents a mass fire hazard. Personnel in the area will give the alarm and fight the fire if explosives are not directly involved.

8-24. Fire Division 4 consists of ammunition that presents a moderate fire hazard. Fires that involve this type of ammunition will be fought by firefighters with portable and mobile fire-extinguishing equipment until the fire is brought under control. See DA Pam 385-64 for more information on fighting fires.

8-25. Each fire division is represented by a distinctive fire symbol. The shapes and dimensions for each symbol are identified in Figure 8-3 and Figure 8-4. These symbols enable firefighters to recognize possible hazards as they approach the fire scene. The applicable fire division number is shown on the symbol. To facilitate long-range identification, these symbols have different shapes.

8-26. The fire symbol that applies to the most hazardous material present will be posted at or near all non-nuclear explosive locations. Backing material for the symbols will be made from a noncombustible material of the same shape. Symbols must be visible from all approach roads. When all munitions within the ASA are covered by one fire symbol, it may be posted at the entry control point.

8-27. When different HC/D of munitions are stored in individual multicubicle bays or module cells, appropriate fire symbols will be posted on each bay or cell. Only one fire symbol is be displayed at the entrance of a row where facilities containing munitions and requiring the same fire symbol are located in a row or on one service road.

8-28. Fire symbols must be placed on entrances to arms rooms that are licensed for holding and storing quantities of explosives. Also, the appropriate fire symbol must be displayed on a locker or similar type container where licensed explosive munitions are stored. However, symbols are not required on the exterior of a building if the building is exempt from Q-D requirements contained in DA Pam 385-64.

8-29. It is not required to post fire symbols on locations having 1,000 rounds or less of HC/D 1.4 small arms ammunition (.50 caliber or less). Unless HN symbols differ and, by agreement, HN symbols are required, fire symbols must be used. The ASA commander may remove fire symbols for security purposes. In this case, the commander must emphasize giving prompt and exact information to the firefighters regarding any changes in the status of explosives.

8-30. If vehicles and aircraft are parked in a designated explosives parking area, fire symbols need not be posted providing the area is described in a local SOP or vehicle and/or aircraft parking plan.

8-31. Fire symbols are not required on individual structures used to store, maintain, or handle nuclear weapons or components or on aircraft and/or vehicles loaded with nuclear weapons. See DA Pam 385-64 for more information.

8-32. Chemical agent or agent-filled munitions storage and operational facilities must be identified with appropriate hazard symbols as shown in Figure 8-5. The type of hazard symbol selected for this purpose depends not only on the type of chemical agent in the item of ammunition but also on the absence or presence of explosive components in the item.

8-33. Appropriate clothing and equipment are essential when fighting fires involving chemical agents. The protective clothing and apparatus in Figure 8-6 are for firefighting purposes and do not necessarily apply to normal operations. The symbols presented in this figure are described as follows:

• Symbol I, Wear Full Protective Clothing.
• Set 1. Red rim and figure. Indicates the presence of highly toxic chemical agents that may cause death or serious damage to body functions. Includes the M9 self-contained protective gas mask with applicable hood, or approved equivalent (i.e., M40 series mask); impermeable suit; hood; gloves; explosives handler's coveralls; and protective footwear, as applicable. A fire blanket should also be available in case of a fire.
• Set 2. Yellow rim and figure. Indicates the presence of harassing agents (riot control agents and smokes). Includes M9 series protective gas mask or self-contained breathing apparatus, explosive handler's coveralls, and protective gloves.
• Set 3. White rim and figure. Indicates the presence of white phosphorus and other spontaneously combustible material. Includes M9 series protective gas mask or self-contained breathing apparatus, flame-resistant coveralls, and flame-resistant gloves.
• Symbol 2, Wear Breathing Apparatus. Indicates the presence of incendiary and readily flammable chemical agents that present an intense heat hazard. This hazard and sign may be present with any of the other fire or chemical hazards/symbols. Protective masks that prevent the inhalation of smoke from burning incendiary mixture will be used.
• Symbol 3, Apply No Water. Indicates a dangerous reaction will occur if water is used in an attempt to extinguish the fire. This symbol may be posted together with any of the other hazard symbols.

Figure 8-6. Protective Clothing and Apparatus

See DA Pam 385-64 for information on the types of chemical hazards associated with the symbols in this figure. Refer to Table 8-1 to determine clothing and equipment required when dealing with specific chemicals and fillers.

8-34. When chemical or pyrotechnic munitions are assembled with explosive components, chemical hazard and fire hazard symbols are used together. Chemical munitions without explosive components are identified by chemical hazard symbols only.

8-35. Requirements for posting chemical symbols are similar to those for posting fire symbols. Chemical symbols must be removed, covered, or reversed as soon as chemical agents are removed from a location.

8-36. Personnel must take immediate action when fires occur in a munitions area. If fire is discovered in grass or other combustible material surrounding a magazine, structure, or FSU, the following steps must be taken as quickly as possible:

• Sound the alarm.
• Do everything possible, using available firefighting tools, to extinguish or control the fire until firefighters arrive.
• Evacuate nonessential personnel to a well-protected area.

8-37. All nonessential personnel must be evacuated to the appropriate emergency withdrawal distance as shown in Table 8-2. The commander is responsible for alerting civilian authorities of any imminent explosive accident that may affect the local community and for providing those authorities with the correct emergency withdrawal distances. See DA Pam 385-64 for more information.

8-38. When any part of a vehicle, other than its cargo, catches fire, try to get the vehicle to a clear, isolated area and use a handheld fire extinguisher to fight the fire. Also, ask someone to notify the fire department or engineer firefighting force. Fight the fire until the flames reach the cargo. At that point, evacuate all personnel and equipment to the safe distances listed on DD Form 836. Give firefighters complete information about the cargo as provided on DD Form 836.

8-39. Fire protection, prevention, and safety awareness during munitions operations is every soldier's responsibility. Commanders are responsible for command and technical supervision of a well-planned, effective fire protection and prevention program at facilities under their command. Supervisors must emphasize quality, routinely schedule training, and ensure that the commander's policies are implemented. Demonstrated performance is the quality control element of an effective fire protection and prevention training program.