 Whenever a crew is engaged in line construction actions, the use of a line locator is advisable. The line locator position can be filled by a crew boss, a subordinate of the crew boss, or assigned personnel from outside the crew. The knowledge and experience level of the line locator is determined by the complexity of the assignment and the availability of personnel. Line locators must have a thorough understanding of flagging techniques. The fire suppression tactics reference guide contains a valuable discussion of these techniques and should be reviewed by the crew boss. In conjunction with line location, crew bosses must take into consideration the type of fire line to be utilized. There are six basic types of fire line. Fire line can be constructed by using one or a combination of the following. Barriers, natural and constructed. Hand line, mechanized line which utilizes dozers, plows and other types of mechanized equipment. Wet line which utilizes ground and air delivery systems. Cold trailing which utilizes the cold edge of a burned out fire and fire line explosives. Hand crews may be utilized in conjunction with all six types. This portion of the video will deal primarily with hand line construction. Proper tool selection is a critical element of hand line construction. Tool selection will depend on fuel type, soil and terrain features. To be effective, the crew boss must consider fuel types, the variety of hand tools and the advantages of each tool in a particular fuel type. Safety is a primary consideration and requires that the crew boss obtain properly maintained tools and ensure that they are correctly used. Remember on most crews there is a big disparity in the different crew members' abilities to use hand tools. To ensure safe and effective hand crew operations, the crew boss must be innovative and flexible while utilizing personnel and equipment. Anticipate problems and deploy crew personnel accordingly. When assigning tools and equipment to crew personnel, consider the following. Fuel type. The size and weight of the tool or piece of equipment. Length and duration of the assignment. Personnel endurance factor. Training and experience levels of crew personnel. Crew performance depends on the use of subordinate supervisors to handle specific operational problems relating to spot fires, flare ups along the line, multiple lookouts, falling operations, hot spotting, split crew actions, and staging area procedures. Hand crews are often assigned to staging areas during operational periods to resupply, feed, and temporarily rest crew personnel. The crew boss must check in and report directly to the staging area manager. Staging area procedures require a three-minute getaway response time. To accomplish this, the crew must remain organized and readily available. The crew boss must consider the specific burning conditions for each fuel type and give clear instructions to the crew concerning line construction standards. These instructions are called line specifications. These specifications are commonly referred in the field as canopy width, or the cut, and line width, or the scrape. Verbal directions concerning line specifications should be brief and to the point, such as the line specifications are 10-foot cut with a 2-foot scrape, trench where necessary. Consult with your operation supervisor and come to an agreement on the line specifications that are expected of your crew. The line specifications should be no wider than necessary and commensurate with the current and expected behavior of the fire. Minimum impact suppression is the implementation of land management policies designed to meet resource management objectives and constraints. Land management agencies manage fire using tactics that reduce the environmental impacts resulting from suppression efforts. It is important that the crew boss understand these tactics. Minimum impact suppression is an increased emphasis on doing the job of suppressing a wildland fire while maintaining a high standard of caring for the land. Actual fire conditions and your good judgment will dictate the actions you take. Consider what is necessary to halt fire spread and ensure it is contained within the fire line or designated perimeter boundary.