 Firing and holding is a critical hand crew technique. The crew boss is responsible for effectively organizing and deploying crew personnel when conducting and supporting these operations. The two types of firing operations hand crews may be involved in are burning out and backfiring. Burnout is a direct attack tactic that hand crews perform during fire line construction and is the responsibility of the crew boss to implement and coordinate. Burnout is the process of setting fire inside a control line to consume fuel between the edge of the fire and the control line. This is an ongoing process and should not be postponed if possible. The decision to backfire is made by the operations section chief, approved by the incident commander and put into effect by a division supervisor. Prior to firing, the crew boss must determine if the fire line will hold up to the intensity of the fire that will be generated by the firing operation. The crew boss should consider the following in preparation for firing. Reduce fuels, straighten or pretreat dog legs with water, retardant or foam. Fall or pretreat snags. Scatter or pretreat heavy fuel concentrations. Request engine or dozer support for strategic or problem areas. Install hose lays or sprinkler systems along fire lines to reduce spotting problems. Request air drops in remote critical areas. Stage resources where appropriate. Recommend alternative or non-conventional operational periods to the supervisor if appropriate. When organizing a firing team, the crew boss should assign competent personnel in a small group, usually two to five. Determine the need for a separate firing team supervisor based on the complexity of the firing operation. This person does not do any lighting and does not supervise any other operations. The firing supervisor's sole responsibility is the safety and control of the firing team. The firing team supervisor and firing team must always have communication between themselves and the resources adjacent to them. The firing team supervisor must be able to communicate orders to all firing personnel quickly using arm signals, a loud voice and a radio. The firing sequence is the timing of actions by the firing team. The crew boss is responsible for establishing the firing sequence and making sure that all involved understand it. The firing team should not deviate from the established sequence without first informing the crew boss. The crew boss must ensure that ample numbers of proper firing devices and equipment are available to complete the assignment. Fireline supervisors are expected to complete their portion of the line to acceptable standards. There are several items to check when evaluating the quality of fire line. A crew boss should consider several factors when organizing a crew for holding operations. Ensure that the crew is spread out along the fire line, behind the firing operation, observing the unburned area for spot fires. The crew boss should keep the holding personnel moving along behind the firing operations and maintain appropriate spacing between personnel. Spot fire patrols should be performed when safe conditions exist. The crew boss should develop a procedure that crew personnel will follow when spot fires are discovered. This should include inner crew communication, suppression techniques, and marking the spot or spots. Monitor problem areas along the fire line, flare ups, snags, rolling debris. Ensure that recently abandoned burned out fire line is patrol and problem areas are monitored. Coordinate with holding forces ahead of and behind the burning operation. Remember, the crew boss is responsible for the entire crew during handline construction, firing, and holding operations.