











Cricket Software's
WILDFIRE

The Urban-Interface Fire Simulation for Firefighters 



Version 1.0 Users Manual










Copyright 1998 by John Daigle. All rights reserved.


IMPORTANT NOTICE:

WILDFIRE contains copy protection features to prevent unauthorized duplication of copyrighted files. The program can be run from the master diskette provided, or loaded on your hard drive using the install program on the master disk.

 Minimum hardware needed to run WILDFIRE:

  An IBM compatible computer 386 or better.
  A VGA or SVGA color monitor.
  A 2 or 3 button mouse.

Running WILDFIRE from the master floppy disk:

Install the master disk in your floppy drive, go to that drive (Type a:[enter] or b: [enter] if your floppy is drive b.) then type: wildfire.

In Windows click on Run then type: a:wildfire

Loading WILDFIRE on your hard drive under DOS

Install the master disk in your floppy drive, go to that drive (Type a: [enter] or b: [enter] if your floppy is drive b.) then type: install.

NOTE: Do not attempt to load the files from the master disk to your hard drive using "copy" or "xcopy". THEY WILL ONLY OPERATE PROPERLY IF LOADED BY THE INSTALL  PROGRAM.

Loading Wildfire under Windows 3.1 and Windows 95

WILDFIRE is fully compatible with Microsoft Windows 3.1 & Windows 95. A custom WILDFIRE icon is provided with this program, wildfire.ico.  These procedures  will create a directory on your hard drive, load the WILDFIRE  files on to it and create a Windows icon for it.

Loading  WILDFIRE in Windows 3.1

Insert the WILDFIRE master disk in your floppy drive (A or B).

In the Program manager, click on File then Run

Type a:install (or b:install if your floppy drive is the B drive) then click OK.

Follow the directions of the INSTALL program.

Open the program group you want WILDFIRE in, or create a new program group for it.

In the program manager, click on File then New then OK (program item).

On Command line, type C:/wildfire/wildfire or click on Browse, select the Wildfire directory and double click on wildfire.exe.

Click on Change Icon then click on OK then Click on Browse in the Change icon window.

Select the wildfire directory and double click on wildfire.ico.

The WILDFIRE icon will be displayed in the Change icon window.

Click OK then click OK in the properties window.

Loading  WILDFIRE in Windows 95

Insert the WILDFIRE master disk in your floppy drive (A or B).

Click on Start then Run

In Run window type a:install (or b:install if your floppy drive is the B drive) then click OK.

Follow the directions of the INSTALL program then close install window.

Click on empty area of screen with right mouse button.
Click on New - Shortcut.

On command line type C:\wildfire\wildfire then click Next

In Select title window type wildfire then click Next

In Select icon window click Finish

Double click on WILDFIRE icon to run WILDFIRE.


About WildfireWildfire was created to answer a need for  tactical training of firefighters in wildland/urban interface fire situations. In it you are required to make decisions on the disposal of available resources, attack strategies and proper use & conservation of  available water resources. Although Wildfire is not a fire propagation model in the scientific sense, it does basically imitate fire behavior with regard to winds & fuel types. Wildfire is the third in a series of wildland fire simulations created by Cricket Software, the first two being Firestorm and Firestorm Pro, which were focused on large wildland fires of  up to 180,000 acres. Wildfire does for tactical training what Firestorm & Firestorm Pro do for strategic wildland fire training.
 I have received input from professional firefighters all over the country and Wildfire was written with this input in mind.

John Daigle
Cricket Software

Overview

Wildfire provides various terrains & scenarios for fighting fires in urban/wildland interfaces. As in real fire incidents a number of factors will contribute to the nature of the fire, including wind speed & direction and types of fuel available. The fire will generally follow wind direction and the intensity will increase in higher wind speeds, spot fires will form ahead of the fire in high winds and in heavier fuel types. There are three natural fuel types in this simulation: light [grasslands], medium[brush] & heavy[trees]. light fuels are represented by green, medium by light green and heavy by dark green "trees" . The urban "fuels" are two kinds of structures, one with 'shake' wood shingles [dark brown] and the other with composition shingles [light cyan]. As in real situations fires are much more severe on the shake roofs. The terrains represent about a 10 acre area.

Four pieces of equipment are provided for firefighting:

Engine
A generic 2WD engine with a 500 Gallon water tank, class 'A' foam, 300 GPM pump, 60 GPM portable pump, capability to lay 400' of  1.5" attack hose and 400' of 2.5" supply hose.

Water Tender
2WD Type One with 1000 Gallon tank with 300 GPM pump. Capable of laying 400' of  2.5" supply hose.

Dozer Tender
Truck-trailer capable of carrying one Type Two D5 bulldozer.

Dozer
Type Two Medium D-5 bulldozer with forward/reverse, full steering and blade up/down control.
Selecting the maps

After leaving the initial sign-on (WILDFIRE) screen, the map select window will be displayed showing  8 map selections. Move the mouse to highlight the desired map and click mouse button. That map will then be loaded.

About the maps

There are eight maps available for the WILDFIRE simulation. They are designed to present a broad spectrum of different wildland/urban interface situations.

Oakwood Manor (classic.wfm) is an example of a classic interface situation. Hydrants are available in the urban area and a pond is located in the wildland area.

Bald Hill Road (exercis2.wfm) is a representation of Exercise 2 in the NWCG S-205 "Fire Operations in the Urban Interface" course.

Good Guys-Bad Guys (goodbad.wfm) shows examples of good clearance of vegetation around structures and poor to nil vegetation clearance. Note that no hydrants or water bodies are available on this map so water is limited to the engine & water tender.

Fire Island (island.wfm) shows a large mansion on an island in the middle of a lake. Fire can cross the narrow channel in high wind situations.

Lakewood Acres (mixed.wfm) is an example of a mixed interface situation. Hydrants and water bodies are available.

Central Park (occluded.wfm) is an example of an occluded interface. Hydrants and water bodies are available.

Seaside Estates (seaside.wfm) is another example of a mixed interface. No hydrants available but plenty of water.

Upin Arms Apts (upinarms.wfm) is a large apartment complex. Hydrants and water bodies are available.


Options Menu

Clicking on the OPTIONS button in the main menu will display the options menu. Eight option buttons are displayed:

TOTAL FIRES
Select from one to three fires to be started when the simulation starts.

FIRE LOCATION
Select RANDOM or MANUAL placement of  fire start location.

WIND CONTROL
Select Auto/Manual or Auto-Lock  (In Auto-Lock there is no MANUAL button in the Weather window).

HOSE IN
Select NORMAL or FAST HOSE (In Fast Hose there is no delay when hoses are retrieved. In Normal the hose will be pulled in at the rate of 4' per second or 100 seconds for 400' feet of hose out.).

NOZZLE DEFAULT
Select STREAM or SPRAY (What the nozzle defaults to when it is turned on). See nozzle operations.

SUPPRESSANT
Select WATER or FOAM (Foam will remain on the ground longer).

WIND SPEED MAX 
Select maximum wind speed for the simulation (10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60 MPH).

WIND DIR LIMIT
Selects a 90 deg. sector that the wind can blow from during the simulation.
NO LIMIT (any direction), NW to NE, NE to SE, SE to SW, SW to NW, N to E, E to S, S to W, W to N.

Note: Options can only be changed before the simulation starts.
Weather--Wind speed & direction

To display the Weather Window, click on the Weather Icon button. The arrow inside the compass shows the wind direction and the bar graph below it indicates the wind speed in Knots.
The default mode for the wind control is AUTO (All wind changes will occur randomly when the simulation is started). To change to manual, click on the AUTO button, it will change to MANUAL. You are now in manual mode and can change the wind direction and speed.

Note: If you are in Auto-Lock mode, (mode is shown below the wind speed display) the AUTO or MANUAL button will not be shown. You cannot change to manual unless the Wind Control option in the Options menu is set to Auto/Manual. (Must be done before simulation is started.)

Changing wind direction (in manual mode)
To change wind direction, move the mouse arrow over the direction on the compass you want the wind to blow from . When the mouse arrow is over a wind direction the letters will change to white. Click the left mouse button when over the direction desired. The arrow in the compass will point in the new wind direction. 

Changing wind speed ( in manual mode)
To change wind speed place the mouse arrow over the wind speed bar. While moving the arrow along the bar, look at the display at the top of the window. This will tell you what the wind speed will be when you click the left mouse button. Speeds from 1 to 20 are green, 21 to 40 are yellow, and 41 to 60 are red. To return to auto mode, click on the MANUAL button, it will change to AUTO and you will be in Auto mode.

Wind direction and speed limits
If the Wind Direction limit (in the Options menu) is set to anything but No Limit, The allowed wind directions on the compass will be shown in white (in AUTO or AUTO-LOCK mode). The maximum wind speed limit (set in the Options menu) will be shown as a white line on the wind speed bar graph in AUTO or AUTO-LOCK mode.
Setting the fire/fires and starting the simulation

Random fire locations
To set the fire or fires, click on the SET FIRE (icon) button. If Fire Location (in the Options menu) is set to Random, a blinking small box will appear on the map, where each fire will start.
Then click on the START FIRE (icon) button. This will start the simulation and the Unit buttons (Engine, Water Tender & Dozer Tender) will be displayed.

Manual fire locations
To set the fire or fires, click on the SET FIRE (icon) button. If Fire Location (in the Options menu) is set to Manual, you will then move the cursor to the desired fire start location on the map and click the left mouse button. A blinking small box will appear on the map at that location.
If you have selected more than one fire in the Options menu, continue setting the locations untill all fire locations have been chosen.Then click on the START FIRE (icon) button. This will start the simulation and the Unit buttons (Engine, Water Tender & Dozer Tender) will be displayed.

Fire status bar

When the simulation starts, the fire status bar will be displayed at the top of the screen.It displays the number of square feet on fire, the total acreage consumed (in tenths of acres), the wind direction & speed  and the simulation time in minutes and seconds.


Stopping the simulation

To stop the simulation, click on the STOP button in the Main menu. This will pause the simulation and you will be given the option to CONTINUE the simulation, start a NEW SIMULATION or EXIT the program.

You may also exit the program at any time by typing Ctrl Q.

When the Fire is OUT

When the fire is out, "Fire Extingushed" will be displayed at the top of the screen, the simulation will stop and you will have the option to start a new simulation or exit the program.
  

Selecting the Engine, Water Tender and Dozer Tender

To display the operating window for the engine, water tender or dozer tender, click on the respective unit icon button. Unit icon buttons only shown after simulation starts.


Dispatching  the Engine, Water Tender and Dozer Tender

The engine, water tender and dozer tender are dispatched to the scene by clicking the DISPATCH button in the respective unit window then moving the cursor to the desired destination  & clicking the left mouse button. The dispatch locations must be on a road. The mouse cursor will be a sight when on the roads and a circle/slash [NO] if off the road or too close to another vehicle. There will be a slight wait as the shortest route is calculated, then the unit will proceed to the destination at a scale speed of about 40 MPH. The unit can be stopped anywhere along the route by clicking the STOP button. Note that although the units appear to "go through" other units on the road, they are actually just passing each other.

Engine Operations

Clicking on the Engine icon button in the main menu will display the engine window.

Engine Hoselay Operations

The attack hose is layed by clicking the HOSELAY button, then "dragging" the hose off the engine with the mouse. The mouse movement is much slower when dragging hose then with other operations. A hose counter in the window will tell you how many feet of hose has been pulled. When you reach the desired location, click the left mouse button. When you reach 400' of hose, the mouse cursor will stop, you'll hear a buzz and the hose counter will display in yellow -"400' of hose out". When this occurs click the left mouse button. The hose cannot be layed over houses, trees, bodies of water or other vehicles.

The supply hose is layed by clicking the SUPPLY button, then pulling the hose just like the attack hose. The supply hose can be pulled to three locations: 1. The Water Tender (pumped at 300 GPM). 2. Hydrant [small red circle with yellow "X"] (600 GPM) or 3. Natural water source [pond/lake/stream/swimming pool] (60 GPM portable pump). When the hose end cursor is over a valid supply it will be a sight otherwise it will be a circle/slash. Click the left mouse button when you are over the source you want. If you are not over a water source when you click the mouse button (that is, the cursor is a circle/slash ) the hose will retract and you will have to click the SUPPLY button again.

Pumping operations will commence as soon as the hose is connected to the supply, unless the tank (shown in the engine window) is full (all blue). When the hose is connected the SUPPLY button will change to SUPPLYIN and it will blink red when the tank is full. If you attempt to pump from an empty water tender, the message "TENDER EMPTY" will be displayed.

To terminate the supply operation, click on the SUPPLYIN button, the hose will slowly (Unless the FAST HOSE option was selected in the OPTIONS menu) be pulled into the engine at the rate of 4' per second or 100 seconds for 400' feet of hose out and will display how many feet of hose remain out in the engine window. The SUPPLY button is displayed in both the Engine and Nozzle windows

Nozzle Operations

When the attack hose is layed the Nozzle Window will be displayed. You can see the direction and length of the stream/spray you will have by clicking and holding on the NOZZLE icon in the middle of the 4 arrows. You can also orient the nozzle by clicking on the CW (clockwise), CCW (counter-clockwise), UP (longer) and DOWN (shorter) arrows. A white line will extend from the hose end as long as the mouse button is held down. The word SPRAY or STREAM will be displayed under the NOZZLE icon, showing the default nozzle setting (set by the NOZZLE option in the OPTIONS menu).

Click on HOSEON to open the nozzle. A stream of water or water/foam-mix (selected by the SUPPRESANT option in the OPTIONS menu) will extend from the end of the hose. The nozzle is controlled by the four arrows and clicking on the NOZZLE icon switches between SPRAY (max length 50' with 200 sq.ft. coverage) and STREAM (max length 100' with 100 sq. ft. coverage). After a while the water or foam will "evaporate". The foam will be retained longer then the water. The water will appear as light blue and the water/foam mix as light blue & orange. The hose will drain the tank at a rate of 30 GPM. When the tank is low a buzz will be heard and when the tank is empty the hose will shut off.
 
To close the nozzle click on HOSEON again. Note that when the hose is on, the word HOSEON will be red. It will be gray when the hose is off.

Moving and retrieving attack hose
Attack hose can be moved & retrieved only when the nozzle is off. To move the hose to a new location click on the MOVEHOSE button and drag the hose just like the hose lay above. Click the left mouse button at the desired location.

To retrieve the hose click on the HOSEIN button. The hose will slowly (Unless the FAST HOSE option was selected in the OPTIONS menu) be pulled into the engine at the rate of 4' per second or 100 seconds for 400' feet of hose and will display how many feet remain out in the Engine window. 

The engine can only be dispatched when all hoses (attack & supply) are retrieved.
Water Tender Operations

Clicking on the Water Tender icon button in the main menu will display the water tender window. The Water Tender is dispatched just like the engine and can be stopped en route with the STOP button. The SUPPLY button operates the same as in the engine window. The tender supply hose (400') can be dragged to a natural water source (lake,pool,stream)  and pumped into the tank at 300 GPM or connected to a hydrant at 600 GPM.
 
Water transfer will commence as soon as the hose is connected to the supply, unless the tank (shown in the water tender window) is full (all blue). When the hose is connected the SUPPLY button will change to SUPPLYIN and it will blink red when the tank is full. 

To terminate the supply operation, click on the SUPPLYIN button, the hose will slowly (Unless the FAST HOSE option was selected in the OPTIONS menu) be pulled into the tender at the rate of 4' per second or 100 seconds for 400' feet of hose and will display how many feet remain out in the Water tender window. 

Dozer Tender Operations

Clicking on the Dozer Tender icon button in the main menu will display the Dozer tender window. The Dozer Tender is dispatched just like the engine & water tender and can be stopped en route with the STOP button. When the tender is stopped, you may unload the dozer by clicking on the UNLOAD button. The dozer will back off the trailer (you can hear the backup alarm). After the dozer is unloaded, the main menu is displayed (now with a Dozer icon button).

Dozer Operations

Clicking on the Dozer icon button in the main menu will display the Dozer window. All dozer operations are controlled with the 4 buttons: FORWARD, STOP, REVERSE & BLADE. A dozer icon is displayed in the window with a line showing the direction of travel.

To move the dozer forward click on the FORWARD button, then you can steer the dozer with the right and left mouse buttons, as long as the mouse cursor remains over the FORWARD button. 
Click the right mouse button to steer clockwise and the left mouse button to steer counter-clockwise. Clockwise and counter-clockwise arrows will be shown on each side of the dozer icon when you press the right and left mouse buttons.

To move the dozer in reverse click on the REVERSE button, then you can steer the dozer with the right and left mouse buttons, as long as the mouse cursor remains over the REVERSE button.  Click the right mouse button to steer counter-clockwise and the left mouse button to steer clockwise. Clockwise and counter-clockwise arrows will be shown on each side of the dozer icon when you press the left and right mouse buttons. Stop the dozer by clicking on the STOP button. You may switch between FORWARD and REVERSE without using the STOP button. To raise or lower the blade, click on the BLADE button. The blade status (UP/DOWN) will be shown below the BLADE button. When the blade is down you can see the bare earth exposed as the dozer moves. As in real situations the dozer moves slower with the blade down.

The dozer will automatically stop when it hits objects, such as other vehicles, houses, bodies of water or the edge of the map. It may also stop if you spray it with the hose. (In which case the operator is probably running over to clean your clock!)

Backfiring Operations

The simulation gives you the capability of setting backfires anywhere on the map by clicking on the BACK fire icon button and moving the cursor to the desired set location of the backfire and clicking the left mouse button.

Online Help

On line help is available in the MAIN menu, the ENGINE, WATER TENDER, DOZER TENDER and DOZER  ops windows by clicking on the HELP button. Return to the original window by clicking on the BACK button in the HELP window.


If you have problems

If you get a Disk Verification Error while trying to run the program, either you are attempting to run the program on another floppy besides the Master disk or the program was copied to the hard drive with out using the Install program on the Master disk.

If you get a No Mouse Detected error, the probable cause is that the mouse driver is not installed or running under DOS. See your mouse documentation for installing and running the mouse driver under DOS.

If the program should hang up for any reason, try typing Ctrl+Break, or under Windows type  Ctrl+Alt+Del.

If you have any other problems comments or suggestions, you may contact me (John Daigle)  at (707)485-5565  email: jjcricket@juno.com

Credits

Wildfire could not have been possible without the help of many firefighters and wildland fire professionals around the country including:

Robert Alvord - Emergency Managment Specialists
Mike B. (no other info available)
Doug Campbell - Wildland Fire Specialist , "Campbell Prediction System"
Bob Patton - Boise N.F. Fire Planner
Phill Queen - Author & wildland fire consultant.
Bill Teie - Author & retired Deputy Director of Fire Operations for CDF.
Boo Walker - Texas Forest Service.






Note: Windows & Windows 95 are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
