A mathematical model for fire containment

The problem of containment of wildland fires is considered. One method of attack is to attempt to put out the flames directly. This involves the suppression team working at the fire front during the entire containment process. This method is not possible if the fire is spreading too rapidly. The analysis presented in this paper outlines conditions under which containment using such a direct method is possible. A less restrictive alternative is to use some method of indirect attack. A method is presented that would be simple to apply in practice, and even if the method itself is not used, it would assist fire managers in preliminary fire control planning and initial attack dispatching. Estimates are required for various parameters controlling the spread of the free-burning fire, and these can either be obtained directly from the user or from a fire-modelling computer program such as the USDA Forest Service BEHAVE program.