The usual locations for bulletin boards in camp are near the information officer’s tent and near the kitchen or caterer. Depending on the size of the camp you are serving, you may want to add another location or two. Try to place them in areas where a roof overhand may save them from a downpour and be aware that sudden winds can lift and tip them. Check in with supply about the availability of plastic sheeting in case of rain and remember that you need to cover the bulletin boards before the rain arrives.
Do you need to give someone instructions on the kind of bulletin board you want?
Bulletin Board Diagrams – Look at this document to see if the instructions and pictures on here are what you want to convey to someone who would be building your bulletin boards. This diagram, developed by a webmaster for a Pacific Northwest Team, gives clear instructions on how it’s supposed to work.
What to put on the boards:
Most fire crews will tell you that they want to see:
1) the front page of the newspaper
2) the sports section
3) weather and
4) comics, and then
5) the national fire situation report and
6) the situation 300 report (team and crew rotation schedule)
Also posted are:
1) Camp maps
2) Incident maps
3) Location or travel maps
3) A copy of the day’s Incident Action Plan
4) Human resource messages
5) Safety messages
6) Lists of resources who are demobing
7) Photos that have been taken on the incident
Some templates to make your bulletin board posting faster and easier were developed by team webmasters and are shared here:
Incident Website Address Tear-offs – this template formats a page where you can substitute your team logo then gives instructions and tear-offs for firefighters to access photos and news of the incident when they get back home.
ICP Mailing Address Tear-offs – this template formats a page where you can substitute all of your incident information for the information listed here and supplies tear-offs too.
Post Office in a Box – is a poster-like template that you can change to fit your own needs and add your own team logo.
You’ve Got Mail Notice – An easy way to tell a firefighter that he or she has mail, is to post a notice on the board. This template gives you easy access to getting that notice out.
Do You Like This Photo Notice – If you’ve been on an incident where some good photos have been generated, you’ll see how valuable this template is for notifying firefighters that they CAN get the photo that they like by going to the website. Be sure you change the information on the templates to fit your own needs.
If there is still room on the board – and most of the time there is – here are some suggestions for how to fill up the space with products that firefighters can use:
Safety Zone Newsletter – Issue 10 – June 2007 – If nothing else convinces you that firefighters find real value in bulletin board postings, this story about a career firefighter who led her crew out of potential blow-up situation because she read an innocuous notice about Buffelgrass will. This issue of the Safety Zone newsletter is worth sharing widely among information officers.
Leadership Development Professional Reading Program – The professional Reading Program is intended to provide a selection of readings outside of our standard training curriculum that can add depth and breadth to a firefighter’s development at any stage of their career. Placing this document on a board where people can consider its suggestion may have a profound impact on their career.
Scratchline Issue 16, Chainsaw Safety and Snag Falling, Part 1 of 2 – All of the Scratchline issues are worth posting on the bulletin board, but the topic that this one covers is an attention grabber among wildland firefighters. The succinct lessons learned depicted in the Scratchlines are pertinent and easy to digest.
WFFInfoSheet.pdf – This information sheet on The 52 Club of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation provides a summary of what the organization does and is formatted with web site tear-offs so that firefighters can take the information home with them. Information officers may also want to use some of the other resources of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation to introduce it in camp.
Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center Flyer – This printable poster is formatted for standard-size paper and colorfully represents the three web sites offered to the wildland fire community as resources for networking and professional development.
Germs Hand Wash 8.5×11.0 – A popular poster among safety officers, this colorful image re-enforces the necessity of hand washing in an environment where everyone is inclined to be a little more casual about hygiene. Cute – but scary – germs sit atop a hand and describe how they can “getcha.” This product is a natural selection for bulletin boards.
E Coli Bacteria Fact Sheet – Produced during the hurricane response of 2005, this memorandum clearly delineates fact from rumor concerning the possibility of becoming infected with the harmful type of bacteria. This may be just what you need to post if there are concerns about illness in your camp.
Cheatgrass is Extremely Flammable – Are You Prepared? – This colorful poster on standard-size paper is perfect for printing and laminating. The poster features pictures that show just how Cheatgrass is so flammable and why firefighters should remain on high alert for its presence in the field.
Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac SafetyGram – Many of the SafetyGram publications are very good products for bulletin boards and this one is especially pertinent because many firefighters can be exposed to these plants. This message also includes instructions on what to do if you think you have been exposed.
West Nile Virus Fact Sheet – What is West Nile Virus and how to people get it? These are questions that are answered on this handout. If firefighters in your camp are working in an area that is experiencing publicly reported cases of this illness, it may be time to post this on the bulletin board.
How to Properly Refuse Risk – Taken directly from the Incident Response Pocket Guide, this one-page handout addresses the individual’s right an obligation to contribute ideas regarding their safety.
Avian Influenza Bulletin – published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, these bulletins are posted in the Lessons Learned Center library and are updated for the current situation, what the agency is doing in response and a list of several websites where more information can be obtained. For firefighters who are interested in this topic, this is one of the best sources of concise information.
