A fire line, or fire break, is used to combat wild fires in forests and prairies. It is a line of open land that contains little to no combustible material. When a fire reaches a fire line, it no longer has any new fuel to burn, so it dies out. Fire line EMTs provide medical services at the fire line location.
Fire line EMT training topics include duties and responsibilities, equipment needs, command systems, common fire line injuries, helicopter safety, makeshift aids, topography, fuel factors and extreme fire behavior.
Training courses require anywhere between eight and 32 hours of instruction, plus hands-on training. Fire line EMT training also requires prerequisites that demonstrate basic EMT knowledge and skills.