Dozer Operations

The CAL FIRE / San Luis Obispo Unit staffs 3 ICS type 2 dozers within the County. They are strategically placed for initial attack response, averaging 20 min to be deployed. These dozers are staffed year around. The operators serve not only as equipment operators,  but also work under the Unit Fleet Manager doing equipment repair, equipment safety inspections, and annual equipment servicing. 

CAL FIRE usually constructs fire lines in one of two ways: with hand crews using hand tools, or by bulldozer. Bulldozer lines are constructed by blading the ground – removing flammable plant material down to bare soil. Dozer lines can vary in width from a single dozer blade to many dozer blades wide, depending on the type of vegetation burning. Dozers can cut line at a rate of one to eight miles an hour, but typically cut line from one to three miles per hour depending on terrain, vegetation, and conditions. This makes them a valuable resource for California’s emergency response needs. CAL FIRE has 62 dozers available statewide.  While the specifications for each dozer type vary, they all include enclosed cabs for operator safety.