Fire rake

Wildland fire fighting tool

A fire rake is a wildland fire fighting tool. A fire rake has a wooden or fiberglass handle with a rake head consisting of four to six sharp, serrated, triangular steel blades. It is used to rake a fire break with the sharp teeth, enabling it to reach fire in undergrowth in addition to loose surface debris. A McLeod, which is sometimes called a rake hoe, is a similar tool whose rake portion looks more like a steel rake but with sharp edges on the teeth. The teeth of the more traditional fire rake which resemble the teeth of a great white shark allow it to penetrate deeper into the undergrowth when necessary. The preference for one implement over the other is somewhat subjective.

A fire fighter will rake burning material back into the (black) area already burned, moving the fire away from the fuel ahead of it to create a fire break. The burning material is left to burn itself out away from the edge of the fire line, or another fire fighter with a fire flapper will smother it if required. The tool will cut through any undergrowth that may be burning and overturn some soil, further assisting in creating a fire break, thus smothering fire. This can reduce the temperature of burning materials below their threshold of ignition.

General	Wildfire emergency management Wildfire suppression
Equipment and tactics	Aerial firefighting Controlled burn Driptorch Fire flapper Fire hose Fire lookout tower Fire rake Fire retardant Fire retardant gel Fire trail Firebreak Firefighting apparatus Firefighting foam Helicopter bucket Hose pack McLeod Modular Airborne FireFighting System Pulaski Wildfire suppression equipment and personnel Wildland fire engine Wildland water tender
Personnel	Fire lookout Handcrew Helitack Hotshot crew Smokejumper Wildland fire module
By location	Ancient Rome Australia United States History California Washington
Lists	Glossary of wildfire terms List of wildfires