![Duffys Cut Fire rakes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Duffys_Cut_Fire_rakes.jpg)
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
A firebreak or double track (also called a fire line, fuel break, fireroad and firetrail in Australia) is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebre ...
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.
See also
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Pulaski (tool)
The Pulaski is a special hand tool used in fighting fires, particularly wildfires,
which combines an axe and an adze in one head. Similar to a cutter mattock, it has a rigid handle of wood, plastic, or fiberglass. The Pulaski is used for constru ...
Wildfire suppression equipment
Forestry tools
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