What should be identified and designated based on forecasted fire behavior?

Safety zones are crucial areas that should be identified and designated based on forecasted fire behavior because they provide a refuge for firefighters and personnel during wildfire operations. These zones are designed to ensure that, in the event of rapidly changing fire conditions, individuals have a secure location to retreat to that minimizes the risk of harm from flames, heat, or smoke.

Effective identification of safety zones takes into account various factors, such as anticipated fire spread, fuel types, topography, and prevailing weather conditions. This ensures that the zones are placed in locations that will remain safe even as fire behavior evolves.

In contrast, danger zones tend to highlight areas at high risk during fire operations, while fire breaks are physical barriers created to stop or slow the spread of fire. Buffer zones may refer to areas that provide some distance between a fire and other properties or resources, but they do not specifically cater to the immediate safety of personnel during firefighting efforts like safety zones do.