Blacking Out
Lone firefighter "blacking out" a section of track after a bushfire that destroyed over fifty houses. Blacking out (i.e. hosing down the terrain to prevent sparks from getting into fresh fuel and re-igniting the bushfire) is a major part of firefighting work, although the news pictures naturally always show the drama of the flames. Working in smoke can be as dangerous as attacking the flames due to the potential for lung damage and the ever present danger from falling trees and branches weakened by the fire.
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