I could have told those guys not to worry -- that their sorry asses were safe with me and that they should get back to work. But they were experienced smoke jumpers, and they had legitimate concerns. So I listened to them and decided to call in a helicopter to check it out. (There was already a helicopter working in the area.) The pilot flew by, radioed in, and confirmed that the fire was behind the cliffs. It may seem like that was a lot of work for nothing. But that's what it took to put those two men at ease. Just because I was the leader on that job didn't mean that I knew more than everybody else. And simply saying "I'm right" is never the best way to convince people that they should follow you.

Whenever I'm unsure about whether my crew can deal with the problem at hand, I gather everyone together and talk about it. We talk about strategies, we talk about comfort levels, we talk about risks. Of course, a fire may burn a few more acres in the meantime -- but in the overall scheme of things, that's nothing. There have been plenty of times when the crew has given me a better way to think about a problem. You have to keep in mind that you're never going to have all of the answers. It would be foolish to think that you could have all of the answers.

You Can Fight Fire with Fire

Sometimes the only way to diminish the force of a fire is to attack it head-on with another fire. That strategy, known as a backfire, can be dangerous business. But on one occasion, when we were fighting a "combination fire" in New Mexico, using backfire was our last resort. It was in the middle of the night, and we were building a control line to protect a "helispot" where we could land helicopters to bring in more crew members. We were way ahead of this huge, 1,000-acre fire -- but it was hauling ass toward us. Our overhead personnel wanted us to wait and to let the fire burn as far as our control line. I knew that if we allowed that to happen, not only would we be in bad shape, but we'd also be blocked off from our only escape route. And that fire was not about to let a simple control line stop it.

So we began "burning out" -- which means that we lit small fires a short distance away from our control line, getting closer and closer to the head of the main fire. The small fires burned out all of the fuel in between and, in the process, created a larger control line. But eventually, the main fire was right on our heels, breathing hard and sucking all of the air toward it. That's when we lit a backfire, which the raging combination fire drew toward itself automatically. When the two fires collided, the effect was awesome. Not only did the collision shoot a column of smoke thousands of feet into the night air, but it also threw fireballs over our line, causing several spot fires that we had to contain. We knew that our backfire wasn't going to put this fire out -- but it did diffuse the power of the rager. In fact, this combination fire was one of those fires that end up burning all summer long; only a major change in the weather was able to put it out. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can't control a fire.

Anna Muoio (amuoio@fastcompany.com) is a Fast Company associate editor and a recovering pyromaniac. Contact Wayne Williams ([ADDRESS]) by email.

Sidebar: 10 Rules for Putting Out Fires

In 1957, a Forest Service task force developed the "10 Standard Fire Orders" -- a set of fire-fighting principles that remain an essential part of a smoke jumper's training regimen. It's not hard to see the relevance of those principles (summarized below) to "fighting fires" in the new world of work.

1. Fight fire aggressively, but provide for safety first.

2. Initiate actions according to current and expected fire behavior.

3. Recognize current weather conditions and obtain forecasts.

4. Ensure that instructions are given and that they are understood.

5. Obtain current information on the status of fires.

6. Remain in communication with crew members, your supervisor, and adjoining forces.

7. Determine safety zones and escape routes.

8. Establish lookouts in potentially hazardous situations.

9. Retain control at all times.

10. Stay alert, keep calm, think clearly, and act decisively.

Sidebar: "Watch Out" Situations

Soon after the creation of the "10 Standard Fire Orders," Forest Service training specialists identified "18 Watch Out Situations" -- conditions that create dangers for smoke jumpers. Here, adapted from that list, are some of those situations.

1. The fire is not scouted or sized up.

2. Safety zones and escape routes have not been identified.

3. Firefighters are uninformed about strategy, tactics, and hazards.

4. Instructions and assignments are unclear.

5. There is no communication link between crew members and their supervisors.

6. Firefighters cannot see the main fire and are not in contact with anyone who can see it.

7. Rough terrain or dangerous fuel makes it difficult for firefighters to escape to safety zones.

8. A firefighter feels like taking a nap near the fire line.