OCFA Wildland Practice Exam

In line construction, tools like the Pulaski and McLeod are used to remove fuels and shape the ground to stop a fire. The Pulaski is built with two heads—an axe for chopping through brush and wood, and an adze for digging and removing soil. That combination lets you both cut through vegetation and effectively create or widen a fireline by clearing material from the ground. The McLeod merges a rake and a hoe, so it can clear debris and loose litter with the rake and then dig or scrape to loosen or remove soil, helping to smooth and widen the line. Together, these tools are all about building a functional fireline, not about measuring distance, pumping water, or signaling.