Prescribed burning or as John put it, "fighting fire with fire," is one fire management tool the Forest Fire Service uses. A prescribed burn is when a fire is deliberately set by trained governmental fire personnel under specific and strict safety conditions and allowed to burn in a specified contained area (ONLY the NJ Forest Fire Service personnel may apply a prescribed burn in NJ! No one else!).

Prescribed burns reduce the vegetation (fuel) on the forest floor so less damage is likely to result from a naturally occurring fire and at the same time, it improves wildlife habitat and promotes the renewal of the forest. For example, pitch pines need the heat of fire in order for its cones to open and its seeds to disperse. In other cases prescribed burns are used to control the spread of invasive plants so that native vegetation can flourish.

John showcased the impressive array of equipment at the Service's disposal. The Fire Service constructs all of its own initial attack fire suppression vehicles. Two of the more commonly used pieces of equipment included the brush truck (used in the pinelands to cut down brush and pitch pine) and the truck fire plow that creates a fire lane or break. The fire plow creates a trench down below where there is no organic soil and cuts through tree roots though which fire will travel. Unfortunately this method cannot be used in areas with rocky soil, such as in most of northern New Jersey. Instead, a firelane must be cut by hand shoveling. Other vehicles include the Gyro truck (used for removing brush), a swamp bulldozer, all terrain vehicles, trucks with water pumps and water trucks. Airplanes with the capacity of holding 300 gallons of water and helicopters allow the Service to get to a fire quickly and slow it down by dumping water on it before ground trucks can arrive.

Keith Wright displayed some of the hand tools used to fight fires including a triangular shaped shovel used for cutting a fire trench, as well as a modified ax and shovel that bends. He showed us the clothing worn by firefighters while fighting fires and explained that all would be made of Nomex (a water and fire resistant material). Other items used by firefighters include leather work gloves, a hardhat with a Nomex flap, and specialized leather boots whose soles are sewn and screwed into leather. An additional item that he would carry would be a fire resistant tent that can help give shelter if he is caught close to the fire. At the end of the presentation he invited anyone who wished to get a closer look at the brush truck, which was parked outside the Holly House.