The first units arriving at the scene will be committed to the protection of the exposed structures. While they are involved in performing these duties the wildland fire is free to do its thing. As other units arrive, they may also be required to commit to structural protection of the same or other buildings. This could leave little or no equipment or manpower to address the moving wildfire, until additional resources can be brought into the incident. These types of fires can impose a heavy load on already overtaxed fire departments.
Planning is the key.
Knowing what resources you have available, along with a timely sizeup and the proper use of strategy and tactics are all key elements to a successful outcome in the rural interface. Mutual aid is a resource that can play a key role in filling the gap when sizeup determines that most, or all of your equipment and manpower may be insufficient to control the incident. Call for additional help as soon as possible, don't wait. Use your resources wisely in strategic areas in order to maximize your capabilities. Another concern that arises is that upon dispatch of an alarm to a wildland fire the type of units that respond may not be the units of choice for structural firefighting or protection.