Mann Gulch Revisited: Improvisation as a Surface of Apprehension

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The concept of improvisation is revisited by means of a closer look at its role in the Mann Gulch wildland fire that claimed 13 lives. An improvised escape fire intended to create a safe area saved only one life. This suggests that the success of an improvisation depends on the relationship between wariness and understanding. That relationship, conceptualized as a "surface of apprehension," is shaped by at least four contingencies: one's raw experience, elements that are analyzed out of flux, the personal bearing of what is at hand, and the words selected to render this finitude sensible.