The dispersed camping guidelines for the national forest hereabouts urges
  that "You should have a bucket, shovel, and axe available to control or
extinguish escaped fire."

( http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/recreation/dispersed/index.shtml )

I can see how the shovel and water (I assume that the bucket is meant to
have water in it) would be useful if the fire jumps the fire ring, and for
making sure that the fire is out -- dead out -- and covered before leaving.

But how, exactly, would an axe be used to control or extinguish escaped
fire? I'm fairly sure that I'm not in any way qualified or trained to be
cutting down trees to form a fire break.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Bend, OR
KG6RCR