When it comes to firefighter safety, fire-burnovers attract much attention and investment as they should, however lower-profile but just as deadly hazard is always out there. Falling trees. They take firefighters lives more often than many of us appreciate – at least five tragic fatalities, and many more near misses, in just the last decade. How can we improve firefighters’ ability to recognise potentially dangerous trees? After all it is general fire crew members in the main that are getting killed, not problem tree-fallers, so it is imperative that every firefighter knows how to recognise the risk factors that increase the danger-levels of trees falling. In this paper, key risk factors present at some recent tree-fall incidents are identified and discussed. It is hoped that these may inform the development of improved dangerous tree recognition approaches, and training materials in the future.