I think the best option is not a 180º turn, but a 90º turn to place the nose into the wind.
The reasoning is after a conversation with a Senior Fire fighter, discussing the options of having a fire on the upwind or the downwind side. I was speaking of placing the fire on the downwind side, as per conventional pilot teaching, and he said he wanted the fire on the
upwind side
From the fire & Rescue perspective, they want to be able to approach the fire in clear air (i.e. upwind of the fire) for best visibility, and have the maximum reach for their hoses (i.e. with the wind behind them.) Placing the fire on the downwind side of the aircraft forces the equipment to approach the fire from the downwind side to gain access - through the fumes (bad for health & visibility)
and they must get much closer, as the hoses are now forced to spray into wind.
Turning the aircraft to place the nose into the wind
- Is always "correct" in that you never have to think where the fire is in relation to the wind, only where the wind is coming from. This is usually the last piece of information passed by the tower before take-off, and is obvious from the drift throughout the approach on landing.
- Gives access for the fire & rescue equipment to approach from the upwind side in every case,
- never requires more than a 90º turn, and usually less than that, and
- allows a "standard" brief for the flight attendants to brief the passengers - "Run towards the nose" - as this is always away from the fume trail, and towards the available help, AND as the rescue equipment and passengers are both running towards each other, has the best chance of avoiding a passenger being run over from a blind spot (i.e. from behind or from the side).