2014 WOR Day 3: Learning From the Nuttall Fire Shelter Deployment 10 Years Ago Today

Week of Remembrance June 30-July 6, 2014

July 2, 2004, Coronado National Forest – A firing group, consisting of four Hotshot crews, two medics, and a Firing Group Supervisor, was assigned to Division E to contain a 7 acre slop-over which occurred above H4, and to assess firing needs between the slop-over and H4 . A portion of DIV E had been fired the previous evening and DIV E resources worked late the previous night and were required to mitigate work/rest on the morning of July 2. The two firing group medics were staged on the upper end of the line close to DP 20 rather than committing them down the steep line. That morning, two helitack crew members were inserted, by helicopter, on H4 without the knowledge of either the Firing Group Supervisor or the DIV E Supervisor.

The incident structure protection group which was installing hose-lays in support of slop-over containment, as well as Plumas and Lassen IHC’s which were working the upper end of the slop-over, were directed to hike out based on observations of significant increases in fire activity and intensity.

After mitigating work/rest and participating in a 10 AM briefing, the DIV E Supervisor, DIV E medics, Safety Officer, and the Superintendent from the Mt. Taylor IHC began hiking down the DIV E line toward H4. All other crews assigned to the division remained at DP20 while DIV E Supervisor tied in with Firing Group Supervisor at a lookout point above H4.

Flagstaff and Augusta IHC’s moved out to the main line after completing the slop-over handline, preparing to burn the main line down to H4. When a downhill crown run into the drainage below H4 was reported by the Flagstaff IHC Captain, both crews were directed to immediately make their way to H4. Within minutes, the fire made a rapid uphill run to H4 which cut off the two crews from H4. They reversed course, moving upslope back into the slop-over. During the hike back to the slop-over, a member of the Flagstaff IHC became incapacitated from a heat stress-related illness and was evacuated to the slop-over by members of the Flagstaff and Augusta IHC’s.

Members of Flagstaff IHC at H4 fired all vegetation around the helispot. There were 13 firefighters on the helispot at the time the fire made its first run at H4. The Firing Group Supervisor could not make contact with Augusta and used a trail on the lee-side of the ridge (short-cut trail) to access the slop-over from H4. Upon meeting the crews in the slop-over he was informed of the crewmember injury and the inability to move the individual through the black up to DP 20 due to the steepness of the slope. Remaining pockets of receptive fuel around the slop-over were burned.

Based on ember/ash fallout and heavy acrid smoke conditions – the Flagstaff Superintendent ordered the other 11 individuals including the 2 helitack crewmembers at H4 to deploy their shelters while he ensured everyone remained in place. None of the 12 firefighters sustained injury.

Once the heat dissipated enough, the Firing Group Supervisor hiked to H4 and then returned to the aspen grove with the paramedic assigned to DIV E and the Division E Supervisor, who was also a para-medic. At the aspen grove the ill crewmember received ALS (Advanced Life Support) treatment for heat exhaustion and once Plumas IHC cleared the trail from below DP 20 down to the aspen grove the crewmember was carried via stokes litter to DP20 and transferred to a waiting ambulance.

Discussion Topics:

The South Canyon, Cramer and Nuttall fires all involved helitack personnel deploying shelters at or near their Helispot.What information do you need prior to being inserted into a remote helispot?What questions may be deferred until landing at the helispot?Should the helicopter ever be considered the “E” in LCES?
Helitack are often inserted onto helispots during suppression activities to support logistical missions. What are the communication responsibilities between fireline supervision and helitack?Where should they be shown on an Incident Action Plan?Do they report to the Division Supervisor or Air Support?
On July 2, the Firing Group Supervisor staged his medics because of terrain and fitness concerns; the DIV E supervisor brought his medics down to H4 to support the evening burn operation planned from H4 to H5.Because of their physical fitness level, the DIV E medics could not be sent back up the escape route at the same time as Plumas and Lassen which added two inexperienced people at H4. The medics, however, played a critical role in stabilizing the injured IHC crewmember and provided ALS treatment promptly. Do you have a plan and the equipment to provide ALS treatment and extract the patient to an ambulance when aircraft cannot be used? What are your units Standard Operating Procedures/Rules of Engagement for medical treatment and emergency transportation?

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NWCG Latest Announcements

NWCG Equipment Technology Committee Releases New Equipment Bulletins

Date: September 27, 2024
Contact: Equipment Technology Committee

The Equipment Technology Committee (ETC) has released three new Equipment Bulletins:

ETC-EB-24-003 Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) in fuel containers.
ETC-EB-24-004 Two-compartment fuel and oil container (Dolmar) unavailable in the United States (US) and reminders for upkeeping current inventories.
ETC-EB-24-005 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Inspection, Care, and Maintenance.

These bulletins remind field going personnel of important issues related to equipment for wildland firefighting efforts.

References:

NWCG Alerts

ETC-EB-24-003 Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) in fuel containers

ETC-EB-24-004 Two-compartment fuel and oil container (Dolmar) unavailable in the United States (US) and reminders for upkeeping current inventories

ETC-EB-24-005 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Inspection, Care, and Maintenance

The Experiential Learning Subcommittee is looking for your feedback on Staff Rides

Date: September 20, 2024
Contact: Ashleigh D'Antonio and George Risko, Leadership Committee

The Experiential Learning Subcommittee needs to hear from the field about where the greatest need lies regarding staff rides and their accessibility.

Do you have an event you would like to turn into a learning experience?
Do you have a staff ride built, but are struggling to implement the delivery?
Do you need help building capacity?
What other ideas do you have to support experiential leadership training?

Fill out this short survey below to help us help you.

References:

Staff Rides: Feedback

Staff Rides

Updated NWCG Single Resource Casual Hire Information, PMS 934

Date: September 19, 2024
Contact: Incident Business Committee

The Incident Business Committee has updated the NWCG Single Resource Casual Hire Information, PMS 934. This update expands the provisions for hiring emergency personnel.

References:

NWCG Single Resource Casual Hire Information, PMS 934

IBC Memorandum 24-03

NWCG 2024 Spring/Summer Highlights

Date: September 13, 2024

Welcome to our latest highlights from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, where we explore the latest updates, insights, and efforts that develop interoperable wildland fire operations among federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial partners.

The Performance Support Package, which for ABRO includes the Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Book were developed through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. The Performance Support Package will support trainees, those qualified in the position, and evaluators.

NASA JOINS NWCG!

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is officially an associate member of NWCG. As such, NASA is beginning to collaborate with wildland fire management agencies with the goal of increasing collaboration across agencies and leveraging NASA data, technology, and innovation for nation-wide efforts in wildland fire management. NASA has a rich history of research, development, and technology transfer in the areas of Earth science, space technologies, and aeronautics that support the NWCG mission.

WWW.NWCG.GOV HAS A NEW LOOK AND DESIGN

The NWCG web team dedicated the past two years to making a significant upgrade to the www.nwcg.gov site. This upgrade involved a comprehensive redesign of over 7,700 web pages.

The modernization of NWCG’s website involved migrating to Drupal 10, a cutting—edge content management system, and leveraging Amazon Web Service GovCloud for secure and efficient hosting. These upgrades help ensure that the NWCG website remains current in content management practices, offering enhanced customization, improved performance, and an overall superior user experience.

NWCG Leadership Committee

The Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program announced the Professional Reading Program’s 2024 list!

The years books include:

Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean
The Wisdom of the Bullfrog by William H. McRaven
The Art of Clear Thinking by Hasard Lee
Emotional Agility by Susan David
Writing to Persuade by Trish Hall

Learn more at the NWCG Leadership Committee

INCIDENT PERFORMANCE AND TRAINING MODERNIZATION

In 2023, NWCG kicked off the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. A training system overhaul focused on developing a performance-based training system designed to shift training to on-the-job when appropriate.

Over the next five years, NWCG intends to analyze all positions within the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1. To date we are currently working on 30 incident positions, and planning for 20+ in calendar year 2025.

Subject Matter Experts from a variety of geographical areas and agencies recently completed the position analysis for 16 positions. From this analysis, Incident Positions Standards and a Next Generation Position Task Book will be developed for each position.

Incident Performance and Training Modernization

NEXT GENERATION POSITION TASK BOOK

In April 2024, NWCG launched the new Next Generation Position Task Book (Next Gen PTB) which is a key component of the IPTM effort. This revised evaluation tool is designed to work in conjunction with the newly developed Incident Position Standards.

Major Next Gen PTB changes:

Structured to improve constructive conversations between evaluators and trainees.
Reference new Incident Position Standards.
Include only tasks required to be evaluated for successful performance.
Trainees will be rated on their performance vs. initialing whether a task was completed.
Must include written feedback when trainee does not meet the standard.
Will be position specific (no combined PTBs).

Screen shot of the Next Gen Position Task Book

Banner image of the Wildland Fire Learning Portal website

NWCG’s training course catalog is now available on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP).

To access the training course catalog, visit WFLP and either set up an account or login as a guest.

6MFS

2014 WOR Day 3: Learning From the Nuttall Fire Shelter Deployment 10 Years Ago Today

Week of Remembrance June 30-July 6, 2014

Discussion Topics:

Additional Resources

Have an idea or feedback?

Share it with the NWCG 6MFS Subcommittee.

NWCG Latest Announcements

References:

References:

References:

NASA JOINS NWCG!

WWW.NWCG.GOV HAS A NEW LOOK AND DESIGN

NWCG Leadership Committee

INCIDENT PERFORMANCE AND TRAINING MODERNIZATION

NEXT GENERATION POSITION TASK BOOK

NWCG National Wildfire Coordinating Group

NWCG

National Wildfire Coordinating Group