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Week of Remembrance

2022 Week of Remembrance Day 7

 Day 1  |  Day 2  |  Day 3  |  Day 4  |  Day 5  |  Day 6  |  Day 7

 

South Canyon Fire (Colorado) – July 6, 1994

Today’s topic is dedicated to all wildland firefighters.
May we never stop learning.

 

A group of nine wildland firefighters gather in a circle to listen to a crew boss discuss a map laid out in front of him.

Today we mark the anniversary of the South Canyon Fire which claimed the lives of 14 wildland firefighters. This tribute to the incident on Storm King Mountain closes out a week of collective remembrance and learning, honoring the lives lost to wildland fire. Anniversaries such as this provide an opportunity for all of us to reflect on our mission and seek improvement. Participating in the Week of Remembrance, it becomes clear how tightly wound learning and tragedy are. As a result of these events, countless lessons can be learned and passed along through our leaders, teachers, mentors, and conversations with each other.

This is our history. Learn from it today. Use it tomorrow.

Week of Remembrance is a somber time for all of us. Taking this week to discuss lessons of loss should encourage us to reflect. What we do with that reflection is how we honor the memories of those we have lost.

The purpose of this week has been to honor all fallen firefighters by making a commitment to learn the lessons from those that walked the fireline before us. Many lessons are learned the hard way ending in the ultimate sacrifice

Student of Fire – This notion was coined by the late Paul Gleason, developer of LCES. When asked what he wanted his legacy to be, Paul responded, “I suppose I would want my legacy to be that firefighters begin to realize the importance of being a student of fire, and that I was able to help make that happen.” Being a student of fire means different things to different people.

“Ultimately, a student of fire is first and foremost a student. A student is always learning. A student never assumes they have it all figured out. A student looks for the lesson. A student is willing to question their own beliefs. This is humility.” – Learning in the Wildland Fire Service

Ask yourself: Are you a student of fire?

Action: We encourage everyone – fireline personnel, incident management teams, fire support staff, or program managers – to take a moment of remembrance today when appropriate to:

  • Reflect on the 6MFS Week of Remembrance topics.
  • Discuss lessons learned from this Week of Remembrance.
  • Consider how you will apply those lessons.

 

Never Forgotten

In memory of the firefighters lost on the incidents studied during the 2022 Week of Remembrance and to all whose ultimate sacrifice has given us the opportunity to learn.

Purple Ribbon

“We as firefighters can most honor them by recognizing and cherishing the lessons they have imparted to us at the greatest price.”
– Paul Gleason

 

Category
Week of Remembrance


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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

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National Park Service Logo
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Fish & Wildlife Service Logo
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U.S. Fire Administration
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Intertribal Timber Council Logo
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International Association of Fire Chiefs
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Department of Defense Logo

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.
 

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NASA Logo

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.

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NWCG new website look.

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

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WFLDP PRP book covers

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.

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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).
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Screen shot of the Next Gen Position Task Book
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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.