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Incident and Position Standards Committee

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Mission Statement

Mission Statement

The Incident and Position Standards Committee (IPSC) provides national leadership in the development of wildland fire incident management standards and incident position standards that all NWCG agencies utilize for national mobilization while maintaining a long term strategic perspective.

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Primary Objectives

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  • Provide oversight and direction to ensure the consistent development, implementation and maintenance of incident management standards. These standards may include guidelines, procedures, processes, best practices, specifications, techniques, and methods.
  • Provide oversight and direction to ensure the consistent development, implementation and maintenance of incident position standards. These standards include incident position descriptions (duties and responsibilities) and position qualification requirements for training, experience, physical fitness, and position currency.
  • Coordinate with NIMSIC on wildland fire endorsements to NIMS NQS positions.
  • Establish, implement, maintain and communicate business processes and criteria to assist NWCG committees and subgroups in performing this work.
  • Collaborate with the NWCG committees, NWCG staff and other stakeholders to prioritize development and maintenance of incident management standards, incident position standards, publications, training materials, and other position performance support content.
  • Ensure position standards and requirements are consistent with the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
  • Coordinate implementation of incident position standards with the Incident Qualifications and Certification System (IQCS) and Incident Qualifications System (IQS) system managers.
  • Identify and address strategic opportunities for incident management and incident positions standards improvement, sustainability and efficiency.
  • Contribute to the standardization of information technology systems (such as FireNet, IROC, etc.) to collect and distribute data, processes, forms, and other operational elements.

A Request for Change (RFC) provides an avenue for NWCG committees or subgroups and the field to submit recommended changes to incident position qualification standards, including the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1, Position Task Books, and Training Catalog updates. The Incident and Position Standards Committee (IPSC) will review, discuss, vet amongst agencies, and make a support/no support decision on the RFC. This is a transparent process intended to engage all related NWCG members in reaching a consensus decision.

An RFC is not the mechanism for providing feedback on other publications, including the NWCG Incident Response Pocket Guide (IRPG), PMS 461. Instead, utilize the Publication Review Form.

Submitting a Request for Change

  • A request can be submitted from the field or an NWCG committee. Requests from NWCG subgroups must be submitted through their parent committee.
  • All requests will be issued an IPSC RFC tracking number.
  • The requestor will receive an email identifying receipt of the RFC, and an IPSC representative will contact them within 30 days.
  • An IPSC representative will be assigned to each RFC.
    • If the request is from the field, it will be assigned to the corresponding agency representative on IPSC to ensure the agency supports the request before proceeding. If not supported, the RFC will not move forward, and the requestor will be notified by the agency representative.
    • The role of the IPSC representative is to work with the requestor to produce all of the required elements for an RFC package.

RFC Package Requirements

  • An RFC Package will contain the following elements:
    • Description of the issue, proposal, proposed solution, and rationale.
    • Description of the interagency nature of the request.
    • If the RFC is intended for the PMS 310-1, ensure the RFC package contains all the required documents listed in the PMS 310-1 Review and Change Process For Position Standards.

The Review Process

  • The RFC package will be presented to IPSC to evaluate for a formal acceptance of the RFC. This is not a decision to accept/approve the RFC but an agreement to review, evaluate, and make a final decision on the request.
  • If accepted, IPSC will coordinate with relevant NWCG committees, subgroups, NWCG Training Program, and/or others to review the request. If not accepted, the requestor will be notified.
  • The assigned IPSC representative will facilitate any communication during the review process.

Final Decision

  • The IPSC representative is responsible for consolidating recommendations and/or alternatives into a final decision document for IPSC members to use in discussions with their agencies.
  • After IPSC representatives gather agency support/not support, a final decision will be made by IPSC.
  • The IPSC chair will send a decision memo to the requestor and copy all IPSC members.

Request for Change (RFC) Form

Training and Qualifications

Incident Qualifications and Certification System (IQCS)

Incident Qualification System (IQS)

FEMA Emergency Management Institute (EMI)

National Wildland Fire Training

NWCG Position Task Books (PTBs)

Agency Specific Position Task Books (PTBs)

FEMA National Preparedness Information

Changes to Safety Zone Calculation

Chair: Froelich, Michael

NWCG Coordinator: Lamb, Erica

Parent Committee:

Meeting Schedule:

Monthly on the second Wednesday

Page Last Modified or Reviewed:

NWCG Latest Announcements

National Wildland Firefighter Day

Date: July 2, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
National Interagency Fire Center

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) recognizes July 2, 2025, as National Wildland Firefighter Day (NWFFD). Established in 2022, NWFFD honors the dedication of wildland firefighters and support personnel. This day falls within the 2025 Week of Remembrance (June 30 - July 6), providing an opportunity to renew our commitment to wildland firefighter safety while remembering those who have fallen in the line of duty.

NWCG provides leadership to enable interoperable wildland fire operations among federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial partners. NWCG standards and training establish common practices to contribute to safe, effective, and coordinated interagency wildland fire operations nationwide.

References:

Week of Remembrance

National Wildland Firefighter Day

2025 Week of Remembrance

Date: June 27, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
6 Minutes for Safety Subcommittee

As we approach the 2025 Week of Remembrance (WOR), June 30–July 6, we dedicate this time to reflect on the past incidents from 2015 and honor the fallen through learning. Since its inception in 2014, WOR has honored wildland firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice while encouraging critical discussions that reinforce lessons learned.

Throughout the week, we encourage thoughtful and generative conversations—whether in briefing rooms or at tailgates—that promote a culture of continuous learning and safety.

References:

2025 Week of Remembrance: Letter to Leadership

Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-003 Flame-Resistant Shirt Survey

Date: June 12, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee

The U.S. Forest Service National Technology and Development Program (NTDP) is seeking input on the Forest Service-designed flame-resistant (FR) shirt, currently available through the National Interagency Support Cache system and FedMall.

NTDP is conducting a product review to improve future FR shirt designs. As part of this effort, a short survey is now open for federal employees who have worn any of three recent FR shirt models. Feedback will guide design improvements to better meet the needs of wildland firefighters.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act, responses are limited to federal employees. The survey is open through September 12, 2025. 

References:

NWCG Alerts

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-003

NEW! S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended) Now Available

Date: June 10, 2025
If you have questions, please visit our FAQ page. 
If your question is not answered there, you can 
submit your question using our Contact Us form. 
 

The S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended), equips new wildland firefighters with essential skills through a mix of online learning and hands-on training. The course features a required online component and an instructor-led exercise, reinforcing online concepts with practical performance-based training.

The course builds competencies in wildland fire operations, safety, and equipment use, applicable across various operational environments. Both the online component and instructor-led field exercise must be completed to receive a certificate of completion. Students are required to finish the prerequisite S-190, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior, before enrolling in S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended).

References:

S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended)

S-190, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior

Wildland Fire Learning Portal