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Position Naming Board

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Mission Statement

Mission Statement

The Position Naming Board (PNB) provides national leadership to maintain incident management position title and mnemonic consistency throughout the wildland fire community.

Body

photo of firefighters with forest burning in the background. Decorative.Primary Objectives

  • Establish business rules and processes for managing the position list in the system of record.
  • Maintain definitions of titles and associated mnemonics.

Request for Change

The NWCG Position Naming Board (PNB) is the authority for the approval of all position codes and position titles assigned for each position for incident management mobilization that are utilized by the wildland fire community. All position codes and position titles additions or modifications must be PNB approved prior to utilization in the national mobilization system.

Use PNB Request for Change Form to submit the following:

  1. Request new position title and position code
  2. Modification to existing position title and/or position code
  3. Notify of inactivation of an existing position

Process

All change requests must be submitted via the online request form.

All position code and position title requests submitted to the PNB for consideration must adhere to the NWCG PMS Data Standards for Position Codes and Position Titles.

All requests must be validated by the submitter's Incident and Position Standards Committee (IPSC) agency representative to ensure the request meets the need of the agency.

  • Requests submitted directly to the PNB prior to IPSC agency representative validation will be sent to the representative for validation. No action by the PNB will occur until validated/approved by the representative.
  • Requests submitted to the PNB by an IPSC agency representative is assumed to be agency validated and will be addressed by the PNB at the next scheduled meeting. 

Requests will only be addressed at the next scheduled PNB quarterly meeting due to impacts to the qualification and ordering systems. Quarterly meetings (March, June, September, December) occur on the third Thursday of the month.

Once a decision has been reached, the PNB chair will inform the requester of the decision and document the decision on the RFC form.

Instructions

  1. Email Address: Enter the email address of the person submitting the request.
  2. Requesting Change Select the appropriate agency or select the NWCG Committee requesting the change. For the selection of State or NWCG Committee, indicate which one at the next screen.
  3. Requester Information Please provide the name, agency, home unit, and telephone number of the person initiating the request so the board may make contact for additional information, if necessary.
  4. Request Type
    • New position: Enter requested new position title and position code
    • Change to existing title and/or code: Identify current position and identify requested change.
    • Inactivation of existing position: Identify position requested to be inactivated and the effective date.
  5. Description of the Proposal
    • Position Description: Detailed description of the positions duties and responsibility when assigned to an incident.
    • Description of Issue and Reason for Change: Describe the issue the proposal is intended to address or reason for the change.
    • Qualification Guides and Systems Affected: Identify the qualification documents and the applications that will be affected.
    • Supporting Documents: Is there supporting documentation that needs to be submitted to support request? If yes, submitter will be contacted for the document(s) after request is submitted. 

Position List (Mnemonics)

The position list represents all PNB approved positions being, or have been, utilized by the wildland fire community for incident management mobilization.

Chair: Gina Papke

NWCG Coordinator: Erica Lamb

Parent Committee: Incident and Position Standards Committee

Meeting Schedule: Quarterly on the 3rd Thursday (March, June, Sept, Dec)

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Date: May 22, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Emergency Medical Committee

The NWCG Emergency Medical Committee (EMC) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 Wildland Fire Emergency Medical Service Awards. Each year, EMC recognizes individuals and groups who have demonstrated exceptional actions or accomplishments that go above and beyond their normal mission or job duties.

Congratulations to all the awardees and nominees. Through leadership and initiative, they have made significant contributions to the safety and well-being of the wildland fire community. These honors are well deserved.

References:

2024 Wildland Fire EMS Awards

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Date: May 21, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
https://www.nwcg.gov/contact-us

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IMTA is a dedicated group of incident management professionals committed to enhancing the profession by promoting standards and fostering collaboration across federal, state, local, Tribal, and private sector partners throughout all phases of incident management.

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References:

Incident Management Teams Association

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Questions?  Please contact:
Fire Use Subcommittee

The updated NWCG Guide for Wildland Fire Modules, PMS 431 serves as a supplemental resource for wildland fire module operations, providing information frequently used in the field.

PMS 431 defines the organizational structure, staffing, and qualifications for Type 1 and Type 2 Wildland Fire Modules, outlining their roles in wildland fire suppression, prescribed fire, and resource management. The NWCG Guide for Wildland Fire Modules, PMS 431, should be used in conjunction with the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Module Operations, PMS 430.

References:

NWCG Guide for Wildland Fire Modules, PMS 431

NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Module Operations, PMS 430

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Questions?  Please contact:
Mobile Fire Equipment Subcommittee 

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References:

NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Resource Typing, PMS 200