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Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee

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Mission Statement

Mission Statement

The Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee (WFISC) provides national leadership in wildland fire investigation. This includes developing and promulgating wildland fire investigation standards, qualifications, training, certification, and practices that are sufficient to support fire prevention as well as criminal, civil, and administrative actions.

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Primary Objectives

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  • Establish and maintain a nationally recognized and accepted wildland fire investigation certification program for wildland fire investigators that is both reasonably attainable and meaningful.
  • Promote practices that ensure wildland fire investigations are conducted with a systematic and science based methodology.
  • Develop and maintain training courses, handbooks and guides.
  • Develop and maintain an inventory of wildland fire investigation resources and tools.
  • Coordinate with pertinent stakeholders to provide information, assistance, and subject matter expertise in wildland fire investigation.

Investigation Courses

Our primary focus is maintaining the following NWCG Wildland Fire Investigation courses

  • FI-110, Wildland Fire Observations and Origin Scene Protection for First Responders
  • FI-210, Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination - required for the PMS310-1 Wildland Fire Investigator (INVF) position.
  • FI-310, Wildland Fire Investigation: Case Development - required training for the PMS 310-1 Wildland fire Investigation Team Member (INTM) position.
  • X-900, Investigating Power Line Caused Wildfires
  • X-902, Investigating Railroad Caused Wildfires

Chair: Shawn Zimmermaker

NWCG Coordinator: Sarah Lee

Parent Committee: Communication Education and Prevention Committee

Meeting Schedule: TBD

Page Last Modified or Reviewed:

NWCG Latest Announcements

ETC Bulletin 25-001: Retrofitted Hot/Cold Beverage Kits - 2025 Field Season

Date: April 16, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee

Due to spout failures and the associated risk of burn injuries, manufacturers have retrofitted the Hot/Cold Beverage Kits using a heat-shrinking band to secure the black spout at the insertion site. The updated kits feature a fluorescent label on each full kit assembly for easy identification. Catering units are encouraged to confirm the clear heat-shrinking bands are intact around each spout before filling.

ETC Bulletin 24-001 regarding Hot/Cold Beverage Kits has been archived and replaced by ETC Bulletin 25-001 for the 2025 season.

References:

NWCG Alerts

ETC-EB-25-001 Retrofitted Hot/Cold Beverage Kits

NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Chainsaw Operations, PMS 212, and Next Generation Position Task Book for Basic Faller Are Now Available

Date: April 14, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Hazard Tree and Tree Felling Subcommittee

The updated NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Chainsaw Operations, PMS 212, and NWCG Position Task Book for Basic Faller (FAL3), PMS 311-19 are now available.

The NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Chainsaw Operations, PMS 212 includes position standards designed to be used in conjunction with the Next Generation Position Task Book (Next Gen PTB). The Next Gen PTB for Basic Faller (FAL3) includes an evaluation guide with suggested rating elements to consider when assessing trainees.

References:

NWCG Standards For Wildland Fire Chainsaw Operations, PMS 212

NWCG Position Task Book for Basic Faller (FAL3), PMS 311-119

NWCG Basic Faller (FAL3)

RMC Memo 25-01: Summary of Updates to Safety Officer Positions

Date: April 9, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
RMC Member Eric Fransted

The Risk Management Committee (RMC) serves as the position steward for all Safety Officer incident positions and continues to improve position standards, training, and naming conventions. The implementation of Complex Incident Management (CIM) required changes to position titles. RMC collaborated with the NWCG Incident Position Standards Committee (IPSC) to propose and implement these updates. 

References:

RMC Memo 25-01: Summary of Updates to Safety Officer Positions 

NWCG Position Catalog

Updated, NWCG Guide to Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination, PMS 412

Date: April 8, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee

PMS 412 provides guidance for wildland fire investigations. This guide outlines recommended procedures, practices, techniques, and methods to promote a systematic approach. The last update to this publication was in 2016.

References:

NWCG Guide to Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination PMS 412