All NWCG Announcements

Date: July 10, 2024
Contact: Incident Medical Unit Subcommittee 

A new publication from the Incident Medical Unit Subcommittee is now available. The NWCG Standards for Rapid Extraction Module Support, PMS 552 will be used as a guide and as an opportunity to begin to build out Rapid Extraction Module Support (REMS) modules for the remainder of Fire Year 2024. These standards will be fully implemented as the minimum standard starting in January 2025.

NWCG Standards for Rapid Extraction Module Support outlines the roles, duties, qualifications, and equipment pertinent to REMS. A REMS team, strategically stationed at wildland fires, plays a pivotal role in prioritizing swift access and medical treatment to injured or ill firefighters for safe and efficient egress off the fireline. This ensures their rapid transport to definitive medical care in cases of emergency during firefighting operations, highlighting the invaluable contribution of the REMS team to firefighter safety and well-being.

References:

NWCG Standards for Rapid Extraction Module Support, PMS 552

Date: July 2, 2024
Contact: National Interagency Fire Center 

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) would like to recognize July 2, 2024, as National Wildland Firefighter Day (NWFFD). Established in 2022, NWFFD honors the dedication of wildland firefighters and support personnel. This day falls within the 2024 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 continues to provide 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 national interagency wildland fire operations.

References:

NWCG.gov

Week of Remembrance

National Wildland Firefighter Day

Date: June 27, 2024
Contact: 6 Minutes for Safety Subcommittee 

As we approach the 2024 Week of Remembrance (WOR), June 30 to July 6, we dedicate this time to thoughtfully reviewing and recognizing the events of the 2018 Mendocino Complex. As such, this year’s theme of “Learning From the Mendocino Complex” embodies a longstanding hallmark of WOR, honoring through learning.

Throughout the week, our energy will be directed toward fostering generative conversations in briefing rooms and at tailgates.

References:

6 Minutes for Safety - 2024 Week of Remembrance

Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center

Date: June 24, 2024
Contact: Incident and Position Standards Committee 

The June 2024 update of the NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment, PMS 236, is now available to meet the current needs for incident management typing.

The NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment should be used to evaluate firefighter safety issues, assess risk, and identify the appropriate incident management organization based on incident complexity. Assessing risk, determining incident complexity, and identifying an appropriate incident management organization is a subjective process based on examining a combination of indicators or factors, which can change over time.

References:

NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment, PMS 236

Date: June 10, 2024
Contact: NWCG Feedback 

The NWCG Position Task Book for Operations Branch Director (OPBD), PMS 311-109 is now available for use within the OPBD position qualification pathway. As part of the transition to Complex Incident Management (CIM), the OPBD Next Gen PTB was developed and the position qualification pathway updated.

More information about the Next Gen PTB format can be found on the NWCG Position Task Book webpage.

References:

Operations Branch Director Position Page

Operations Branch Director Next Gen PTB

NWCG Position Task Books

Date: June 5, 2024
Contact: NWCG Incident Business Committee 

The 2024 revision of the NWCG Standards for Interagency Incident Business Management, PMS 902 is now available. The uniform application of interagency incident business management standards is critical to interagency fire operations. PMS 902 assists NWCG agencies in constructively working together to provide effective execution of each agency's incident business management program.

References:

PMS 902

Date: June 4, 2024
Contact: NWCG Equipment Technology Committee 

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide NWCG direction on the discontinued use of hot/cold beverage kits for the 2024 field season due to spout failures and risk of burn injury. As an alternative, coffee heating kits are available for ordering through the cache system to support spike camps and remote resources.

If personnel see hot/cold beverage kits at an incident, these should not be used. Equipment specialists with the National Technology and Development Program are evaluating available alternative options to replace the faulty spouts and continue to coordinate with industry experts.

References:

Equipment Bulletin 24-001: Discontinued Use of Hot/Cold Beverage Kits – 2024 Field Season

NWCG Alerts

Date: June 4, 2024
Contact: NWCG Incident Business Committee 

The 1990 version of the Emergency Equipment Shift Ticket, OF 297, has been replaced by the updated May 2024 version. The new version of the OF 297 has been modified and improved to meet current incident management needs. The form now has areas to document the staffing of equipment and special rates. IBC has created a one-page help document and 3 completed sample OF-297 forms to assist in this transition, available on the IBC webpage.

References:

Incident Business Committee

Emergency Equipment Shift Ticket, OF 297

Date: May 24, 2024
Contact: NWCG Emergency Medical Committee 

The NWCG Emergency Medical Committee (EMC) announces the recipients of the 2023 Wildland Fire EMS Awards. EMC annually recognizes individuals and groups who have demonstrated outstanding actions or accomplishments that are above and beyond the expectation of one’s normal mission or job duties.

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

References:

2023 Wildland Fire EMS Awards

NWCG Emergency Medical Committee

Date: May 21, 2024
Contact: NWCG Training 

NWCG is excited to announce the release of Next Generation Position Task Books (Next Gen PTBs). The Next Gen PTB is part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. Next Gen PTBs are intended to be used in conjunction with Incident Position Standards to support constructive conversations between trainees and evaluators, set baseline standards, and enhance speed to competency.

Next Gen PTBs and Incident Position Standards are now available for Crew Boss, Single Resource (CRWB) and Prescribed Fire Burn Boss Type 2 (RXB2). As positions go through IPTM, Next Gen PTBs will be developed and published.

References:

NWCG Position Task Books

Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM)