The Safety Officer Type 1 (SOF1) is responsible for monitoring the overall operation of an incident from a risk management perspective and providing recommendations to mitigate hazards in order to provide for the welfare of assigned resources. The SOF1 may function as a member of the Command Staff of a Type 1 or 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) or may be a single resource. The SOF1 may supervise the Medical Unit Leader (MEDL) or other members in the safety organization. The SOF1 typically reports to the Incident Commander (IC) and works in the Command functional area.
The SOF1 performs position duties commensurate with Type 1 incident complexity and characteristics stated in the Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations (Red Book).
The Forest Service and Department of Interior are enabled by Administratively Determined Pay Plans (AD Pay Plans) to hire persons for temporary duration for the following reasons:
- To cope with a sudden and unexpected emergency caused by a fire, or extreme fire potential, flood, storm, or any other all-hazard emergency that threatens damage to federally protected property, has the potential to cause loss of life, serious injury, public health risk, or damage to natural or cultural resources unless brought under immediate control.
- To provide emergency assistance to States under formalized agreements.
- To meet mission assignments issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Incident Business Committee (IBC) reviews positions annually and establishes pay rate classifications for each position.
For more information on the AD Pay Plans, visit Incident Business Committee.
Required Training
- RT-130, Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR)
- S-520, Advanced Incident Management OR Complex Incident Management Course (CIMC)
Required Experience
- Satisfactory performance as a Safety Officer Type 2 (SOF2)
- AND Completion and Certification of NWCG Safety Officer Type 1 (SOF1) Position Task Book, PMS 311-04
- SOF1 and SOF2 share combined PTB
The qualification pathway for this position is discontinued per NWCG direction on January, 2025. Responders with an active PTB will transition to the corresponding complex position PTB.
Added: Safety Officer Complex (SOFC) to "These Positions Maintain Currency For SOF1" and "SOF1 Maintains Currency For These Positions."
Added: Incident Position Description (IPD) approved.
Added: Incident Commander Type 2 (ICT2) to "These Positions Maintain Currency for SOF1" and "SOF1 Maintains Currency for These Positions."
Removed: Operations Section Chief Type 3, Wildland Fire (OPS3) from "These Positions Maintain Currency for SOF1" and from "SOF1 Maintains Currency for These Positions."
Position created. Safety Officer in 1984 PMS 310-1.
