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PMS 411

Introduction

Fire Shelter History

Know Your Fire Shelter

Escape and Entrapment

Selecting Your Deployment Site

Deployment

During a Deployment

Training

Inspection and Care

After a Deployment

Project Reviews, Tech Tips, and Publications

Deployment Stories, Insights, and Reports

Inspection and Care

Reviews of past fire shelter deployments have shown that some firefighters deployed fire shelters that had been damaged through years of normal use. Periodic inspections throughout the fire season would have prevented these fire shelters from being deployed in life-threatening situations.

What Happens to Fire Shelters When They Are Carried?

Equipment specialists from National Technology and Development Program (NTDP) inspected shelters and their polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bags to determine what happens to shelters carried by firefighters. Some inspected fire shelters appeared to have had little wear, while others showed more extensive wear.

Inspection of these shelters revealed a correlation between the condition of a shelter and the wear shown on the PVC bag.

Three common signs of excessive wear visible on the PVC bag include:

  • The bag has turned dark gray
  • The presence of holes
  • The presence of water or condensation

A PVC bag turns dark gray when aluminum rubs off the shelter onto the inside of the bag. The more aluminum that rubs off, the more likely the shelter has been damaged. Simply carrying a fire shelter throughout a fire season could cause this kind of damage.

Holes in the PVC bag allow debris (ash, dirt, and sand) and water into the bag. Debris inside the bag abrades the shelter’s outer layers. Large and/or many small holes in the PVC bag increases the likelihood debris will enter and damage the shelter.

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Equipment Technology Committee (ETC) released an Equipment Advisory with instructions on how to retrofit the PVC bag. Shelters retrofitted correctly will have a ¼-inch slit at each pull tab of the red tear strip. These slits should not be considered holes during an inspection. Refer to the Equipment Advisory for retrofitting information.


A white film or dust on the aluminum foil is a sign of corrosion, an indicator that water entered the PVC bag. A fire shelter with signs of corrosion may be difficult to shake open during deployment. Water may also break down the laminate bonds between the aluminum foil and the silica and fiberglass cloth, even causing the folded shelter to stick together, hindering deployment.

Person's hands holding a shelter in a transparent carrying case.

Figure 1 You should inspect your fire shelter once you receive it and periodically throughout the season.

In some cases, the PVC bags show signs of extensive wear, but the shelters inside are still serviceable. In these cases, the shelter may be rebagged.

Use the NWCG Fire Shelter Inspection Flowchart  to determine whether a shelter is serviceable, should be rebagged, or taken out of service (see Figure 1).

Rebagging may extend the service life of a fire shelter. Fire shelters must be assessed using the inspection flowchart. Shelters that do not meet the inspection criteria for rebagging should be removed from service.

What You Should Inspect

  • Inspect the fire shelter and PVC bag looking for damage and wear. Shelters and bags than do not pass the Fire Shelter Inspection Flowchart should be removed from service.
  • Check the red tear strip and the score line on the PVC bag to ensure it is unbroken and the two red pull rings are intact. If the red tear strip or rings are broken, remove the shelter from service. To assess any openings along the score line, refer to the Fire Shelter Inspection Flowchart.
  • Person's hands sliding a shelter out of a blue carrying bag

    Figure 2 Check that your shelter slides in and out of the liner easily. If not, replace the liner with a new one.

    Inspect the hard plastic liner that protects your shelter when carried in your fireline pack, or the carry case if you use one. Check to see if the shelter slides easily in and out of the liner (see Figure 2). If the liner has been exposed to 165 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, it can shrink, causing the shelter to become difficult to remove. If the shelter is difficult to remove from the liner, replace the liner with a serviceable one.
  • Shelters that have been removed from service make excellent training aids but should be clearly marked “OUT OF SERVICE FOR TRAINING ONLY” and stored separately from line-going shelters so they do not accidentally reach the fireline (see Figure 3).
    A metallic shelter in a clear bag labeled Out of Service Used For Training Only

    Figure 3 An out of service shelter used for training only.

    The shelter has an indefinite shelf life because its materials do not degrade in normal storage. Nevertheless, all shelters should be inspected when they are issued and frequently throughout the fire season. Only serviceable fire shelters should be taken to the fireline. Don’t assume that a new carrying case contains a new shelter. Shelters with the oldest manufacture dates should be issued first to prevent an accumulation of older manufacturing dates in caches.
 

DO NOT SEND FIRE SHELTERS TO BE REBAGGED

THAT DO NOT MEET THE INSPECTION FLOWCHART CRITERIA

There are two fire shelter manufacturers and the PVC bag manufacturer that may be used for rebagging fire shelters. Local units are responsible for making arrangements to have their fire shelters rebagged. For more information about rebagging shelters, contact one of the following:

  • Anchor Industries Inc., in Evansville, IN | Website | Phone: 812–867–2421
  • Freedom Manufacturing LLC, in Saratoga Springs, NY | Website | Phone: 518–584–0441
  • Weckworth Manufacturing, Inc., in Haysville, KS | Website | Phone: 800–533–8368

Fire Shelter Inspection 

 

 
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NWCG Latest Announcements

NWCG Equipment Technology Committee Releases New Equipment Bulletins

Date: September 27, 2024
Contact: Equipment Technology Committee

The Equipment Technology Committee (ETC) has released three new Equipment Bulletins:

  • ETC-EB-24-003 Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) in fuel containers.
  • ETC-EB-24-004 Two-compartment fuel and oil container (Dolmar) unavailable in the United States (US) and reminders for upkeeping current inventories.
  • ETC-EB-24-005 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Inspection, Care, and Maintenance.

These bulletins remind field going personnel of important issues related to equipment for wildland firefighting efforts.

References:

NWCG Alerts

ETC-EB-24-003 Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) in fuel containers

ETC-EB-24-004 Two-compartment fuel and oil container (Dolmar) unavailable in the United States (US) and reminders for upkeeping current inventories

ETC-EB-24-005 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Inspection, Care, and Maintenance

The Experiential Learning Subcommittee is looking for your feedback on Staff Rides

Date: September 20, 2024
Contact: Ashleigh D'Antonio and George Risko, Leadership Committee

The Experiential Learning Subcommittee needs to hear from the field about where the greatest need lies regarding staff rides and their accessibility.

  • Do you have an event you would like to turn into a learning experience?
  • Do you have a staff ride built, but are struggling to implement the delivery?
  • Do you need help building capacity?
  • What other ideas do you have to support experiential leadership training?

Fill out this short survey below to help us help you.

References:

Staff Rides: Feedback

Staff Rides

Updated NWCG Single Resource Casual Hire Information, PMS 934

Date: September 19, 2024
Contact: Incident Business Committee

The Incident Business Committee has updated the NWCG Single Resource Casual Hire Information, PMS 934. This update expands the provisions for hiring emergency personnel.

References:

NWCG Single Resource Casual Hire Information, PMS 934

IBC Memorandum 24-03

NWCG 2024 Spring/Summer Highlights

Date: September 13, 2024

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U.S. Fire Administration
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International Association of Fire Chiefs
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Welcome to our latest highlights from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, where we explore the latest updates, insights, and efforts that develop interoperable wildland fire operations among federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial partners.

The Performance Support Package, which for ABRO includes the Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Book were developed through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. The Performance Support Package will support trainees, those qualified in the position, and evaluators.
 

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NASA JOINS NWCG!

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is officially an associate member of NWCG. As such, NASA is beginning to collaborate with wildland fire management agencies with the goal of increasing collaboration across agencies and leveraging NASA data, technology, and innovation for nation-wide efforts in wildland fire management. NASA has a rich history of research, development, and technology transfer in the areas of Earth science, space technologies, and aeronautics that support the NWCG mission.

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NWCG new website look.

WWW.NWCG.GOV HAS A NEW LOOK AND DESIGN

The NWCG web team dedicated the past two years to making a significant upgrade to the www.nwcg.gov site. This upgrade involved a comprehensive redesign of over 7,700 web pages.

The modernization of NWCG’s website involved migrating to Drupal 10, a cutting—edge content management system, and leveraging Amazon Web Service GovCloud for secure and efficient hosting. These upgrades help ensure that the NWCG website remains current in content management practices, offering enhanced customization, improved performance, and an overall superior user experience.

NWCG Leadership Committee

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The Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program announced the Professional Reading Program’s 2024 list!

The years books include:

  • Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean
  • The Wisdom of the Bullfrog by William H. McRaven
  • The Art of Clear Thinking by Hasard Lee
  • Emotional Agility by Susan David
  • Writing to Persuade by Trish Hall

Learn more at the NWCG Leadership Committee

INCIDENT PERFORMANCE AND TRAINING MODERNIZATION

In 2023, NWCG kicked off the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. A training system overhaul focused on developing a performance-based training system designed to shift training to on-the-job when appropriate.

Over the next five years, NWCG intends to analyze all positions within the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1. To date we are currently working on 30 incident positions, and planning for 20+ in calendar year 2025.

Subject Matter Experts from a variety of geographical areas and agencies recently completed the position analysis for 16 positions. From this analysis, Incident Positions Standards and a Next Generation Position Task Book will be developed for each position.

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Incident Performance and Training Modernization

NEXT GENERATION POSITION TASK BOOK

In April 2024, NWCG launched the new Next Generation Position Task Book (Next Gen PTB) which is a key component of the IPTM effort. This revised evaluation tool is designed to work in conjunction with the newly developed Incident Position Standards.

Major Next Gen PTB changes:

  • Structured to improve constructive conversations between evaluators and trainees.
  • Reference new Incident Position Standards.
  • Include only tasks required to be evaluated for successful performance.
  • Trainees will be rated on their performance vs. initialing whether a task was completed.
  • Must include written feedback when trainee does not meet the standard.
  • Will be position specific (no combined PTBs).
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NWCG’s training course catalog is now available on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP).

To access the training course catalog, visit WFLP and either set up an account or login as a guest.