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RT-130, Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR)

RT-130 Decorative banner. Group of photos depicting wildland firefighters performing various duties.

Parked Regen for Diesel Engines

Firefighters are exposed to risk while driving on a constant basis. By becoming knowledgeable about your vehicle, its maintenance, and proper use of its components; you can increase your effectiveness on the fire line and decrease your risk while driving.
Category: Hazards
Core Component(s):
Local Topics, Incident Reviews and Lessons Learned, Fire and Aviation Operational Safety, Human Factors, Communication and Decision Making
Estimated Delivery Time: 30 minutes
Video Length: 2:59

Intent

Firefighters are exposed to risk while driving on a constant basis. By becoming knowledgeable about your vehicle, its maintenance, and proper use of its components; you can increase your effectiveness on the fireline and decrease your risk while driving.

Facilitator Preparation

  • Review the video and module tools and choose the most relevant videos to your group.
  • Consider additional activities and discussion questions relevant to the location and agency.
  • Browse the Lessons Learned Center for information learned from vehicle incidents.

Facilitating the Discussion

  • Share the intent of the module with the class. 
  • Show the video. 
  • Facilitate a small or large group discussion using discussion questions.

Discussion Questions

  1. What are the most common hazards when driving (e.g., poor visibility, cumulative fatigue, wash-boarded roads, vehicle maintenance)?
    1. How does your module manage these risks?
    2. How do these risks differ during night operations?
  2. Reference the Risk Management Process in the NWCG Incident Response Pocket Guide  (IRPG), PMS 461. Discuss how this process applies to driving (e.g., Identify Hazards (situational awareness), Assess Hazards, Develop Controls and Make Risk Decisions, Implement Controls, Supervise and evaluate).
    1. Discuss as a group one of the following scenarios and how you would apply the risk management process:
      1. Caravanning through a highly populated city during rush hour.
      2. Traversing steep, loose soil while navigating to specific drop point.
      3.  Ingress & egress during Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) operations.
  3. What preventative maintenance oversights lead to vehicle malfunctions and accidents (e.g., tire failures, hubs locked in at high speeds, pump failure)?
    1. Discuss what components of your vehicle must be inspected regularly (e.g., engine oil, tire pressure, windshield wiper fluid, power steering fluid).
    2. How does your module track vehicle maintenance and inspections?
    3. How do you check for equipment safety issues and recalls? How often?
    4. What resources do you use answer questions about your vehicle?
  4. What vehicle processes should everyone on your module be familiar with (e.g., how to move specific module vehicles in an emergency, how to start the engine pump)?
    1. Determine an opportunity for crew members to practice this skill.
    2. Compare and contrast driving hazards during fire operations and driving to the incident (e.g., high speed travel vs. low range, 2-1 rest ratio considerations, fatigue).
  5. What is the specific process of engaging and disengaging four-wheel drive in the specific vehicles that you will be operating on your module?
    1. When should you engage the four-wheel drive?
    2. Should you take additional risks or assignments because your vehicle does have four-wheel drive (why or why not)?
  6. Discuss the specific order of operations in starting and stopping the engine’s water pump.
    1. Do all crew members know how to operate the engine pump? How could you cross-train to ensure all crew members understand how to maintain the engine pump (e.g., preventative maintenance, pressure tests, winterization)?
    2. Do adjacent resources at your district know how to operate the engine pump in case of emergency?
  7. The US DOT estimates that there were 42,915 vehicle fatalities in 2021. How do you integrate facets of defensive driving and preventative maintenance into the personal vehicle you use to commute to and from work?

General Resources

Tire Inspection Module Resources

Hub Locking, 4WD Resources

  • Document: Check Your Owner’s Manual

Engine Regeneration Resources

  • Document: Regen Equipment Bulletin: How To
  • Document: Regen Equipment Bulletin: Tips
  • Document: Check Your Owner’s Manual

Resources to Check for Recalls

  • Go to NHTSA.GOV-Subscriptions to sign up for recall information emails for your vehicle.
  • Call The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) for recall information.
  • Call the manufacturer service center and ask them to check the vin for outstanding recalls.
  • When you take your module’s vehicle to the dealership have the manufacturer's service center check the vehicle identification number (VIN) for outstanding recalls.
  • Website: GSA.GOV-GOV RECALLS
  • Website: NHTSA.GOV - SAFETY ISSUES & RECALLS

Additional Video Information

  • This video and .srt file (for closed captioning) are also available as a download (zip file, size 288MB) with the .srt file for closed captioning (you may need to right click and Save As). For information on how to add closed captioning to a video, see this how to page.
  • Note: For Chrome and Firefox, right click the word download and select Save Link As; for IE, right click and select Save Target As.

Last Modified / Reviewed:

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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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National Park Service Logo
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State Foresters Logo
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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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WFLDP PRP book covers

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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Screen shot of the Next Gen Position Task Book
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Banner image of the Wildland Fire Learning Portal website

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.