LCES – June 26, 1990

This Day in History is a brief summary of a powerful learning opportunity and is not intended to second guess or be judgmental of decisions and actions. Put yourself in the following situation as if you do not know the outcome. What are the conditions? What are you thinking? What are YOU doing?

“The afternoon of June 26, 1990, as I knelt beside a dead Perryville firefighter, I made a promise to the best of my ability to help end the needless fatalities, and alleviate the near misses, by focusing on training and operations pertinent to these goals.” Paul Gleason from LCES and Other Thoughts published June 1991.

Note: Gleason had used Lookouts, Communications, Escape Routes, and Safety Zones (LCES) with his crew, the Zig Zag Interagency Hot Shot Crew (IHC), for several years, but it was the Dude Fire fatalities that became the catalyst for LCES to hit the mainstream.

“LCES is just a re-focusing on the essential elements of the FIRE ORDERS. The systems view stresses the importance of the components working together. The LCES system is a result of analyzing fatalities and near misses for over 20 years of active fireline suppression duties. I believe that all firefighters should be given an interconnecting view of Lookout(s), Communications(s), Escape routes, and Safety zone(s).” ~ Paul Gleason

Gleason cites two types of hazards:

Subjective hazards are those which one has direct control over (e.g., condition of the equipment, choices and decisions).
Objective hazards are a natural part of the environment (e.g., lightning, fire-weakened timber, rolling rocks, entrapment). They cannot be eliminated, and one must either (1) not go into the environment where they exist, or (2) adhere to a procedure where safety from the hazard is assured.

Gleason suggested that LCES is the key to safe procedures in an environment of hazards and that LCES must be established AND communicated to ALL firefighters BEFORE it is needed.

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Lookouts need to be in a position where both the objective hazard and the firefighters can be seen. Lookouts must be trained to observe the wildland fire environment and to recognize and anticipate changes in fire behavior. When the objective hazard becomes a danger, the lookout relays the information to the firefighters so they can reposition to the safety zone or a safer area.

What are the objective hazards that a Lookout is looking for?
What are the tools and skills that a good Lookout should possess?
Discuss how your crew can utilize a roving Lookout.

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Communications is the vehicle which delivers the message to the firefighters, alerting them of the approaching hazard. Communication must be prompt and clear.

Radios are limited and it is vital to have at least one backup way to quickly communicate information. Identify some options that your crew/team can use as a backup.
Discuss how each person on your crew/team has a role and responsibility in recognizing and communicating hazards.
Using Communication Responsibilities in the Incident Response Pocket Guide, (IRPG) PMS 461 (white section),discuss the five communication responsibilities of every firefighter. Identify how your crew/team will translate these ideas into action when working in the field.

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Escape routes are the paths firefighters take from their current location, in which they are exposed to danger, to an area free from danger. Unlike the other components, there must always be more than one escape route available to the firefighter. With their effectiveness continually changing, escape routes are probably the most elusive component of LCES. As the firefighter works along the fire perimeter, fatigue and spatial separation increase the time required to reach the safety zone. On indirect or parallel firelines, situations become compounded. Unless escape routes have been identified ahead, as well as behind, a firefighter’s retreat may not be possible.

Using LCES in the IRPG (Operational Engagement section, green), discuss the qualities of effective escape routes.

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Safety Zones are planned locations where firefighters may find refuge from danger and where no fire shelter is needed. Fire intensity and topography determine a safety zone’s effectiveness.

Activity: Using Safety Zones in the IRPG (Operational Engagement section, green), mark off a safety zone that would be effective for the area you are currently in or often work in. Being able to see just how big an effective safety zone should be can help us chose one quickly in the field.
(FYI: The Safety Zone guidelines in the IRPG are for no-wind and no-slope conditions. Make necessary adjustments in size to reflect realistic slope and wind.)

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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

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.

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.

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

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.

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).

Screen shot of the Next Gen Position Task Book

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.

6MFS

LCES – June 26, 1990

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Additional Resources

Have an idea or feedback?

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NWCG Latest Announcements

References:

References:

References:

NASA JOINS NWCG!

WWW.NWCG.GOV HAS A NEW LOOK AND DESIGN

NWCG Leadership Committee

INCIDENT PERFORMANCE AND TRAINING MODERNIZATION

NEXT GENERATION POSITION TASK BOOK

NWCG National Wildfire Coordinating Group

NWCG

National Wildfire Coordinating Group