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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.

WFSTAR Annual Refresher

The intent of RT-130, Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR) is to focus line-going personnel on operations and decision-making issues related to fireline safety in order to recognize and mitigate risk, maintain safe and effective practices, and reduce accidents and near misses.

Target Group

RT-130 is required for designated positions in order to maintain currency, for all personnel assigned to positions with fireline duties, and for any position assigned to the fireline for non-suppression tasks.

Firefighters who receive initial fire training are not required to take RT-130 in the same calendar year.

Hours of attendance requirements for RT-130 are determined by each agency and issued through agency-specific directives systems.

BIA, BLM, USFWS, NPS, and USFS RT-130 hours requirements are stated in the Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations (Red Book), Chapter 13.

Course Content and Delivery

The RT-130 modules provide a range of training options to meet NWCG position training requirements and agency-specific RT-130 course-hours requirements. The intent of the NWCG Executive Board is that, regardless of the agency-specific RT-130 course-hours requirements, all RT-130 training covers the core components identified below.

RT-130 Core Components

  1. Local Topics: (replacing Current Issues) Review and discuss local topics and areas of concern that can impact firefighter safety in the upcoming fire season. Topics may include:
  • WFSTAR Year In Review.
  • Previous fire season statistics.
  • Current national and local Predictive Services products for upcoming fire season.
  • Local Fire Management updates and expectations.
  • Local staffing and availability updates.
  • Local and national aviation updates and availability.
  1.  Incident Reviews and Lessons Learned (replacing Other Hazards and Safety Issues) Review and discuss lessons learned from past local, regional, and national incident response. Topics may include:
  • The Lessons Learned Center Annual Review Summary.
  • Responding to an incident within an incident utilizing the Medical Incident Report.
  • Local lessons learned.
  • Case studies, accident reports, facilitated learning analysis, or lesson learned reports.
  1. Fire and Aviation Operational Safety: (replacing Entrapment Avoidance) Review and discuss the risk management principles and tools that promote safe and effective incident operations. Utilize the appropriate sections of the IRPG. Topics may include:
  • Aviation for fireline personnel.
  • LCES, Standard Firefighting Orders, Watch Out Situations.
  • Common Denominators of Fire Behavior on Tragedy Fires.
  • Common Tactical Hazards.
  • Downhill Checklist.
  • Equipment.
  • Safety Zones.
  • Weather and fire behavior.
  • Wildland Urban Interface. 
  • Chainsaw Operational Safety.
  • Driving Safety.
  • Heavy Equipment.
  • SAFENET and SAFECOM reports.
  • All hazard response.
  • Other hazards and safety issues.
  1. Human Factors, Communication and Decision Making:  Discuss the complexity of human factors, their impact on communications and decision making.  Topics may include:
  • Operational Leadership.
  • Communication Responsibilities.
  • Situational Awareness.
  • Command Presence.
  • Leader’s Intent.
  • Mental Health.
  1. Fire Shelters and Entrapment Avoidance: Review and discuss shelter use, deployment site selection, shelter inspections, personal protective equipment, and practice proper deployment techniques.  Topics may include:
  • Conduct hands on fire shelter proficiency drills in different environments.
  • Case studies related to entrapment avoidance.
  • Annual updates and reminders for fire shelters from NWCG Fire Shelter and Protective Equipment Subcommittee.

Additional Fire Shelter Resources:

Functional Area: Operations

Primary Committee: Incident and Position Standards Committee

Steward: Incident and Position Standards Committee

Required for these Positions per PMS 310-1: ASGS, ATGS, COMT, CREP, CRWB, DIVS, ENGB, FAL1, FAL2, FAL3, FBAN, FELB, FEMO, FFT1, FFT2, FIRB, FOBS, FSCC, HEBM, HECM, HEQB, HLCO, HMGB, ICCI, ICT1, ICT2, ICT3, ICT4, ICT5, LSCC, LTAN, OPBD, OPS3, OSC1, OSC2, OSCC, PIOC, PIO1, PIO2, PSCC, RXB1, RXB2, RXMG, RADO, SITL, SOFC, SOF1, SOF2, SOFR, SOPL, STAM, STCR, STEN, STEQ, STPS, TFLD

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NWCG Latest Announcements

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-003 Flame-Resistant Shirt Survey

Date: June 12, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee

The U.S. Forest Service National Technology and Development Program (NTDP) is seeking input on the Forest Service-designed flame-resistant (FR) shirt, currently available through the National Interagency Support Cache system and FedMall.

NTDP is conducting a product review to improve future FR shirt designs. As part of this effort, a short survey is now open for federal employees who have worn any of three recent FR shirt models. Feedback will guide design improvements to better meet the needs of wildland firefighters.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act, responses are limited to federal employees. The survey is open through September 12, 2025. 

References:

NWCG Alerts

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-003

NEW! S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended) Now Available

Date: June 10, 2025
If you have questions, please visit our FAQ page. 
If your question is not answered there, you can 
submit your question using our Contact Us form. 
 

The S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended), equips new wildland firefighters with essential skills through a mix of online learning and hands-on training. The course features a required online component and an instructor-led exercise, reinforcing online concepts with practical performance-based training.

The course builds competencies in wildland fire operations, safety, and equipment use, applicable across various operational environments. Both the online component and instructor-led field exercise must be completed to receive a certificate of completion. Students are required to finish the prerequisite S-190, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior, before enrolling in S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended).

References:

S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended)

S-190, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior

Wildland Fire Learning Portal

EMC Memo 25-001: Interim Rapid Extraction Module (REMS) Training and Qualification Requirements

Date: June 3, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Emergency Medical Committee

The Emergency Medical Committee has issued interim guidance for Rapid Extraction Module Support (REMS) teams. Until further notice, Type I and II REMS teams must designate a team leader qualified at Firefighter Type 1 Squad Boss (FFT1) or higher. This temporary change replaces the Single Resource Boss (SRB) requirement, which is currently not feasible due to administrative barriers.

This memorandum does not include any other changes to the NWCG Standards for Rapid Extraction Module Support, PMS 552. This interim change takes effect immediately and will remain in place until further notice.

References:

EMC Memo 25-001: Interim Rapid Extraction Module (REMS) Training and Qualification Requirements

NWCG Standards for Rapid Extraction Module Support, PMS 552

Equipment Bulletin 25-002: Chaps, Chain Saw, M-2020, Nonconformities Affecting Use, Appearance, and Serviceability

Date: June 2, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee

The Equipment Technology Committee issued Equipment Bulletin: 25-002 to address a manufacturing nonconformity affecting Forest Service specification, 6170-4K Chain Saw Chaps. The issue applies to chaps manufactured in 2024 and 2025 and distributed through FedMall. These chaps may have incorrectly bound edges that expose inner protective layers.

Independent purchasers should inspect all chain saw chaps received from FedMall beginning in 2024, prior to use. Review the full Equipment Bulletin: 25-002 for inspection criteria and recommended actions.

References:

NWCG Alerts

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-002