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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.

Introduction to Dead Fuel Moisture

Learn about dead fuel moisture and it's importance in wildland fire.
Category: Fire-Environment
Core Component(s):
Incident Reviews and Lessons Learned
Estimated Delivery Time: 30 minutes
Video Length: 11:32

 

Intent

Evaluate how dead fuel moisture affects firefighters at the local and national level. This conversation may also include how fire managers base staffing levels both locally and nationally on dead fuel moistures.

Facilitator Preparation

  • Review the video and module tools.
  • Consider additional activities and discussion questions relevant to the location and agency.

Facilitating the Discussion

  • Show the video.
  • Facilitate a small or large group discussion using the discussion questions.

Discussion Questions

  1. What are the critical dead fuel moisture levels in your area? What about neighboring areas?
  2. What factors influence dead fuel moistures in your local area?
  3. Does your home unit monitor dead fuel moistures? Who is responsible for monitoring dead fuel moistures? Are they posted for local staff and incoming resources to see?
  4. When local dead fuel moisture approaches or hits critical levels, does it affect suppression staffing levels at your home unit? How does this affect you as a firefighter?

Resources

Video Information

  • This video is also available as a download (zip file, size 1 GB) with .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, Firefox, and Edge, right click the word download and select Save Link As; for Internet Explorer (IE), right click and select Save Target As.

Last Modified / Reviewed:

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ETC Bulletin 25-001: Retrofitted Hot/Cold Beverage Kits - 2025 Field Season

Date: April 16, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee

Due to spout failures and the associated risk of burn injuries, manufacturers have retrofitted the Hot/Cold Beverage Kits using a heat-shrinking band to secure the black spout at the insertion site. The updated kits feature a fluorescent label on each full kit assembly for easy identification. Catering units are encouraged to confirm the clear heat-shrinking bands are intact around each spout before filling.

ETC Bulletin 24-001 regarding Hot/Cold Beverage Kits has been archived and replaced by ETC Bulletin 25-001 for the 2025 season.

References:

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ETC-EB-25-001 Retrofitted Hot/Cold Beverage Kits

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Date: April 14, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
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Questions?  Please contact:
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RMC Memo 25-01: Summary of Updates to Safety Officer Positions 

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Date: April 8, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
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PMS 412 provides guidance for wildland fire investigations. This guide outlines recommended procedures, practices, techniques, and methods to promote a systematic approach. The last update to this publication was in 2016.

References:

NWCG Guide to Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination PMS 412