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RT-130 (WFSTAR)

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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.

Communication Tools

Learn the five communication responsibilities of every firefighter that create clear and effective communications, and the various tools used to convey them.
Category: Leadership
Core Component(s):
Incident Reviews and Lessons Learned, Human Factors, Communication and Decision Making
Estimated Delivery Time: 30 minutes
Video Length: 9:48

Intent

Apply the five communication responsibilities to past experiences in order to build on successes and learn from mistakes.

Facilitator Preparation

  • Review the two videos 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 below.

Discussion Questions

Review the five communication responsibilities from the video and instruct participants to use them as a guide during discussion:

  • Brief others as needed.
  • Debrief your actions.
  • Communicate hazards to others.
  • Acknowledge messages.
  • Ask if you don’t know.

Think of an experience on an incident when you were involved in a miscommunication. In groups, choose one experience and answer the following questions:

  1. Why did the miscommunication occur? What tools were not used or misused?
  2. What impact did it have?
  3. If you had a chance to do it over again, what specifically would you do differently?

Think of a recent example on an incident where effective communication lead to a successful outcome. Use the same analytical method as above to answer the following questions:

  1. How did the communication occur (tools, methods, techniques used)?
  2. What impact did it have?
  3. What lesson can you learn from this example that can be applied to an incident in the future?

Resources

Additional Video Information

  • This video is also available as a download (zip file, size 125 MB) 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.

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

Date: June 12, 2025
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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. 

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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. 
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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).

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S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended)

S-190, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior

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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.

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

NWCG Standards for Rapid Extraction Module Support, PMS 552

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