2015 WOR: Situational Awareness

Week of Remembrance June 30-July 6, 2014

Q: What is Situational Awareness (SA)?

Often the response goes something like this “being aware of what’s going on around you and/or understanding the situation you’re in.” The wildland fire environment is complex; firefighters are constantly adapting strategies and tactics to address problems. Information is gathered and communicated across multiple channels. Observations are made to interpret the complex environment; generating an approximation of reality. How we interact with our environment will depend on our experience and the accuracy of our interoperation of reality.

Q: Does SA get reduced to a catch phrase or used in a passive sense? “Make sure you keep good SA out there today!”

Situation Awareness is the foundation for decision making. Developing and maintaining situational awareness is a deliberate act; requiring energy and practice to improve its accuracy. Maintaining SA is difficult in the complex wildland fire environment. The closer our SA matches reality the more informed decisions we can make. Moreover the more accurate our SA, the greater our capacity is to increase margin into our tactics, thereby increasing our ability to be proactive rather than reactive.

Q: How good is your SA?

Have you ever found yourself thinking, “Nothing is going to happen today, we’re just mopping up” or “today is a big fire day”? These examples illustrate two very different levels of Situational Awareness and have a direct effect on the quality of our SA. Retired Marine Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper developed a system to classify awareness he called Cooper’s Color Code. Cooper’s Color Code allows firefighters to quantify their Situational Awareness and a specific target level. The intent is that each person becomes more cognizant of the quality of their SA. Cooper’s Color Code provides us with a language and imagery to describe our level of awareness at a given time. If we identify our level of awareness, we can deliberately move towards a higher quality of Situational Awareness.

White	Unaware and unprepared. In Condition white you will more than likely be surprised by changes in the environment.
Yellow	Relaxed alert. No specific threat. Your mindset is that "today could be the day". You are simply aware that the world is a potentially dangerous place and you are building margin into your tactical decisions. You use your eyes and ears. Yellow is your target level of awareness you can remain in Yellow for long periods of time. In Yellow, you are "taking in" surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner.
Orange	Specific alert. Something is not quite right and has your attention. Your radar has picked up a specific alert. You shift your primary focus to determine if there is a threat (but you continue to scan the larger environment). Your mindset shifts to focusing on the specific target which has caused the escalation in alert status. In Condition Orange, you set a mental trigger: "If the fire does "X", I will need to do “X”. Staying in Orange can be a bit of a mental strain, but you can stay in it for as long as you need to. If the threat proves to be nothing, you shift back to Condition Yellow.
Red	Condition Red is fight. Your mental trigger (established back in Condition Orange) has been tripped. The “If the fire does "X", I will need to do “X” has happened. X has caused you to shift from your Primary or Alternate plan to activate your Contingency or Emergency plans (PACE). Red requires more energy and effort to maintain.
Black	Begins to lose awareness of the surroundings, can no longer cognitively process information and may shut down completely.

Learn more about Situational Awareness on the Wildland Fire Leadership website and Leading in the Wildland Fire Service page 31.

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Last Modified / Reviewed: 2024-11-26

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National Wildland Firefighter Day

Date: July 2, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
National Interagency Fire Center

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) recognizes July 2, 2025, as National Wildland Firefighter Day (NWFFD). Established in 2022, NWFFD honors the dedication of wildland firefighters and support personnel. This day falls within the 2025 Week of Remembrance (June 30 - July 6), providing an opportunity to renew our commitment to wildland firefighter safety while remembering those who have fallen in the line of duty.

NWCG provides leadership to enable interoperable wildland fire operations among federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial partners. NWCG standards and training establish common practices to contribute to safe, effective, and coordinated interagency wildland fire operations nationwide.

References:

Week of Remembrance

National Wildland Firefighter Day

2025 Week of Remembrance

Date: June 27, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
6 Minutes for Safety Subcommittee

As we approach the 2025 Week of Remembrance (WOR), June 30–July 6, we dedicate this time to reflect on the past incidents from 2015 and honor the fallen through learning. Since its inception in 2014, WOR has honored wildland firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice while encouraging critical discussions that reinforce lessons learned.

Throughout the week, we encourage thoughtful and generative conversations—whether in briefing rooms or at tailgates—that promote a culture of continuous learning and safety.

References:

2025 Week of Remembrance: Letter to Leadership

Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center

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

6MFS

2015 WOR: Situational Awareness

Week of Remembrance June 30-July 6, 2014

Useful Resources

6MFS Suggestion Form

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