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Week of Remembrance

2016 WOR: Leadership and Human Performance

Ribbon symbol for survivor next to the Wildland Fire Leadership logoWeek of Remembrance June 30-July 6, 2016

Recent research in the wildland fire community has shown that the most highly regarded, highest performing, and safest leaders are those who are more mindful of themselves, others, and the environment (Waldron & Ebbeck, 2015). Leadership begins by knowing and leading oneself, followed by leading others. Like a compass guiding the direction through changing terrain, knowing and being mindful of one’s deepest motives and desires (values) as a leader can serve as an internal guide to leading the self and others through the easiest and most difficult situations. By exploring, identifying and being aware (or mindful) of your deepest motives for how you want to behave and act as a person and leader on an ongoing basis will enable you to lead yourself and others most effectively.

Below is an exercise to identify and reflect on important values as a leader. There are no “right” or “wrong” answers.

  • Take a few minutes and note five values that best complete the sentence for you personally.

Then

  • Take a few minutes and discuss as a crew or with other coworkers - what values are most important for a leader of your crew/group to have? Why?

Complete the following sentence: " _________________ is a ‘cornerstone’ in my approach to leadership."
 

(Exercise Modified fromTom Siebold)

ADVENTURE

ASSERTIVENESS

AUTHENTICITY

CHALLENGE

COMFORT

CONFORMITY

CONNECTION

CONTROL

COOPERATION

COMPASSION

CREATIVITY

CURIOSITY

DIRECTNESS

EQUALITY

EXPERTNESS

FAIRNESS

FITNESS

FLEXIBILITY

FREEDOM

GRATITUDE

HAPPINESS

HARD WORK

HARMONY HELPFULNESS

HONESTY

HUMILITY

HUMOR

INVOLVEMENT

ORDER

INDEPENDENCE

INTEGRITY

KINDNESS

 LOYALTY

MINDFULNESS

MORALITY/ETHICS

OPEN-MINDEDNESS

PATIENCE

PERSISTENCE 

POWER

PREDICTABILITY

RESPONSIBILITY

RESPONSIVENESS

RECOGNITION SECURITY

SELF-AWARENESS

SELF-CARE

SELF-DEVELOPMENT SELF-RESPECT

SKILLFULNESS

SUPPORTIVENESS

TRADITION

TRUST

VARIETY

WISDOM

OTHER VALUES:

_______________

_______________

 

graphic of mountains with mile markers of physical capacity in various locations.

The topics for the NWCG “Wildland Firefighter Week of Remembrance” have been drawn from the Human Performance Optimization course taught as a part of the USFS Apprentice Academy in cooperation with the Missoula Technology and Development Center (MTDC) and is rooted in the desire to prepare wildland fire personnel to optimally manage themselves and others at any given time. Review and resources have been contributed by the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center, NIFC External Affairs, the Wildland Fire annual refresher group, and the Wildland Fire Leadership Subcommittee.

 

 

Category
Week of Remembrance
References
New MTDC video on Leadership Diversity
Making Sense of it All - Fireline Leadership
How to Build a Leader (Leadership Development video)
Fireline Leadership: (WFSTAR video)
Learning From Successful Organizations: (WFSTAR video)

Last Modified / Reviewed:

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NWCG Latest Announcements

Updated, NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Module Operations, PMS 430

Date: March 11, 2025
Contact: Fire Use Subcommittee
Wildland Fire Module Unit

The NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Module Operations, PMS 430 standardizes procedures and expectations for Wildland Fire Modules (WFMs). These standards are to be used by staff, supervisors, specialists, and technicians for planning, administering, and conducting WFM operations. These standards will also be used as a measure of WFM qualifications, capabilities, and expected performance, for both Type 1 and Type 2 WFMs.

References:

NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Module Operations, PMS 430

NEW! NWCG Standards for Airtanker Operations, PMS 514

Date: March 7, 2025
Contact: National Interagency Aviation Committee

The NWCG Standards for Airtanker Operations, PMS 514 establishes the standards for dispatching, utilizing, and coordinating airtankers on interagency wildland fires. These standards should be used in conjunction with the NWCG Standards for Aerial Supervision (SAS), PMS 505, NWCG Standards for Airtanker Base Operations (SABO), PMS 508, and any applicable agency plans.

References:

NWCG Standards for Airtanker Operations, PMS 514

Incident Position Standards and Next Gen Position Task Books Now Available for Dispatch Incident Positions

Date: March 5, 2025
Contact: National Coordination System Committee

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for all six Dispatch positions:

  • Aircraft Dispatcher
  • Expanded Dispatch Coordinator
  • Expanded Dispatch Recorder
  • Expanded Dispatch Supervisory Dispatcher
  • Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher
  • Initial Attack Dispatcher

The Performance Support Packages for these positions, including the Expanded Dispatch Job Aid, J-601 and the Initial Attack and Aircraft Dispatcher Job Aid, J-602, were developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. These resources support trainees, qualified personnel, and evaluators in their roles.

Any changes to qualification pathways will take effect with the next update of the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1.

References:

NWCG Aircraft Dispatcher Position Page 

NWCG Expanded Dispatch Coordinator Position Page 

NWCG Expanded Dispatch Recorder Position Page 

NWCG Expanded Dispatch Supervisory Dispatcher Position Page 

NWCG Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher Position Page 

NWCG Initial Attack Dispatcher Position Page 

NWCG Job Aids 

Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books Now Available for DMOB, DOCL, and RESL

Date: February 28, 2025
Contact: Incident Operations Subcommittee

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for Demobilization Unit Leader (DMOB), Documentation Unit Leader (DOCL), and Resources Unit Leader (RESL).

The Performance Support Packages for these positions, including a job aid for RESL, were developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. These resources support trainees, qualified personnel, and evaluators in their respective roles.

Any changes to qualification pathways will take effect with the next update of the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1.

References:

NWCG Demobilization Unit Leader Position Page 

NWCG Documentation Unit Leader Position Page 

NWCG Resources Unit Leader Position Page