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2024 WOR: Human Factors – Honoring Through Learning

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Human Factors: Honoring Through Learning

Week of Remembrance 2024 has been spent in reflection of the 2018 Mendocino Complex. Today, on the 30th anniversary of the South Canyon Fire, we also remember the Fallen 14 who lost their lives on Storm King Mountain in 1994. After such devastating events it is natural to ask questions. Among the most difficult and essential questions we can ask are:

How do we honor these days and the people involved through learning? How can we better equip ourselves to recognize and navigate within similar events when they repeat?

The Mendocino Entrapment Facilitated Learning Analysis closing remarks observe that adaptability and planning led firefighters to make life-saving decisions in the face of extreme fire behavior and incredible urgency. Likewise, each fire season firefighters effectively maneuver through countless uncertain and high-risk situations. The same human factors we associate with an unintended or undesirable outcome in one instance, may also be our greatest asset in another situation. That is to say, the human factor is present in everything we do – independent of the outcome. To be honest students of fire, we, the fire community, must also be students of our own thinking. Through reflection, curiosity, humble inquiry and open dialogue, our greatest asset can flourish.

Physical fitness and technical knowledge of tactics or protocol are often the focus of fire training. Yet in our high-risk work, there is room to improve situational awareness of our own reasoning – call it our mental fitness. 

Many environmental factors are out of our control: falling rocks, weather, terrain, other drivers, the luck of timing, etc. But we have massive influence over the human factor. We can adjust our mindset to closer meet the complexity of our environment. We can invest in the work of mental fitness. And we can deeply honor the tragedies of the past by making the commitment to build awareness and understanding of the way we think. Explore these questions with your team:
 

Discussion Questions:

  • Beliefs – How do you respond when someone voices a value or belief contrary to your own? What role does curiosity play in maintaining a willingness to challenge your own beliefs or better understand someone else’s? 
  • Communication – How can we include quieter voices in all conversations? How do you know when you need to speak up?
  • Perspective – How do you systematically check for blind spots in your thinking? How do we keep our ears and minds open to new ideas?
  • Planning – How can reflection improve future planning? How could your planning become more robust if you were to pause and consider the above questions about beliefs, communication, and perspective before taking action?
  • Training – What would it look like to dedicate more time and effort to our mental fitness? Take a moment with your team and brainstorm some ideas for daily mental fitness “PT” (e.g., tactical decision games, sand tables, incident reviews, etc.).
     

References:

 

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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.

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The Risk Management Committee (RMC) serves as the position steward for all Safety Officer incident positions and continues to improve position standards, training, and naming conventions. The implementation of Complex Incident Management (CIM) required changes to position titles. RMC collaborated with the NWCG Incident Position Standards Committee (IPSC) to propose and implement these updates. 

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RMC Memo 25-01: Summary of Updates to Safety Officer Positions 

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Updated, NWCG Guide to Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination, PMS 412

Date: April 8, 2025
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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.

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NWCG Guide to Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination PMS 412