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Cost Unit Leader

Position Description

Duties

  • Obtains local administrative guidelines; e.g., cost reporting procedures, copy of
    Wildland Fire Situation Analysis (WFSA), cost share agreements, standard component costs, availability of incident agency personnel, incident finance package requirements, other special teams or personnel (Comptroller).
  • Identifies need for or provides advice on cost apportionment and cost share.
  • Interacts and coordinates with finance/administration unit leaders and other section/unit leaders to obtain and calculate incident costs, provide cost analysis, and recommend cost savings.
  • Interacts and coordinates with incident agency to obtain off-incident support costs.
  • Provides daily/operational period briefing on problems and recommendations for solutions.
  • Provides costs analysis and costs saving recommendations.
  • Responsible for collecting all cost date, performing cost effectiveness analysis, provide cost estimates, and cost saving recommendations for the incident.
  • Coordinates with agency on cost reporting procedures.
  • Works with Planning Section to ensure IAP is in line with cost share agreement(s) so fire costs can be split and tracked according to signed agreement.
  • Analyzes costs to ensure accuracy and completeness.
  • Runs obligation report from ICARS data base for federal agencies.
  • Ability to manage a data base program, run reports and chart depicting costs.
  • Ability to work with others from outside the federal agencies to explain costs.
  • Prepares incident cost summaries and work with Planning Section to reconcile numbers of people and equipment.
  • Ensures cost information is current, accurate and fall in line with WFSA and average day costs.
  • Tracks costs on a daily basis to ensure no unexplainable variances occur.
  • Briefs FSC, IC, AC and other officials on cost estimates.
  • Works with FEMA and State officials on information needs to produce documents used for billing purposes.
  • Recommends cost savings to FSC.
  • Completes all records prior to demobilization and briefs incident agency for billing purposes.

Position Knowledge and/or Requirements

  • Satisfactory position performance as a COST.
  • Satisfactory performance as an EQTR and PTRC.
  • Recommend “ISUITE” and “ICARS” knowledge.

NWCG Latest Announcements

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 

Next Generation Position Task Book and Updated Incident Position Description Now Available for Operations Section Chief Complex

Date: February 27, 2025
Contact: Incident Operations Subcommittee

NWCG is excited to announce that Operations Section Chief Complex (OSCC) has a Next Generation NWCG Position Task Book for Operations Section Chief Complex (OSCC), PMS 311-108 and an updated Incident Position Description.

These resources support trainees, qualified personnel, and evaluators in their respective roles.

References:

NWCG Operations Section Chief Complex Position Page 

NWCG Operations Section Chief Complex Incident Position Description 

NWCG Position Task Book for Operations Section Chief Complex (OSCC), PMS 311-108