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Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee

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Mission Statement

Mission Statement

The Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee (WFISC) provides national leadership in wildland fire investigation. This includes developing and promulgating wildland fire investigation standards, qualifications, training, certification, and practices that are sufficient to support fire prevention as well as criminal, civil, and administrative actions.

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Primary Objectives

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  • Establish and maintain a nationally recognized and accepted wildland fire investigation certification program for wildland fire investigators that is both reasonably attainable and meaningful.
  • Promote practices that ensure wildland fire investigations are conducted with a systematic and science based methodology.
  • Develop and maintain training courses, handbooks and guides.
  • Develop and maintain an inventory of wildland fire investigation resources and tools.
  • Coordinate with pertinent stakeholders to provide information, assistance, and subject matter expertise in wildland fire investigation.

Investigation Courses

Our primary focus is maintaining the following NWCG Wildland Fire Investigation courses

  • FI-110, Wildland Fire Observations and Origin Scene Protection for First Responders
  • FI-210, Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination - required for the PMS310-1 Wildland Fire Investigator (INVF) position.
  • FI-310, Wildland Fire Investigation: Case Development - required training for the PMS 310-1 Wildland fire Investigation Team Member (INTM) position.
  • X-900, Investigating Power Line Caused Wildfires
  • X-902, Investigating Railroad Caused Wildfires

Chair: Shawn Zimmermaker

NWCG Coordinator: Sarah Lee

Parent Committee: Communication Education and Prevention Committee

Meeting Schedule: TBD

Page Last Modified or Reviewed:

NWCG Latest Announcements

WFSTAR 2025 Core Component Module Package and 2024 Fire Year in Review Now Available

Date: March 14, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Joe Schindel at mschindel@blm.gov
 

The 2025 Core Component Module Package for RT-130, Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR) and the 2024 Fire Year in Review are now available on the NWCG website. The 2025 Core Component Module Package provides all content needed to deliver RT-130.

References:

2025 Core Component Module Package

2024 Fire Year in Review Module

NEW! NWCG Wildland Urban Interface Mitigation Field Guide, PMS 053

Date: March 12, 2025
Contact: Wildland Urban Interface Mitigation Committee

The NWCG Wildland Urban Interface Mitigation Field Guide, PMS 053 provides mitigation practitioners at all experience levels with recommendations on the most effective and efficient ways to accomplish mitigation work in communities at risk to wildfire damage or destruction. The content in this guide was written in coordination with the NWCG Standards for Mitigation in the Wildland Urban Interface, PMS 052.

References:

NWCG Wildland Urban Interface Mitigation Field Guide, PMS 053 

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