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Incident Medical Unit Subcommittee

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Mission Statement

Mission Statement

The Incident Medical Unit Subcommittee provides leadership in all areas of medical response and services of wildland fire incident Medical Units, with the focus of modernizing and standardizing medical unit processes and capacity to rapidly assess, treat and/or transport sick and injured firefighters and incident support personnel.

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Primary Objectives

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  • Modernize the incident medical organization to match Agency Administrator, incident responder expectations and operational needs. 
  • Develop and maintain wildland fire scope of practice for medical practitioners operating as a part of an incident Medical Unit.  
  • Address issuance of narcotics and providers across state lines, garnering support of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).  
  • Establish and regularly update wildland fire incident position standards related MEDL. This includes an incident position description and position requirements for training, experience, physical fitness, and position currency.
  • Establish and regularly update training and performance support materials such as job aids, training courses, and position task books for MEDL.
  • Develop telemedicine standards and practices for incident Medical Units.  

Hot Topics

Featured Links

Medical Unit Toolbox

Medical Incident Report Guidance

Resources for Medical Units

Limited Request for Recognition

Hospitals, Burn Centers, Air Ambulance

This section is for the EMS individuals with the primary responsibility to organize and manage an effective and efficient medical unit for a wildland fire or all-risk incident. Whether you're a medical unit leader (MEDL), incident medical specialist manager (IMSM), or involved with the fire medic program, this site will help you develop the medical unit quickly and also serve as a resource for you.

The forms and templates provided here will help you get started quickly and accurately. It is your responsibility to verify the information on these forms and websites provided. The procedures, information, and forms may change periodically before it can be posted.

Note Many states require certified/licensed EMS personnel to carry on their person their current EMS credentials at all times. It is recommended that all wildland/all-risk EMS resources do so as well.

Hospital Resources

Burn Center

Air Ambulance

 

 

 

Chair: Alan Sinclair

NWCG Coordinator:

Parent Committee: Emergency Medical Committee

Meeting Schedule: TBD

Page Last Modified or Reviewed:

NWCG Latest Announcements

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

Date: April 9, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
RMC Member Eric Fransted

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. 

References:

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

NWCG Position Catalog

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

Date: April 8, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee

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.

References:

NWCG Guide to Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination PMS 412

Updated NWCG Standards for Airtanker Base Operations, PMS 508

Date: March 31, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Airtanker Base Operations Unit

The updated NWCG Standards for Airtanker Base Operations (SABO), PMS 508 standardizes operations and procedures at interagency airtanker bases to ensure safe, efficient, and effective operations in support of interagency goals and objectives.

References:

NWCG Standards for Airtanker Base Operations, PMS 508

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