All NWCG Announcements

Date: April 26, 2023
Contact: Data Standards and Terminology Board (DSTB)

The Data Standards and Terminology Board is requesting feedback on the new term Incident Complexity Level.
The proposed definition is: The incident level established by completing an incident complexity analysis considering the level of difficulty, severity, or overall resistance the incident or event presents to incident management or support personnel as they work to manage it; a categorization that helps leaders compare one type of incident or event to another.  
Please review, share with your subgroups, and provide feedback as appropriate. The term will be out for review until May 26 , 2023.

References:

• Glossary Request Feedback

Date: April 17, 2023
Contact: Katy O'Hara and Nick Heller

The purpose of this memorandum is to reinforce FireNet as the recognized standard official electronic messaging and file collaboration system to support interagency wildland fire missions during the 2023 fire year. 
FireNet is the designated environment for conducting wildland fire operations, and as such, Incident Management Teams (IMTs), dispatch centers and other fire support operations must be using FireNet email, Teams, and SharePoint to the maximum extent possible. 

References:

• Memorandum 23-003
• FireNet
• FireNet SOPs

Date: April 3, 2023
Contact: Emergency Medical Committee (EMC)

NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire First Aid establishes minimum standards for first aid for wildland fire environments. The intent of NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire First Aid is to address the gaps in traditional first aid courses and the wildland fire environment. NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire First Aid could be met through a variety of methods, including supplementing traditional first aid courses with existing resources or through development and utilization of wildland fire specific first aid training programs.  NWCG standards are interagency by design; however, the decision to adopt and utilize them is made independently by the individual member agencies.

References:

• PMS 560
• NWCG NFES Catalog - Part 2: Publications, PMS 449-2

Date: March 29, 2023
Contact: Joe Schindel

The 2023 WFSTAR Core Component Module Packages are available here:  RT-130, Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR) | NWCG

References:

• RT-130

Date: March 27, 2023
Contact: Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee (CEPC)

The Data Standards and Terminology Board is requesting feedback on the Incident Management Organization permissible values list. The proposal is to add the value CIMT.
Please review, share with your subgroups, and provide feedback as appropriate. The standard will be out for review until April 27, 2023.

Thank you for your engagement in the standards  process – your participation is key to our success.

References:

• Incident Management Organization
• Data Standard Feedback Request

Date: March 13, 2023
Contact: Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee (CEPC)

The Data Standards and Terminology Board has the Fire Restrictions Polygon ready for review. Please review, share with your subgroups, and provide feedback as appropriate. The standard will be out for review until April 10, 2023.
This standard was developed between the Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee (CEPC) and stakeholders. CEPC will be the steward of this standard.
Thank you for your engagement in the standard process – your participation is key to our success.

References:

• Fire Restrictions Polygon
• Data Standard Feedback Request

Date: March 10, 2023
Contact: David Maclay-Schulte, Equipment Specialist, 406-329-3965 

Issue:  Non-specification fire shelters are being advertised and sold on the open market as meeting Forest Service (FS) specification 5100-606 requirements.
The non-specification shelters are made from unknown materials and components that have not been tested and certified to ensure compliance with specification requirements. The unspecified materials can impact the performance and safety of the non-specification fire shelter if utilized in a deployment.

References:

• ETC Safety Warning 23-01
• NWCG Alerts

Date: March 7, 2023
Contact: Sam Wu, 909-731-9072

The shelf stable food box pilot program has concluded. While the item received positive field feedback, it is both labor-intensive and cost-prohibitive to continue offering. It will be discontinued and not available from the National Interagency Support Cache (NISC) system.
A Cache Memo will be distributed to the National Interagency Cache System for direction to remove the Shelf Stable Food Boxes from the National Interagency Cache System.

References:

• Equipment Bulletin 23-01
• Cache Memorandum 23-01
• NWCG Alerts

Date: January 25, 2023
Contact: Shane McDonald and Jesse Bender

This memorandum provides NWCG direction for the continued transition to Complex Incident Management (CIM).
The NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1, includes the position qualification requirements for the seven Complex Command and General Staff (C&GS) positions. The NWCG Field Evaluation Form will be an option for Complex certification until January 1, 2025. The NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment (RCA), PMS 236, has been updated to include Part D:  Functional Complexity and Complex Incident Complexity Indicators.

References:

• Memorandum 23-002
• Action Plan for Implementation

Date: January 24, 2023
Contact: NWCG Executive Board

As NWCG continues to implement our role in modernizing the wildland fire workforce, looking forward to 2023 it is clear the portfolio of critical work within NWCG extends beyond highlighted accomplishments or identified priorities. Nevertheless, we expect the continuation of the high tempo operational pace so acknowledging there will be important matters competing for limited time and staff, the EB identifies the following as priorities for the upcoming year:

• Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM)
• Complex Incident Management (CIM)
• Standardized Business Practices 

Thank you for the critically important work you will do in the coming year.

References:

• NWCG Letter No. 23-001