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Incident Position Descriptions (IPD's)

  • Provide the single authoritative source for the essential duties and responsibilities for each NWCG position.
  • Ensure connection between the position and established operational standards.
  • Build consistency (organization, nomenclature, terminology) internal to each position and across the inventory of positions.
  • Prevent unnecessary duplication of duties across positions.
  • Help identify performance support needs such as job aids, training courses, and Position Task Books (PTBs).

Steps to Creating an IPD

  1. Determine if the position meets criteria for inclusion in NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1.
  2. Review previously completed IPDs as examples.
  3. Collect duty and responsibility statements from existing standards documents, course materials, PTBs, and subject matter expert experience.
    1. Include laterally qualified (not qualified higher than the position) personnel in this process to ensure duties and responsibilities remain at the appropriate level.
    2. List the source next to the statement. This creates an inventory that connects the position duties to the operational and position-specific standards. This will not appear in the final IPD.
  4. Transfer these statements into the relevant category in the IPD Template (docx) IPD template. Check for redundancy throughout statements.
  5. Compare the draft IPD to the List of Standard IPD Statements. Can you use a standard statement to promote consistency across the inventory of all NWCG positions?
  6. Begin statements with action-oriented verbs. Avoid vague verbs such as “be familiar with,” “knowledge of,” or “understand.”
  7. Organize the statements in the IPD from an incident standpoint – from initial dispatch to demobilization and everything in-between.
  8. Compare the IPD with others in your functional area. Are similar statements worded identically, or do they diverge? Can they be worded similarly?
  9. Collaborate with key stakeholders that may have an interest in providing IPD feedback.
  10. Share the draft IPDs with the parent committee (if they are not the position steward) and the NWCG coordinator.
  11. Work with the NWCG coordinator and the NWCG webmaster to post the IPDs to the NWCG website. The IPDs will be statused as Under Review. Widespread input from the user community will be solicited using NWCG’s communication and feedback processes. Assess input and incorporate as warranted.

Parent Committee Approval and Long-Term Management of the IPD

When the position steward has completed assessing and incorporating inputs, they should inform their parent committee. The parent committee will approve the IPD. IPDs should be dynamically managed according to the NWCG Incident Position Performance Cycle; as operational standards evolve, so should the IPD.

IPD Management

NWCG Latest Announcements

Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books Now Available for UASD, UASM, UASL and UASP

Date: July 31, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Interagency Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Subcommittee
 

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for all four Unmanned Aircraft Systems positions:

  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Data Specialist (UASD)
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Manager (UASM)
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Module Leader (UASL)
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems Pilot (UASP)

The Performance Support Packages for these positions were developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization 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, scheduled for January 2026.

References:

NWCG Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Data Specialist Position Page

NWCG Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Manager Position Page

NWCG Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Module Leader Position Page

NWCG Unmanned Aircraft Systems Pilot Position Page

Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books Now Available for RADO and INCM

Date: July 30, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Incident Logistics Subcommittee
 

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for Radio Operator (RADO) and Incident Communications Center Manager (INCM).

The Performance Support Packages for these positions were developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization 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, scheduled for January 2026.

References:

NWCG Radio Operator Position Page

NWCG Incident Communications Center Manager Position Page

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-004 NEW Aquatic Invasive Species – Golden Mussels

Date: July 29, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee
 

The Equipment Technology Committee (ETC) issued Equipment Bulletin: 25-004, notifying the wildland fire community about a newly discovered invasive species and actions to take if found. Golden mussels, a highly invasive species recently identified in California, pose a significant risk to native ecosystems, infrastructure, and fire equipment. These mussels rapidly colonize hard and soft surfaces, including aquatic plants and fire equipment, clogging pipes, fouling motors, disrupting water systems, and impacting native species.

To help prevent their spread, fire personnel must follow the decontamination procedures outlined in the NWCG Guide to Preventing Aquatic Invasive Species Transport by Wildland Fire Operations, PMS 444. Additionally, report any sightings immediately to your Lead Resource Advisor and include clear, close-up photos and location details.

Read the complete ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-004 to learn more. 

References:

NWCG Alerts

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-004

NWCG Guide to Preventing Aquatic Invasive Species Transport by Wildland Fire Operations, PMS 444

Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books Now Available for ICT5 and FFT1

Date: July 29, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Incident Command Subcommittee
Incident Operations Subcommittee

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for Incident Commander Type 5 (ICT5) and Firefighter Type 1 Squad Boss (FFT1).

The Performance Support Packages for these positions were developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization 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, scheduled for January 2026.

References:

NWCG Incident Commander Type 5 Position Page

NWCG Firefighter Type 1 Squad Boss Position Page