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Health Department Contact Information for Home Units Guidance

Source:  Wildland Fire Medical and Public health Advisory Team (MPHAT)

For Employee or Fire Incident COVID-19 Response

To be included in IMT Briefing Package.

  1. Visit the county health and the state health department website to locate:
    1. The COVID-19 call numbers
    2. The COVID- 19 contact (when available)
    3. Any information about how the county health department wants employers to respond or report COVID-19 cases
  2. Call the county COVID-19 call line. You will likely leave a message or talk to an operator. Please be patient if you do not talk with a person or if your questions are not answered right away, public health authorities may be busy.
  3. If you are able to talk with someone, let them know about your anticipated COVID-19 procedures. Use the information below as a guide:
    1. A COVID-19 Coordinator name and contact information (if known).
    2. Any MPHAT/Agency/ICT COVID-19 policies or other pertinent information.
    3. Testing policies or actions (if known) including
      1. What the district plans to do with symptomatic individuals, close contacts, positive cases, and testing (if known). Use the back of this document as a starting point.
    4. How to engage and any guidance from the health department about their policies such as:
      1. Does the health department want regular check-ins from the district? If so, at what interval, who is the point of contact, and what information do they want to receive?
      2. When a worker becomes symptomatic, does the health department want to be notified and coordinate testing and follow-up care? If not, does the health department have recommendations on who in the county can provide care and where should the worker go to obtain a test.
      3. Hospital, urgent care, and testing locations.
      4. How engaged, what is the process for, and what will the timing be for case investigation and contact tracing and outbreak investigations?
        1. What is a workplace outbreak (more than 2 cases) and when does the county want to be notified and how?
      5. Is the health department in agreeance with the district sending asymptomatic or mildly sick personnel to their home unit (away from this county). If so, does the health department have guidance?

 

Local and State Health Department Information
State Health Department COVID-19 Contact information including:
  • 24/7 phone number
  • Websites
  • Email addresses
  
Local Health Department COVID-19 Contact information including:
  • 24/7 phone number
  • Websites
  • Email addresses
  
Local County Health Department Point of Contact Name and Contact Information  

 

Health Department Guidance On
Check-in procedures with Health Department
  • How often?
  • Who is the point of contact?
  • What information should be shared?
  

Does the health department want to be notified of symptomatic workers? If yes, what is the process?

If not, where can workers receive care and obtain tests in the county?		  
Hospital, urgent care, and testing locations and names  
If testing is performed outside of a clinical laboratory (e.g. rapid point of care device testing) how are results reported results and at what interval to the health department?  
For case investigation and contact tracing, how engaged with the health department be, what is the process for this, and what will the timing be for these processes?  
What is a workplace outbreak (>2 cases) and when does the county want to be notified and how?  
If workers are from off-district, can asymptomatic or mildly sick COVID-19 positive workers be sent back to their home unit? If so, does the health department have guidance on this?  
Other guidance:


 		  

 

NWCG Latest Announcements

NWCG Equipment Technology Committee Releases Safety Warning: 24-001 Stihl Chainsaw Toolless Fuel Cap Spill Prevention

Date: November 14, 2024
Contact: Equipment Technology Committee

The Equipment Technology Committee (ETC) has released Safety Warning: 24-001 Stihl Chainsaw Toolless Fuel Cap Spill Prevention. Misaligned toolless fuel caps on Stihl chainsaws have led to recurring fuel spillage, fuel ignition, and burn injuries during wildland fire management operations.

This Safety Warning is intended to highlight the details and recommended procedures for the installation of a Stihl chainsaw toolless fuel cap, as well as how to identify and correct a misaligned, damaged, or broken fuel cap to help prevent fuel spillage.

References:

NWCG Safety Warning: 24-001 Stihl Chainsaw Toolless Fuel Cap Spill Prevention

Advertencia de equipos 24-001: Prevención de derrames de la tapa de combustible sin herramientas de la motosierra Stihl

NWCG Alerts

The Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Book are now available for Equipment Time Recorder (EQTR)

Date: November 13, 2024
Contact: Incident Business Committee

NWCG is excited to announce that the NWCG Incident Position Standards for Equipment Time Recorder, PMS 350-51 and NWCG Position Task Book for Equipment Time Recorder (EQTR), PMS 311-51 are now available.

The Performance Support Package, which for EQTR, includes the Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Book were developed through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. The Performance Support Package will support trainees, those qualified in the position, and evaluators.

References:

NWCG Equipment Time Recorder Position Page

NWCG Incident Position Standards for Equipment Time Recorder, PMS 350-51

NWCG Position Task Book for Equipment Time Recorder (EQTR), PMS 311-51

The Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Book are now available for Personnel Time Recorder (PTRC)

Date: November 13, 2024
Contact: Incident Business Committee

NWCG is excited to announce that the NWCG Incident Position Standards for Personnel Time Recorder, PMS 350-53 and NWCG Position Task Book for Personnel Time Recorder (PTRC), PMS 311-53 are now available.

The Performance Support Package, which for PTRC, includes the Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Book were developed through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. The Performance Support Package will support trainees, those qualified in the position, and evaluators.

References:

NWCG Personnel Time Recorder Position Page

NWCG Incident Position Standards for Personnel Time Recorder, PMS 350-53

NWCG Position Task Book for Personnel Time Recorder (PTRC), PMS 311-53

NWCG Risk Management Committee Releases Safety Bulletin: 24-001 Use of Respirators on Wildland Fires

Date: November 7, 2024
Contact: Risk Management Committee

The Risk Management Committee (RMC) has released Safety Bulletin: 24-001 Use of Respirators on Wildland Fires. As wildland fire respirators are available through several established vendors, wildland fire personnel need to understand regulations and limitations of respirator use in the workplace.

Safety Bulletin 24-001 outlines the following topics regarding respirator use for wildland fires:

  • Requirements for Respirator Use
  • Voluntary Respirator Use
  • Current Respirator Options
  • Unknown Risks of Respirator Use

This bulletin also provides mitigation recommendations to help reduce smoke exposure for wildland firefighting efforts.

References:

NWCG Safety Bulletin: 24-001 Use of Respirators on Wildland Fires

NWCG Smoke Management Guide for Prescribed Fire, PMS 420-3

VIDEO: Protecting Wildfire Personnel from Smoke - How Incident Management Teams Address Smokes Risks

VIDEO: Smoke, Knowing the Risks