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Safety Officer Complex

SOFC decorative banner: photos depicting SOFC position. SOFC Position Description: The Safety Officer Complex (SOFC) is responsible for all incident activities.

The Safety Officer Complex (SOFC) is responsible for monitoring the overall operation of an incident from a risk management perspective and providing recommendations to mitigate hazards in order to provide for the welfare of assigned resources. The SOFC may function as a member of the Command and General Staff (C&G) or may be a single resource. The SOFC may supervise the Medical Unit Leader (MEDL) or other members in the safety organization. The SOFC typically reports to the Incident Commander (IC) and works in the Command functional area.

The Forest Service and Department of Interior are enabled by Administratively Determined Pay Plans (AD Pay Plans) to hire persons for temporary duration for the following reasons:

  1. To cope with a sudden and unexpected emergency caused by a fire, or extreme fire potential, flood, storm, or any other all-hazard emergency that threatens damage to federally protected property, has the potential to cause loss of life, serious injury, public health risk, or damage to natural or cultural resources unless brought under immediate control.
  2. To provide emergency assistance to States under formalized agreements.
  3. To meet mission assignments issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Incident Business Committee (IBC) reviews positions annually and establishes pay rate classifications for each position.

For more information on the AD Pay Plans, visit Incident Business Committee.

Date: Jan 2024

Updated Positions Qualification Requirements as follows:

Added to SOFC Qualification Requirements:

  • *** S-420, Command and General Staff or L-481, Advanced Leadership for Command and General Staff or O-305, Type 3 All-Hazard Incident Management Team, and I-400, Advanced ICS for Command and General Staff, must be completed before initiating the NWCG Safety Officer Complex, Position Task Book, PMS 311-104.

Updated Required Training:

  • S-520, Advanced Incident Management OR Complex Incident Management Course (CIMC) OR Complex Incident Management Field Evaluation (PDF) OR a completed X-520,NWCG CIM Field Evaluation Form (PDF).
Date: Jan 2023

Added: 

To Required Training:

To Required Experience:

OR

  • Satisfactory performance as a Division/Group Supervisor (DIVS)
  • AND Completion and Certification of NWCG Safety Officer Complex (SOFC) Position Task Book, PMS 311-104

To These Positions Maintain Currency For SOFC:

  • Division/Group Supervisor (DIVS)
  • Incident Commander Complex (ICCI)
  • Incident Commander Type 1 (ICT1)
  • Incident Commander Type 2 (ICT2)
  • Operations Section Chief Complex (OSCC)
  • Operations Section Chief Type 1 (OSC1)
  • Operations Section Chief Type 2 (OSC2)
  • Safety Officer, Line (SOFR)

To SOFC Maintains Currency For These Positions:

  • Division/Group Supervisor (DIVS)
  • Incident Commander Complex (ICCI)
  • Incident Commander Type 1 (ICT1)
  • Incident Commander Type 2 (ICT2)
  • Safety Officer, Line (SOFR)

To Other Training Which Supports Development of Knowledge and Skills:

Date: May 2022

Position created.

USWDS Paragraph Bundles

Primary Committee: Risk Management Committee
Steward: Risk Management Committee
Key Stakeholder(s): Incident Command Subcommittee


Page Last Modified / Reviewed:
USWDS Paragraph Bundles

 

NWCG Latest Announcements

2024 Week of Remembrance

Date: June 27, 2024
Contact: 6 Minutes for Safety Subcommittee 

As we approach the 2024 Week of Remembrance (WOR), June 30 to July 6, we dedicate this time to thoughtfully reviewing and recognizing the events of the 2018 Mendocino Complex. As such, this year’s theme of “Learning From the Mendocino Complex” embodies a longstanding hallmark of WOR, honoring through learning.

Throughout the week, our energy will be directed toward fostering generative conversations in briefing rooms and at tailgates.

References:

6 Minutes for Safety - 2024 Week of Remembrance

Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center

Updated NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment, PMS 236

Date: June 24, 2024
Contact: Incident and Position Standards Committee 

The June 2024 update of the NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment, PMS 236, is now available to meet the current needs for incident management typing.

The NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment should be used to evaluate firefighter safety issues, assess risk, and identify the appropriate incident management organization based on incident complexity. Assessing risk, determining incident complexity, and identifying an appropriate incident management organization is a subjective process based on examining a combination of indicators or factors, which can change over time.

References:

NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment, PMS 236

Operations Branch Director (OPBD) Next Gen PTB Available

Date: June 10, 2024
Contact: NWCG Feedback 

The NWCG Position Task Book for Operations Branch Director (OPBD), PMS 311-109 is now available for use within the OPBD position qualification pathway. As part of the transition to Complex Incident Management (CIM), the OPBD Next Gen PTB was developed and the position qualification pathway updated.

More information about the Next Gen PTB format can be found on the NWCG Position Task Book webpage.

References:

Operations Branch Director Position Page

Operations Branch Director Next Gen PTB

NWCG Position Task Books

Updated NWCG Standards for Interagency Incident Business Management, PMS 902

Date: June 5, 2024
Contact: NWCG Incident Business Committee 

The 2024 revision of the NWCG Standards for Interagency Incident Business Management, PMS 902 is now available. The uniform application of interagency incident business management standards is critical to interagency fire operations. PMS 902 assists NWCG agencies in constructively working together to provide effective execution of each agency's incident business management program.

References:

PMS 902