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Task Force Leader

TFLD Qualification Requirements

Required Training

Required Experience

  • Satisfactory performance as Strike Team Leader including (STCR, STEQ, STEN) (see note)
  • AND Completion and Certification of NWCG Task Force Leader (TFLD) Position Task Book, PMS 311-10

OR

  • Satisfactory performance in any two Single Resource Boss positions (one must be CRWB or ENGB)
  • AND Satisfactory performance as an Incident Commander Type 4 (ICT4)
  • AND Completion and Certification of NWCG Task Force Leader (TFLD) Position Task Book, PMS 311-10

OR

  • Satisfactory performance in any two Strike Team Leader positions (STCR, STEQ, STEN) (see note)

Note: The Task Force Leader (TFLD) and Strike Team Leader (STCR, STEQ, STEN) PTBs are combined. However, the positions are not combined. Strike Team Leader tasks are completed only once. The required experience for TFLD must be met before completing additional TFLD tasks.

Exception: Once qualified as a Strike Team Leader (STCR, STEQ, or STEN), any additional Strike Team Leader qualification will also qualify the individual as Task Force Leader—without having to complete the Task Force Leader PTB.​

If a TFLD meets the prerequisite experience and qualifications of a STL, the appropriate STL qualification may be granted by the certifying official. Certification must be documented on a ‘verification/certification’ page of the TFLD PTB.”

Physical Fitness Level: Arduous

Duties involve fieldwork requiring physical performance calling for above-average endurance and superior conditioning. These duties may include an occasional demand for extraordinarily strenuous activities in emergencies under adverse environmental conditions and over extended periods of time. Requirements include running, walking, climbing, jumping, twisting, bending, and lifting more than 50 pounds; the pace of work typically is set by the emergency situation.

These Positions Maintain Currency For TFLD

  • Division/Group Supervisor (DIVS)
  • Helicopter Coordinator (HLCO) 
  • Incident Commander Type 3 (ICT3)
  • Incident Commander Type 4 (ICT4)
  • Operation Section Chief Complex (OSCC)
  • Operations Section Chief Type 1 (OSC1)
  • Operations Section Chief Type 2 (OSC2)
  • Operations Section Chief Type 3, Wildland Fire (OPS3)
  • Prescribed Fire Burn Boss Type 1 (RXB1)
  • Prescribed Fire Burn Boss Type 2 (RXB2)
  • Safety Officer, Line (SOFR)
  • Strike Team Leader including (STCR, STEQ, STEN)
  • Structure Protection Specialist (STPS)

TFLD Maintains Currency For These Positions

Other Training Which Supports Development Of Knowledge And Skills

 

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NWCG Equipment Technology Committee Releases Safety Warning: 25-001 Non-specification fire shelters

Date: January 15, 2025
Contact: Equipment Technology Committee

The Equipment Technology Committee (ETC) has released Safety Warning: 25-001 Non-specification fire shelters. Non-specification fire shelters claiming to meet Forest Service (FS) fire shelter specification 5100-606 were first found in February of 2023. As of September 2024, non-specification shelters are again being advertised and sold on the open market.

This Safety Warning outlines details and recommended procedures to purchase FS specification shelters made with materials and components that meet performance criteria and toxicity testing requirements outlined in FS Specification 5100-606. 

For additional information on identifying non-specification shelters, please view ETC Safety Warning 23-01.

References:

ETC Safety Warning 25-001: Non-specification fire shelters

NWCG Equipment Technology Committee

ETC Safety Warning 23-01

Paul Gleason Lead by Example Awards

Date: January 14, 2025
Contact: Leadership Committee

The NWCG Leadership Committee has awarded the 2023 Paul Gleason “Lead By Example” awards to individuals in the categories of Initiative and Innovation, Mentoring and Teamwork, and Motivation and Vision, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Congratulations to the awardees:

  • Sam Bowen, Superintendent of the Mark Twain Veteran Crew with the U.S. Forest Service.
  • Greg Titus, Zone Fire Management Officer for the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
  • Renae Crippen, Manager of the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center with the U.S. Forest Service.
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References:

Paul Gleason Lead by Example Award

Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program

Interview with Paul Gleason

Updated NWCG Standards for Water Scooping Operations, PMS 518

Date: December 19, 2024
Contact: Water Scooper Operations Unit

The NWCG Standards for Water Scooping Operations, PMS 518 establishes the standards for dispatching, utilizing, and coordinating water scooping aircraft on interagency wildland fires. These standards should be used in conjunction with the NWCG Standards for Aerial Supervision (SAS), PMS 505, and any local, state, or geographic/regional water scooping plans.

References:

NWCG Standards for Water Scooping Operations, PMS 518

Updated NWCG Standards for Aerial Supervision, PMS 505

Date: December 19, 2024
Contact: Interagency Aerial Supervision Subcommittee

The Interagency Aerial Supervision Subcommittee has updated the NWCG Standards for Aerial Supervision, PMS 505. PMS 505 establishes standards for aerial supervision operations for national interagency wildland fire operations. 

References:

NWCG Standards for Aerial Supervision, PMS 505