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RT-130, Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR)

RT-130 Decorative banner. Group of photos depicting wildland firefighters performing various duties.

WFSTAR 2024 Core Component Module Packages

Local Topics

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Give clear instructions and be sure they are understood. About 20 firefighters stand in a semi-circle in front of two crew buggies where a map has been put up.  A supervisory firefighter points at the map and speaks to the group.
  • Fire Year In Review 2023

    • Revisit significant events and statistics from the 2023 fire season. Identify lessons learned to prepare for the future. Explore intelligence sources to independently enhance big picture situational awareness.

Vehicle Safety Operations

Incident Reviews and Lessons Learned

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Identify escape routes and safety zones, and make them known. A fire crew is walking through a meadow on a path lined with pink flagging.  Behind them, a fire is growing in heavy timber.
  • Salt Fire
    • Understanding infancy stages and safety zone burnover on a wildland fire.
  • Cramer Fire:
    • Review of the Salmon River Breaks Cramer fire and identifying hazardous situation in difficult terrain and fuels.

Fire and Aviation Operational Safety

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Watch Out Situations #5. Uninformed on strategy, tactics, and hazards.
  • Mission Planning
    • All wildland firefighting modules participate in mission planning. Depending on the type of module you are on dictates specialized considerations you must account for. This module provides mission planning insights from a Rappel Module that are relevant to all firefighters.
  • Counter Rotating Vortex Pairs
    • This module creates both awareness and conversation among fire personnel around a relatively unknown fire behavior phenomenon called the Counter Rotating Vortex Pair (CRVP). Concisely describe conditions that may lead to CRVP formation for tactical resources like crew lookouts and Division Supervisors (DIVS).

Human Factors, Communication, and Decision Making

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Weather conditions can significantly impact fire behavior, and weather forecasts help firefighters anticipate changes. This Standard Firefighting Order shows a remote automated weather station (RAWS) which sends real-time weather information to incident fire personnel.
  • Digital Maps
    • Explore digital, geo-referenced topographic maps on mobile devices for use in initial and extended attack. Practice downloading and sharing digital maps on your smartphone or tablet using public domain sites and free applications.
  • How to Properly Refuse Risk
  • Medical Incident Report
    • The Medical Incident Report is a tool that supports efficient, timely, and appropriate response to accidents and medical emergencies. Like any other tool, proficiency with the Medical Incident Report comes through practice. It is up to you to ensure that you and your crew understand the intent and contents of the Medical Incident Report and how to use it before an incident occurs.
  • Wildland Fire Mental Health
    • Highlights the importance of mental health in wildland fire. The video also emphasizes the importance of work-life balance and highlights the resources available to help those in need.
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Photo of deployed fire shelters.

Fire Shelters and Entrapment Avoidance

Resources

 

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NWCG Latest Announcements

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.
  • Eric Carlson, Instructor with OMNA International.

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