Training Principles

Minimum Instructor Qualifications

Annual wildland fire safety refresher training must be fresh and engaging. Instructors must be passionate about firefighter safety, and willing to adapt their presentations for each specific audience. No Annual Fireline Safety Refresher will be successful without dedicated, experienced, and knowledgeable lead and unit instructors. Annual Fireline Safety Refresher Training lead instructors must at least be single resource boss qualified. Unit instructors must at least be firefighter type one qualified. Adjunct instructors may be utilized to provide limited instruction in specialized knowledge and skills at the discretion of the lead instructor. They must be experienced, proficient and knowledgeable of current issues in their field of expertise. This requirement will ensure that an appropriate level of expertise and knowledge is available to facilitate exercises and lead discussions.

Be Committed and Passionate About Safety
Instructors should endeavor to facilitate a quality refresher that engages all students no matter their ICS qualifications or experience. Refresher training should never become simply a plug and play with no student interaction. The core topics should be addressed in ways that are meaningful and interesting to the audience. Classes with a wide array of experience and qualifications can provide excellent opportunities for the less experienced to be mentored and for the more experienced to rethink old habits.

Keep It Fresh and Interesting
Most modern courses are committed to engaging and encouraging interactive group processes. Though a presentation was well received last year, we run the risk of boring participants with repetitive material. Bring change and improvement to your program. This is not to say lectures and videos are out - far from it. Interesting guest subject-matter experts and latest video presentations are ways to create variety and maintain interest.

Tailor Presentation for Specific Audience
Your presentation should be tailored to your local fuel types, but should also prepare firefighters for assignments in other geographic areas. All refresher training needs to include a good review of the 10 and 18. You may have specific events or opportunities that guide your course format.

Review Fire Shelter Deployment
Prepare a quality fire shelter deployment review and practice session. Use the latest instructional material, and innovate realistic conditions. DO NOT USE LIVE FIRE! Fire shelter training is a subject that is constantly evolving, and wildland firefighters must have access to the best current information.

Review Agency Policies
Each federal agency has its own policy on refresher training and is accessible by clicking on the appropriate shield. NWCG direction for annual safety refresher training is also posted. State and local policies are not listed at this time, but may be included in the future. One issue is the total hours to be committed to annual fire safety refresher, and who must attend. Agencies do not always agree.

Prepare Documentation
And finally, be sure to fully document who attended, the instructor names, what was covered, and when and where the training took place. A form was developed to assist with refresher documentation. Each participant's training records must be updated, which means course completion memos must be sent to appropriate training officers.
Training Documentation Form

Season Forecasts and Predictive Services

Refresher training instructors should contact their Geographic Area Coordination Center Intelligence Officers and Meteorologists as well as Regional/State Fire Management Officers to obtain wildland fire potential assessments, seasonal forecasts and other appropriate information. Fire Danger Pocket Cards should be reviewed and discussed in conjunction with the selected predictive services products.

National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC)
The National Interagency Coordination Center is the focal point for coordinating the mobilization of resources for wildland fire and other incidents throughout the US. This website is a good source of information pertaining to national and geographical seasonal assessments.

National Predictive Services Group (NPSG)
The National Predictive Services Group provides leadership and direction for Predictive Services.

Training Packages

BLM Driving Safety

http://www.blm.gov/nifc/st/en/prog/fire/training/fire_training/projects/engine_training.html

Basic Firing Operations

Time: approximately 6 hours
Objective: Stand alone powerpoint with facilitator guide and student workbook
Target: Any firefighter with 1-5 seasons that has not taken S-234
Product: Custom Recording, Boise, ID, (208) 344-3535
Basic Firing Operation (ppt)

After Action Review Training Package (2006)

Time: 1-2 hours
Objective: Describes intent and techniques for AARs
Target: All red-carded personnel
Product: Stand alone course on DVD and CD-ROM
Source: Custom Recording, Boise, ID (208) 344-3535

The New Generation Fire Shelter (2003), PMS 411

Time: 2-4 hours
Objective: Demonstrate/practice the care and use of the new generation fire shelter.
Target: All red-carded personnel
Product: Video, supporting reference publication, DVD. Available in English and Spanish.
Source: Refer to the NWCG Catalog Part 2 Publications http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/pubs/catalog.htm

Firefighter Safety in the Wildland/Urban Interface (2003)

Time: The 3 unit program is flexible enough to allow it to be delivered in segments of 2-3 hours each.
Objective: To provide thought provoking information to structural and wildland fire personnel whose responsibilities include wildland/urban interface fire incidents.
Target: Municipal and volunteer fire departments and wildland fire personnel with WUI responsibilities.
Product: Stand alone course with instructor guide, a set of 3 videotapes and computer based presentation that can be instructor lead or self paced for the individual student.
Source: Firewise Publication Catalog at www.firewise.org

Entrapment Avoidance - It's Your Call! (2002)

Time: 2-3 hours
Objectives: Examine the factors that determine effectiveness of escape routes and safety zones. Examine the decision processes for engagement on the fireground.
Target: First line fireground decision makers such as Single Resource Boss, Task Force Leader, or Incident Commander Type 3/4/5
Product: Stand-alone course on CD-ROM
Source: Custom Recording, Boise, ID (208) 344-3535
Entrapment (ppt)

L-180, Human Factors on the Fireline (2008)

Time: 4-5 hours
Objective: Awareness of human performance considerations in high-risk work environments.
Target: All fireline personnel
Product: Stand alone course
Source: Refer to the NWCG Catalog Part 2 Publications http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/pubs/catalog.htm
Instructor's Guide, NFES 2983
CD Rom course material, NFES 2984
DVD, NFES 2985
Student Workbook, NFES 2986
* IRPG required, PMS 461/NFES 1077

Look Up, Look Down, Look Around (2009), S-133

Time: 3-4 hours
Objective: Recognize critical fire behavior indicators.
Target: All fireline personnel
Product: Stand alone course
Source: Refer to the NWCG Catalog Part 2 Publications http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/pubs/catalog.htm

The Campbell Prediction System (1991)

Time: 8 hours
Objective: Anticipate when and where fire behavior potential is different.
Target: All fireline personnel
Product: Vendor instructor delivered course
Source: Campbell Wildland Fire Specialists, Ojai, CA (805) 646-7026
www.dougsfire.com/new_wildland.htm

Video and Publication Sources

NWCG Publications Management System
Great Basin Cache - National Interagency Fire Center

Refer to the NWCG Catalog Publications http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/pubs/catalog.htm

USDA Forest Service
Missoula Technology & Development Center

5785 Highway 10 W
Missoula, MT 59808
406-329-3978
NOTE: Publications may now be accessed on the MTDC/San Dimas website at: www.fs.fed.us/t-d -- A username and password is required to access the site. Username: t-d and Password: t-d. A wide variety of valuable references may be obtained from this site by selecting T&D Pubs and then selecting Fire or Safety and Health.

Safety Reviews

Historical Wildland Firefighter Fatality Reports

Wildland Firefighter Incident Reviews

Latest Safety Gram info
Safety Gram 2010: Safety Gram
Safety Gram 2009: Safety Gram
Safety Gram 2008: Safety Gram
Safety Gram 2007: Memo and Safety Gram
Safety Gram 2006: Memo and Safety Gram
Safety Gram 2005: Memo and Safety Gram

SAFENET 2010 Review
SAFENET 2009 Review
SAFENET 2008 Review
SAFENET 2007 Review
SAFENET 2006 Review
SAFENET 2005 Review

Safety Essays

• Fire Suppression: Foundational Doctrine, June 2005
• Integral Leadership and Signal Detection for High Reliability Organizing and Learning, Jim Saveland
• Wisdom in the Lessons Learned Library: Work Ethics and Firefighter Identities in the Fire Orders, Jennifer Thackaberry
• Use of Human Factors Analysis for Wildland Fire Accident Investigations, Michelle Ryerson, Chuck Whitlock
• Organizational Learning in Wildland Fire: Moving Toward a Learning Culture, Paula Nasiatka and David Christenson
• Fire Behavior vs. Human Behavior: Why the Lessons from Cramer Matter, Kelly Close
• Trends in Wildland Fire Entrapment Fatalities, Jim Cook
• Fireline Fitness, Becki Livingston
• LCES and Other Thoughts, Paul Gleason
• Original Ten Standard Orders, John Krebs
• Portals, Paul Chamberlin
• You are about to be entrapped or burned over by a wildfire: What are your survival options?, M.E. Alexander

Links

• Incident Emergency Medical Task Group (IEMS)
  The mission of the Incident Emergency Medical Task Group (IEMTG) is to establish a methodology that meets the emergency medical and occupational health care needs of managed incidents with the integration of local, state, tribal, and federal systems.
• Hazard Tree: A Safety Initiative
  Provide a consistent emphasis on high risk activities, programs, and issues involving hazard trees and tree felling to meet the safety needs of the agencies and firefighters.
• NIFC Fire Shelter
  
• High Reliability Organizations
• Firefighter Math
  Firefighter Math is a web based user interactive resource that was developed to help prepare wildland fire personnel for math based training courses.
• 6 Minutes for Safety
  This is an interagency safety initiative that, on a daily basis, addresses high risk situations that historically get firefighters in trouble.
• Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program
  The intent of this website is to support the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program by:
  • Providing the definitive reference for leadership values and principles in wildland fire service.
  • Providing current information regarding the status of the six courses in the formal leadership curriculum.
  • Providing a resource for leadership development tools, references, and training materials that can be directly accessed by all field users.
• Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center
  The Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center actively promotes a learning culture to enhance and sustain safe and effective work practices in the wildland fire community. The Center provides opportunities and resources to foster collaboration among all fire professionals, facilitates their networks, provides access to state-of-the-art learning tools, and links learning to training. 
• Job Hazard Analysis
  The Federal Fire and Aviation Safety Team (FFAST) and Region 1 of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service worked cooperatively to develop a web based library for wildland fire related Job Hazard Analyses (JHA's).
• Northern Research Station
  Capitalizing on the strengths of existing science capacity in the Northeast and Midwest to attain a more integrated cohesive landscape scale research program.
• Fire Danger Pocket Cards
  The Fire Danger PocketCard is a method of communicating information on fire danger to firefighters.
• FireFit Program
  The FireFit Program was created with the intent to provide the interagency wildland fire community with a comprehensive, easy-to-follow, fitness program with the ultimate goal of improving firefighter safety and health and reducing injuries.