Annual Wildland Fire Safety Refresher Training - 2008
The intent of annual fireline safety refresher training is to focus line going personnel on operations and decision making issues related to fireline and all-hazard incident safety.
Refresher training will ensure firefighters have information regarding current initiatives, the upcoming fire season, and any policy/guidance changes.
Refresher training is provided in order to recognize and mitigate risk, maintain safe and effective practices, and to reduce accidents and near misses.
Refresher Website (WFSTAR)
The 2008 revisions to the Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR) website will be posted on January 31, 2008.
This website is managed under the direction of the Federal Fire and Aviation Safety Team (FFAST).
The purpose of WFSTAR is to provide a one-stop shopping resource for instructors of refresher training to obtain information necessary to conduct relevant and engaging safety refreshers.
The website identifies topics for refresher training and lists a wide variety of reference materials that support refresher training.
Updates include a new National Emphasis Topic and Hot Topics.
The 2008 National Emphasis Topic is “Thinking Ahead”.
The 2008 Hot Topics include “How Can We Improve Aviation Safety”, “WUI Safety”, “Risk Management for Alternative Strategies and Tactics”, “Incident Communications”, and “Why Submit a SAFENET”.
A Human Factors webpage has also been added.
Please visit the WFSTAR website at
http://www.nifc.gov/wfstar/index.htm.
Refresher Video/DVD
The NWCG 2008 annual fireline safety refresher training package “The Changing Fire Environment” DVD/VHS is tentatively scheduled to be available around March 21, 2008.
The BIA, BLM, NPS, and USFWS will distribute 2008 video packages to their respective districts/field offices, agencies, refuges, or parks.
Other agencies, as well as state and private entities (USFS, DNR, VFD, etc.) will need to order directly from Custom Recording and Sound at 208-344-3535 or fire2008@crsimedia.com.
Copies of the 2008 Facilitator Guide and Student Workbook will be available for download from the new BLM Training Unit website at
http://www.blm.gov/nifc/st/en/prog/fire/training/fire_training.html by March 14, 2008.
Additional information on the refresher video/DVD can be found on the WFSTAR website under Refresher Video.
Refresher Training Required for Some NWCG Positions
The revised National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Wildland Fire Qualification System Guide (PMS 310-1) was posted to the web in April 2006.
It states:
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In order to maintain currency, some positions have identified recurrent training (RT) at various intervals.
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Attendance at an Annual Fireline Safety Refresher (RT-130) is required for designated positions in this guide in order to maintain currency, and for all personnel assigned to positions with fireline duties and for any position assigned to the fireline for nonsuppression tasks.
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Annual Fireline Safety Refresher (RT-130) training will focus on mandatory core content subjects and not on a minimum timeframe standard. The required number of hours is determined by the agency. Core content is listed under Wildland Fire Safety Refresher Training at
http://www.nifc.gov/wfstar/index.htm
Please refer to the April 2006 Wildland Fire Qualification System Guide (PMS 310-1) at
http://www.nwcg.gov./pms/docs/PMS310-1.pdf
for positions that require Annual Fireline Safety Refresher Training.
NWCG Standards for Instructors of Annual Fireline Safety Refresher Training
In 2006 the NWCG also established minimum qualifications for instructors of refresher training.
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Lead instructors must be a qualified single resource boss.
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Unit instructors must be qualified firefighter type one (FFT1).
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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.
For additional information please refer to the September 2007 NWCG Field Manager’s Course Guide (PMS 901-1) at http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/training/fmcg.pdf.
Questions and Additional Information
For federal agency questions, please contact your NWCG Safety and Health Working Team (SHWT) representative.
For state agencies, please contact your state training officer.
If you need additional assistance, please contact the SHWT representative for your National Association of State Foresters (NASF) region.
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Region
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Name
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Phone Number
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Email
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NE
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John Schwingel
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608-339-8237
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john.schwingel@dnr.state.wi.us
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SE
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Moreland Gueth
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919-733-2162
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Moreland.Gueth@ncmail.net
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West
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Bob Ashworth
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775-684-2503
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bashwrth@forestry.nv.gov
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