Safety Advisory

TO :
FROM : National Wildfire Coordinating Group
REPLY TO : NWCG@nifc.gov
DATE : 02/02/2009
SUBJECT : SAFETY ADVISORY : Annual Wildland Fire Safety Refresher Training - 2009

Annual Wildland Fire Safety Refresher Training - 2009

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, and support personnel 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 2009 revisions to the Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR) website will be posted on February 2nd, 2009. 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 annual 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 2009 National Emphasis Topic is “If you see something, say something”. The 2009 Hot Topics include “Fire Whirls, and Extreme Weather in the Wildland Fire Environment”, “Hazard Trees, and Tree Felling”, “Driving Safety, and “High Reliability Organizations”. The WFSTAR website is located at http://www.nifc.gov/wfstar/index.htm.

Refresher Video/DVD

The NWCG 2009 annual fireline safety refresher training package “The Art and Science of Fighting Wildfire” DVD is tentatively scheduled for release March 20th, 2009. The VHS format for the video will no longer be available in 2009. The BIA, BLM, NPS, and USFWS will distribute 2009 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 fire2009@crsimedia.com. Personnel conducting refreshers prior to the 2009 release date are encouraged to use pertinent modules from prior annual refreshers.

Copies of the 2009 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 20th, 2009. Additional information on the refresher DVD can be found on the WFSTAR website under Refresher Video.

Instructors Note: Instructors and Unit Leaders are encouraged to customize training to reach your target audience. All students should have the Incident Response Pocket Guide (IRPG), Fireline Handbook, and other Agency specific material for annual refresher training.

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 May 2008. It states:

In order to maintain currency, some positions have identified recurrent training (RT) at various intervals.

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 non-suppression tasks.

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 May 2008 Wildland Fire Qualification System Guide (PMS 310-1) at http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/docs/docs.htm 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.

Lead instructors must be a qualified single resource boss.

Unit instructors must be qualified firefighter type one (FFT1).

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.

Agency	Name	Phone Number	Email
BIA	Tony Beitia	208-387-5177	tony_beitia@nifc.gov
BLM	Michelle Ryerson	208-387-5175	michelle_ryerson@nifc.blm.gov
NPS	Chad Fisher	208-387-5967	chad_fisher@nps.gov
USFS	Larry Sutton	208-387-5970	lsutton@fs.fed.us
FWS	Rod Bloms	208-387-5599	rod_bloms@fws.gov

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.

Region	Name	Phone Number	Email
NE	Wesley Keller	570-325-6111
SE	Mark Goeller	405-522-6146	mark.goeller@oda.state.ok.us
West	Wayne Ching	808-587-4173	wayne.f.ching@hawaii.gov

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