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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.

Chainsaw Operational Complexity and Tree Size-Up - When Complexity Changes

Identify common themes from the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center “2004-2019 Tree Felling Accident Analysis” to promote discussion between new and experienced sawyers about ongoing procedural size-up and complexity analysis, human factors affecting the cutting process, and complexity changing throughout a chainsaw operation.
Category: Hazards
Core Component(s):
Local Topics, Incident Reviews and Lessons Learned, Fire and Aviation Operational Safety, Human Factors, Communication and Decision Making
Estimated Delivery Time: 45 minutes
Video Length: 20:26

Intent

Identify common themes from the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center 2004-2019 Tree Felling Accident Analysis to promote discussion between new and experienced sawyers about ongoing procedural size-up and complexity analysis, human factors affecting the cutting process, and complexity changing throughout a chainsaw operation.

Facilitator Preparation

  • Review the video, module tools, and additional resources linked below.
  • Consider additional discussion questions pertinent to your location and agency.
  • Guide discussion based on the topics and guidance provided below from the NWCG Hazard Tree and Tree Felling Subcommittee.

Facilitating the Discussion

  • Show the video.
  • Pause video as questions appear on screen to facilitate discussion.
  • Optional: Conduct additional activities pertinent to your location and agency.

Discussion Questions

  1. What size-up process(es) have you used or seen?
  2. What factors affect which is the good side vs. bad side of the tree?
  3. What does cutting area control mean to you?
  4. What other human factors might influence the size-up process, complexity analysis, or overall cutting operation?
  5. What experiences have caused you to reevaluate your felling operation? How do you maintain your cutting area control?

Resources

Video Information

This video is also available as a download (zip file, size 1.2 GB) with .srt file for closed captioning (you may need to right click and Save As). For information on how to add closed captioning to a video, see this how-to page.

Note: For Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, right click the word download and select Save Link As; for Internet Explorer (IE), right click and select Save Target As.

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NWCG Latest Announcements

Updated NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515

Date: May 10, 2024
Contact: IFUASS Qualification and Curriculum Board (IFUASS) 

The 2024 revision of the NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515 is now available. PMS 515 standardizes the processes and procesures for interagency use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), including pilot inspections and approvals. This publication is now available as a PDF for easy use offline.

References:

NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515

Memorandum 24-003: Removal of Type 1 Command and General Staff (C&G) Incident Position Qualification Pathways

Date: May 10, 2024
Contact: Aitor Bidaburu 

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide NWCG direction for removal of the Type 1 Command and General Staff (C&G) incident position qualification pathways to transition to Complex Incident Management (CIM). Responders may continue to utilize available NWCG pathways to attain Type 1 C&G qualifications until December 31, 2024.

References:

Memorandum 24-003

CIM Story Map

2024 Professional Reading Program

Date: April 26, 2024
Contact: Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program (WFLDP) 

The Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program is announcing the 2024 Professional Reading list! The intent of the Professional Reading Program is to promote the reading and discussion of these books throughout the year. Discussion guides are provided and the corresponding Wildland Fire Leadership Levels have been identified.

The five books chosen for this year are: Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean, The Wisdom of the Bullfrog by William H. McRaven, The Art of Clear Thinking by Hasard Lee, Emotional Agility by Susan David, and Writing to Persuade by Trish Hall.

References:

Professional Reading Program

Wildland Fire Leadership Levels

NWCG Training Catalog now on Wildland Fire Learning Portal

Date: April 25, 2023
Contact: NWCG Training  

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) has migrated the training catalog from the NWCG website to the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP) as part of our ongoing efforts to streamline processes and improve efficiency. To facilitate this transition, the training catalog remains available on www.nwcg.gov through April 2024.

Starting May 2024, the training catalog will no longer be accessible on www.nwcg.gov. However, you can still access the complete training catalog by logging in as a guest to the WFLP.

References:

Wildland Fire Learning Portal