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Marshalling Aircraft in Low-Light Conditions

 

At times fixed-wing aircraft will land after dark and may require base personnel to marshal them with little or no visibility.

Discuss the low-light operations at your base utilizing the following points.

  • What job aids, equipment, and facilities exist at your base to assist with parking aircraft in low-light conditions?
    • Are the job aids, equipment, and facilities operating correctly and readily available?
  • Equipment failure during low-light operations could be catastrophic. Discuss the base procedures for inspecting low-light equipment.
    • Are ramp radios and headsets ready for extended use?
  • How do low-light conditions affect spatial distortion and distance recognition?
  • What measures can you take to ensure that the aircraft you are guiding is parked exactly where you want it?
  • Identifying the spot where you want the location of the nose wheel can be difficult under low-light conditions.
  • Are there objects that taxiing aircraft might get near which would require additional Fixed Wing Parking Tenders (FWPT)/wing walkers?
  • Have all FWPTs visited all possible off-ramp locations in daylight (day off/maintenance parking) that could potentially be used for low-light parking?
  • Have any of the ramp staff not marshalled aircraft in low-light conditions before?

References:

Category
Airtankers

6MFS Suggestion Form


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NEW! M-280, Resource Advisor, Fireline (Instructor-Led) Course Available Now

Date: January 29, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Resource Advisor Subcommittee

NWCG is pleased to announce the new M-280, Resource Advisor, Fireline (Instructor-Led) course is now available. This training supports individuals working towards Resource Advisor, Fireline (REAF) incident qualifications.

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References:

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NWCG Position Standards for Resource Advisor, Fireline, PMS 350-112

M-280, Resource Advisor, Fireline (Instructor-Led)

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Questions? 
Please contact: Incident and Position Standards Committee

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References:

NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1

NWCG Wildland Fire Position Qualification Flowchart, PMS 308

IPSC Memo 26-01: January 2026 Updates to the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Positions Qualifications, PMS 310-1

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For further details, please contact your IBC representative.

References:

Incident Business Committee Memorandum 26-01

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