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Week of Remembrance

2021 WOR: Leadership Level 2 New Leader (Convey Intent)

 Day 1  |  Day 2  |  Day 3  |  Day 4  |  Day 5  |  Day 6  |  Day 7

 

Leadership Level 2 New Leader (Convey Intent)

A New Leader begins transitioning from a follower to a leader of small groups to achieve a common goal. They begin to implement team cohesion, accept responsibility for self and team, and apply effective communications.

Key elements related to operating at the New Leader level

Who in your group is currently at Leadership Level 2?

Thirtymile Fire – July 9, 2001, Initial Attack

Watch Learning from the Thirtymile Fire video from 25:00 to 57:12 minutes

At 2126 hours on July 9, 2001, a fire is reported near the road along the Chewuch River. The fire is about five acres with two spots ahead of it. An engine with three firefighters arrives just after 2300. One engine arrives just before midnight, and an Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC) arrives at 0100 hours. By 0530 on July 10th there are seven spots covering about five to six acres. Two spots are approximately one acre each.

After getting the call to respond to a fire around midnight, a regular Type 2 Crew formed up into two utility vans and a pickup truck. Around 0300, they began the three-hour drive to the incident. At 0700, the crew is briefed at a ranger station prior to heading to the fire and is informed that they will be doing mop-up. They arrive at the fire at 0900. The assigned IHC leaves the fire for rest at 1100. Mid-morning, fire intensity increases with more frequent torching and increasingly longer spotting distances. By about noon, the crew is experiencing difficulties with the pumps and multiple broken handtools. Just after noon, the Incident Commander (IC) requests additional resources, including a helicopter.

A purple ribbon symbolizing remembrance of those who have passed away.Discussion Questions:

Use events described above and your experience to answer:

  • In what ways can we lead by example? How does this affect morale, team buy-in, and task accomplishment? How does leading by example change as you move through the Levels of Leadership?
  • How does a New Leader build cohesion?
  • How does a New Leader apply the Risk Management Process? At Thirtymile, the risk management decision was made to pull back and let the fire do what it was going to do. For firefighters with a bias toward action, it can be hard to sit back and do nothing. It’s easy to drift back into doing something. How can the New Leader resist this urge?  How can time spent not actively engaging the fire be spent productively?
  • How can Followers (Leadership Level 1) contribute to the development of a New Leader?

 

Category
Week of Remembrance
References
Building the Team, 6MFS
Seahawks Leadership Teamwork Communication, WFSTAR
The Risk Management Process: A Universal Tool, WFSTAR

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NWCG Latest Announcements

ETC/RMC Safety Bulletin: 25-001 New Guidance on Laundering Wildland Fire Clothing to Reduce Contamination

Date: Aug 8, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee
 Risk Management Committee

The Equipment Technology Committee (ETC) and the Risk Management Committee (RMC) have issued Safety Bulletin 25-001: Laundering to Decontaminate Wildland Fire Clothing. Recent research revealed that wildland fire flame-resistant pants and shirts can be contaminated with chemicals from combustion byproducts, including carcinogens, and that common laundering practices can effectively remove these harmful contaminants from wildland firefighter clothing more effectively than previously understood. It is recommended to decontaminate wildland fire clothing as frequently as possible. 

Frequently Asked Questions about this new information and how to implement recommendations can be found on the NWCG Alerts page. Read the complete ETC/RMC Safety Bulletin: 25-001 to learn more. 

References:

NWCG Alerts

ETC Safety Bulletin: 25-001

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Laundering to Decontaminate Wildland Fire Clothing

Equipment Technology Committee

Risk Management Committee

FAQ Now Available for Archiving Type 1 and Type 2 Incident Positions

Date: Aug 6, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
Incident and Position Standards Committee

To support the transition to Complex Incident Management (CIM), NWCG will archive all Type 1 and Type 2 Command and General Staff (C&G) position qualifications in January 2026, as outlined in NWCG Executive Board Memo 25-002. To assist with this transition, a new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is now available.

This resource answers common questions about the status of Type 1 and Type 2 qualifications, impacts to incident qualification management, training requirements, and resource ordering considerations. Review the full FAQ to learn more.

For additional information on CIM and the transition of C&G positions, see NWCG Executive Board Memos 23-005, 24-005, and 25-002, as well as the Incident Workforce and Development Group webpage.

References:

NWCG Type 1 & Type 2 Position Archiving FAQ

NWCG Executive Board Correspondence

Incident Workforce Development Group

Incident and Position Standards Committee

Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books Now Available for UASD, UASM, UASL and UASP

Date: July 31, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Interagency Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Subcommittee
 

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for all four Unmanned Aircraft Systems positions:

  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Data Specialist (UASD)
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Manager (UASM)
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Module Leader (UASL)
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems Pilot (UASP)

The Performance Support Packages for these positions were developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization effort. These resources support trainees, qualified personnel, and evaluators in their respective roles.

Any changes to qualification pathways will take effect with the next update of the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1, scheduled for January 2026.

References:

NWCG Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Data Specialist Position Page

NWCG Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Manager Position Page

NWCG Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Module Leader Position Page

NWCG Unmanned Aircraft Systems Pilot Position Page

Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books Now Available for RADO and INCM

Date: July 30, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Incident Logistics Subcommittee
 

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for Radio Operator (RADO) and Incident Communications Center Manager (INCM).

The Performance Support Packages for these positions were developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization effort. These resources support trainees, qualified personnel, and evaluators in their respective roles.

Any changes to qualification pathways will take effect with the next update of the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1, scheduled for January 2026.

References:

NWCG Radio Operator Position Page

NWCG Incident Communications Center Manager Position Page