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Week of Remembrance

2025 WOR: Twisp River Entrapment – August 19, 2015

Letter to Leadership |  Day 1  |  Day 2  |  Day 3  |  Day 4  |  Day 5  |  Day 6  |  Day 7  

 

Incident Summary:

On August 19, 2015, USDA Forest Service firefighters Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac, and Tom Zbyszewski perished while engaged in initial attack on the Twisp River Fire. A fourth member of the crew was critically injured with severe burns. In addition, a Heavy Equipment Boss, a Heavy Equipment Boss Trainee from the Washington Department of Natural Resources, and a contract Dozer Operator were entrapped but survived with minor injuries. Numerous other fire personnel were also entrapped but survived without injuries.
 


The Twisp River Fire was reported on August 19 at 1223 Pacific Daylight Time. The fire started when tree branches struck a nearby powerline. By 0600 hours on August 20, it was reported to be 7,231 acres and had reached the outskirts of Twisp, Washington. The fire’s final reported acreage on August 26 was 11,922 acres.

Key Points:

  • The Unified Command Incident Commanders (ICs) on the Twisp River Fire had to build their team as they went, which resulted in multiple people being asked to temporarily serve in leadership roles during an extremely complex event. We do not always have the depth in qualifications to create the needed organization without using leadership from responding units. When leaders from crews are used to staff the incident management organization, there is a direct impact on the capacity of the crews.
  • The captain of the entrapped engine was tasked with providing supervisory expertise elsewhere on the rapidly emerging fire. This resulted in a less experienced firefighter operating the engine during emergency egress operations.
  • Perceptions of safety may be influenced by experiences where aggressive tactics have been successful. Each tactical success influences a field operator’s sense of accident probability.

Discussion:

  • We often face competing needs, especially when staffing an emerging fire. Crews get asked to provide leadership staffing for the incident. Consider perspectives from an IC trying to build an organization AND the individual crews being asked to provide staffing. What specifics need to be addressed on both sides of this decision process?
  • How do people with these different perspectives best compare and reconcile information to make sound decisions? How and when are these decisions best made?
  • Does your crew have a “draw down” limit? Does capacity to “loan out” positions change based on fire conditions/complexity?
  • When operational tempo is high, who is looking at the big picture? What traits can you build into your organization to continually process big picture information and act on it quickly?
     

References:

Category
Week of Remembrance

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NWCG Latest Announcements

2025-2026 Wildland Fire Leadership Campaign: "Leadership Levels" Now Available

Date: October 15, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
Leadership Committee

NWCG is excited to announce the release of the Leadership Committee’s 2025–2026 Leadership Campaign, themed “Leadership Levels.” This annual initiative offers all students of leadership and wildland fire management an opportunity to engage with essential leadership skills and knowledge needed to lead effectively in dynamic environments.

The campaign is structured into four quarters and may be completed at any time between October 1, 2025 -December 31, 2026. Leadership levels will be released quarterly.

Quarter One materials are now available on the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program website and focus on Leadership Level 1, Follower (Self-Leadership).

References:

2025/2026 NWCG Leadership Campaign - Leadership Levels

Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program

Leadership Committee

Updated! L-280, Followership to Leadership (Instructor-led) Course

Date: October 3, 2024
Questions? Please contact:
Leadership Committee

NWCG is pleased to announce the updated L-280, Followership to Leadership (Instructor-led) course is now available. L-280 is intended for operational personnel at the Firefighter Type 1 level, and for individuals pursuing Leadership Level 2, New Leader. 

This instructor-led course is a primer on leadership and the second formal course in the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program. It helps emerging leaders build the confidence, skills, and mindset needed to lead effectively in high-risk environments. 

For more information about leadership development and available courses, visit the Leadership Committee Web Portal.

References:

L-280, Followership to Leadership (Instructor-led)

Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program

Wildland Fire Learning Portal

Equipment Advisory 25-01: Pre-2006 Fire Shelter Degradation and Discontinuation of Use

Date: Sept 26, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee 

The Equipment Technology Committee (ETC) has released Equipment Advisory 25-01: Pre-2006 Fire Shelter Degradation and Discontinuation of Use. This advisory recommends all pre-2006 fire shelters should be removed from service by January 1, 2026.

This advisory recommends firefighters and fire managers to:

  • Inspect fire shelters immediately
  • Replace and destroy any pre-2006 shelters (identified by white or pink insert label)
  • Order replacements as needed

For further details, please refer to the complete advisory. 

References:

Equipment Advisory 25-01: Pre-2006 Fire Shelter Degradation and Discontinuation of Use

NWCG Fire Inspection Flowchart, PMS 411-1

NWCG Alerts

NEW! S-219, Firing Operations (Blended) Now Available

Date: Sept 11, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
Fuels Management Committee 

The S-219, Firing Operations (Blended) course is now available on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal. Developed through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort, this training supports individuals working towards Firing Boss, Single Resource (FIRB) incident qualifications.

This blended course combines online and instructor-led training to provide students with the knowledge and skills required to perform the duties of the FIRB, as described in the NWCG Incident Position Standards for Firing Boss, Single Resource, PMS 350-105.

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:

S-219, Firing Operations (Blended)

NWCG Firing Boss, Single Resource Position Page

Wildland Fire Learning Portal