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Week of Remembrance

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2026 WOR: June 30 to July 6, 2026 Fire Season 2016

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

 

Week of Remembrance 2026 has been spent in reflection of incidents that occurred during the 2016 fire season—10 years ago. Today, on the 32nd anniversary of the South Canyon Fire, we also remember the Fallen 14 who lost their lives on Storm King Mountain in 1994. We honor you through our commitment to learning. You are not forgotten.

Storm King 14, July 6, 1994 memorial picture.
Wildland Firefighter Foundation Memorial Ribbon

Our work is dangerous. During the 2016 fire season, as in all seasons before and since, firefighters in our community died at work. We remember and honor them by continuing our commitment to learn and improve. Despite our best efforts to create training, standard operating procedures, and policy to protect our own, we still face objective hazards, equipment failures, and accidents. The 2026 season will be no different. That fact must motivate us to hone our craft further, to be judicious about how we perform our work, and to be observant and attentive to our tasks as we do them. For our processes to have integrity, we must carry out tasks methodically and with awareness, focus, constant communication, and consistency. Let there be integrity in your process and have confidence that this approach tilts the scales in the direction of firefighter safety over the long haul. 

In the fire organization, we say we have a safety culture. And by “culture,” we mean our shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices. Culture is a way of doing things. But, sometimes we do things because we always have, or because one admired person did it that way, or because it’s easier to keep doing it the same instead of investing time and energy to evolve the process. Every now and then, we need to audit ourselves—hold our feet to the fire and take an honest look at the working environment we have created. Are we applying the lessons? Are we listening to the good and opposing ideas of our people? Are we in tune with the real hazards of our environment and employing the best practices to manage them consistently? Where is there room to add integrity?

Discussion:

To close Week of Remembrance 2026, take inventory: What does your safety culture look like? 

  • What are the little things your crew does intentionally every day that add up to create safety? 
  • What are the structures, systems, and behaviors you implement consistently at the shop and on the fireline to manage the risks of our work? 
  • How do your communication practices, up and down the chain of command, promote sharing ideas and perspectives? Does everyone feel safe to speak up? 
  • How do you maintain a decision-making process that considers probabilities, multiple perspectives, and trade-offs among multiple courses of action?

References:

Category
Week of Remembrance

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NWCG Latest Announcements

2025 Paul Gleason Award Winners Announced

Date:  August 13, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Leadership Development Subcommittee

The NWCG Qualifications Management Committee (QMC) and Leadership Development Subcommittee (LDSC) are proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Paul Gleason "Lead By Example" awards. Award categories include Initiative and Innovation, Mentoring and Teamwork, and Motivation and Vision.

Congratulations to the awardees:

  • Hunter Bell, U.S. Forest Service — Initiative and Innovation
  • Shannon Deane, U.S. Wildland Fire Service— Initiative and Innovation
  • Chris Delaney, U.S. Wildland Fire Service — Motivation and Vision
  • Sean Peterson, U.S. Forest Service — Mentoring and Teamwork

References:

Paul Gleason Lead By Example Award

Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program (WFLDP)

Leadership Development Subcommittee

LMC Equipment Bulletin 26-001: Aquatic Invasive Species – Seasonal Reminder for Mussels

Date:  July 30, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Equipment and Technology Subcommittee

The Logistics and Equipment Management Committee (LMC) issued Equipment Bulletin 26-001: Aquatic Invasive Species - Seasonal Reminder for Mussels, reminding the wildland fire community that aquatic mussels continue to be a problem. Mussels rapidly colonize hard and soft surfaces, including aquatic plants and fire equipment, clogging pipes, fouling motors, disrupting water systems, and impacting native species.

To help prevent their spread, fire personnel must follow the decontamination procedures outlined in the NWCG Guide to Preventing Aquatic Invasive Species Transport by Wildland Fire Operations, PMS 444. Additionally, report any sightings immediately to your Lead Resource Advisor and include clear, close-up photos (with a pen or your hand for size reference) and location details.”

Read the complete LMC Equipment Bulletin 26-001, to learn more. 

References:

NWCG Alerts

LMC Equipment Bulletin 26-001: Aquatic Invasive Species - Seasonal Reminder for Mussels

NWCG Guide to Preventing Aquatic Invasive Species Transport by Wildland Fire Operations, PMS 444

Intermediate Faller (FAL2) Position Task Book Update

Date:  July 24, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Tree Felling Subcommittee

NWCG Operations Management Committee (OMC) has issued an update to the NWCG Position Task Book for Intermediate Faller (FAL2), PMS 311-91. To ensure clarity for both trainees and evaluators, the updated FAL2 Position Task Book (PTB) explicitly states who is authorized to sign off on your tasks:

“Evaluators must be qualified as a FAL2, or an Advanced Faller (FAL1).”

If you are currently working out of a previously published version of the FAL2 PTB, you do not need to restart. However, OMC highly encourages you to take the following step to prevent any confusion in the field:

  • Print and replace the updated evaluator information page (page 2) in your current physical PTB.

References:

Intermediate Faller (FAL2) Position Page

RMC Memo 26-01: Transition Plan for Implementing Updates to Intermediate Faller (FAL2) Position Qualifications

NWCG Position Task Book for Intermediate Faller (FAL2), PMS 311-91

Equipment Advisory 26-001: Potential Front Driveline Joint Failure on 2018 and Earlier Ram Pickups

Date:  July 10, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Equipment and Technology Subcommittee

The Logistics/Equipment Management Committee (LMC) has released Equipment Advisory 26-001: Potential Front Driveline Joint Failure on 2018 and Earlier Ram Pickups. This advisory highlights multiple U.S. Forest Service regions reporting front driveline joint failure incidents.

This advisory recommends firefighters and fire managers to: 

  • Follow all Ram-issued inspection, maintenance, and service guidance for front driveline joints. 
  • Consider installing a driveline loop. 
  • Coordinate with fleet managers and service providers to determine the most appropriate driveline loop kit for each pickup.

For further details, please refer to the complete advisory.

References:

Equipment Advisory 26-001: Potential Front Driveline Joint Failure on 2018 and Earlier Ram Pickups

Technical Service Bulletin: 03-002-21