Skip to main content

6MFS

6MFS Committee

All 6MFS Topics

6MFS Calendar

Aviation

Airtankers

Felling Safety

Fire Communication

Firefighter Health & First Aid

Leadership

Misc Fireline Hazards

Operational Engagement

This Day in History

Vehicles - Roads

Weather - Fire Behavior

Week of Remembrance

2023 WOR: Yarnell Hill Fire 10-Year Anniversary

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

 

Yarnell Hill Fire 10-Year Anniversary

Today’s topic is dedicated to all fallen wildland firefighters. 
May we never stop learning.

 

On June 30, 2013, at 4:42 p.m., nineteen firefighters were killed on the Yarnell Hill fire in Arizona. The Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC) from the Prescott Fire Department was working on the south end of the fire, west of Yarnell, Arizona, when they were overrun.

“Yeah, I’m here with Granite Mountain Hotshots. Our escape route has been cut off. We are preparing a deployment site, and we are burning out around ourselves in the brush, and I’ll give you a call when we are under the ...shelters.”
—Eric Marsh, Granite Mountain Superintendent

The fire had a spread rate of 10 to 12 mph and cut off their escape route as the crew transitioned through unburned fuel from their lunch spot in the black to a local ranch that needed protection.

After quickly improving their deployment site and deploying their shelters close together, the fire overtook them. Unfortunately, the deployment site, located in a box canyon with heavy brush, caused direct flame contact to the shelters with temperatures of approximately 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. One crewmember, the lookout, was not with the crew at the time of their entrapment and was safely transported out of the area by another IHC.

Collaboration with several committees and agencies occurred following the accident to develop a Yarnell Hill Fire Serious Accident Investigation Team (SAIT) and a subsequent report. The report concentrated on helping wildland firefighters of the present and future learn from the tragedy through sense-making, reviewing decision points, and a video. This helped firefighters visualize what happened and how to best learn from the loss of the Granite Mountain IHC members. One recommendation from the report was that the State of Arizona lead an interagency effort to develop a Yarnell Hill Fire staff ride. The first staff ride of this incident began in 2017 and continues to provide lessons for upcoming firefighters while also remembering the members of Granite Mountain Hotshots.

 
This is our history. Learn from it today. Use it tomorrow.

Action and Discussion Items:

  • Watch the Yarnell Hill Fire briefing video provided in the resources section. After watching the video, discuss the events and ideas relayed in the video as a group. Discuss where you were when this incident occurred. Do you remember your initial feelings after hearing about the 19 fatalities? How has this incident changed your perspective after 10 years? Have you changed how you engage in tactics because of Yarnell Hill?
  • Look for staff rides near you that you can attend. They don’t need to be on a fire, (e.g., Gettysburg, Little Bighorn).
  • If you have been on a staff ride, discuss what it was like and the impact it had on you. If you participated in a staff ride outside of fire, how can you apply these lessons to wildland fire?
  • Honor and remember the lives of fallen firefighters throughout this week. Keep talking about these events and what has happened to bring change. Keep moving forward by implementing and learning these lessons.

Resources:

 

Category
Week of Remembrance

6MFS Suggestion Form


Have an idea or feedback?

Share it with the NWCG 6MFS Subcommittee
 


Follow NWCG on X and Facebook
 


 

Last Modified / Reviewed:

Print PDF

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