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National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG)

About Us

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What We Do
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How To Get Involved
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Our Mission

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) provides national leadership to enable interoperable wildland fire operations among federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial partners.  

Our Priorities

  • Establish national interagency wildland fire operations standards. Recognize that the decision to adopt standards is made independently by the NWCG members and communicated through their respective directives systems.
  • Establish wildland fire position standards, qualifications requirements, and performance support capabilities (e.g. training courses, job aids) that enable implementation of NWCG standards.
  • Support the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy goals: to restore and maintain resilient landscapes; create fire adapted communities; and respond to wildfires safely and effectively.
  • Establish information technology (IT) capability requirements for wildland fire.
  • Ensure that all NWCG activities contribute to safe, effective, and coordinated national interagency wildland fire operations.

Our Standards

NWCG standards establish common practices and requirements that enable efficient and coordinated national interagency wildland fire operations. These standards may include guidelines, procedures, processes, best practices, specifications, techniques, and methods. NWCG standards are interagency by design; however, the decision to adopt and utilize them is made independently by the individual member agencies and communicated through their respective directives systems.

Incident Position standards are a component of NWCG standards. They enable consistent and uniform performance by personnel mobilized by position under NIMS-ICS principles. Incident position standards include incident position descriptions (duties and responsibilities) and position qualification requirements for training, experience, physical fitness, and position currency.

NWCG Executive Board

The  NWCG Executive Board  is comprised of appointed representatives from the member entities. The Executive Board provides leadership, strategic direction, and managerial oversight of all aspects of NWCG management and operations. The Executive Board Members work in a collective, collaborative, and consensus-seeking manner to accomplish the NWCG mission.

NWCG Committees

NWCG committees and subgroups  are organized to accomplish the overall NWCG mission. They provide leadership within the major functional areas of wildland fire management.

Primary Members

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Bureau of Indian Affairs Logo
Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (BIA,DOI)
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Bureau of Land Management Logo
Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior (BLM,DOI)
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Fish & Wildlife Service Logo
Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (FWS, DOI)
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Forest Service Logo
Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (FS, USDA)
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International Association of Fire Chiefs
International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)
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Intertribal Timber Council Logo
Intertribal Timber Council (ITC)
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State Foresters Logo
National Association of State Foresters (NASF)
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National Park Service Logo
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (NPS, DOI)
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Department of Defense Logo
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
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U.S. Fire Administration Logo
U.S. Fire Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency (USFA, FEMA)

Associate Members

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Incident Management Teams Association logo
Incident Management Teams Association (IMTA)
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Department of the Interior Logo
Office of Wildland Fire, U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)
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National Weather Service Logo
National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
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NASA Logo
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

 

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) was established in 1976 through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior. The memorandum defined the function and purpose of NWCG as follows:

“To establish an operational group designed to coordinate programs of the participating agencies so as to avoid wasteful duplication and to provide a means of constructively working together.  Its goal is to provide more effective execution of each agency’s fire management program.  The Group provides a formalized system to agree upon standards of training, equipment, aircraft, suppression priorities, and other operational areas.  Agreed upon policies, standards, and procedures are implemented directly through regular agency channels.” 

Twelve “working teams” and a number of sub-teams, comprised of member agency leaders and experts in various fields, were established in functional areas such as fire equipment, fire weather, incident operations, training, and incident business. These teams led the initial effort to achieve a broad national standardization in key areas of wildland fire management.

Listed in the order of which they joined, current NWCG members are:

Seventeen primary committees and a number of subordinate groups - again representing the key functional areas in wildland fire management - continue the work of their predecessors. And although individual members are different and agency membership has evolved, the primary mission remains largely unchanged. NWCG continues to provide leadership for a seamless response to wildland fire across the nation.

NWCG Latest Announcements

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

NWCG Committees Observe Suicide Prevention Awareness Week: September 7-13, 2025

Date: Sep 5, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
Mental Health Subcommittee

The NWCG Mental Health Subcommittee (MHSC) and Risk Management Committee (RMC) recognize the unique challenges and demands faced by the wildland fire community. The MHSC and RMC know that we are all stronger together and believe in fostering a culture of support, understanding, and resilience.

Suicide Prevention Awareness encourages us to actively connect with and support each other. For more information that could make a difference for yourself or someone else please review the materials and resources provided for the 2025 Suicide Prevention Awareness Week.

References:

2025 Suicide Prevention Awareness Week Materials and Resources