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National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG)

About Us

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What We Do
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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.

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
The 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

2025 Week of Remembrance

Date: June 27, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
6 Minutes for Safety Subcommittee

As we approach the 2025 Week of Remembrance (WOR), June 30–July 6, we dedicate this time to reflect on the past incidents from 2015 and honor the fallen through learning. Since its inception in 2014, WOR has honored wildland firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice while encouraging critical discussions that reinforce lessons learned.

Throughout the week, we encourage thoughtful and generative conversations—whether in briefing rooms or at tailgates—that promote a culture of continuous learning and safety.

References:

2025 Week of Remembrance: Letter to Leadership

Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-003 Flame-Resistant Shirt Survey

Date: June 12, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee

The U.S. Forest Service National Technology and Development Program (NTDP) is seeking input on the Forest Service-designed flame-resistant (FR) shirt, currently available through the National Interagency Support Cache system and FedMall.

NTDP is conducting a product review to improve future FR shirt designs. As part of this effort, a short survey is now open for federal employees who have worn any of three recent FR shirt models. Feedback will guide design improvements to better meet the needs of wildland firefighters.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act, responses are limited to federal employees. The survey is open through September 12, 2025. 

References:

NWCG Alerts

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-003

NEW! S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended) Now Available

Date: June 10, 2025
If you have questions, please visit our FAQ page. 
If your question is not answered there, you can 
submit your question using our Contact Us form. 
 

The S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended), equips new wildland firefighters with essential skills through a mix of online learning and hands-on training. The course features a required online component and an instructor-led exercise, reinforcing online concepts with practical performance-based training.

The course builds competencies in wildland fire operations, safety, and equipment use, applicable across various operational environments. Both the online component and instructor-led field exercise must be completed to receive a certificate of completion. Students are required to finish the prerequisite S-190, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior, before enrolling in S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended).

References:

S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended)

S-190, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior

Wildland Fire Learning Portal

EMC Memo 25-001: Interim Rapid Extraction Module (REMS) Training and Qualification Requirements

Date: June 3, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Emergency Medical Committee

The Emergency Medical Committee has issued interim guidance for Rapid Extraction Module Support (REMS) teams. Until further notice, Type I and II REMS teams must designate a team leader qualified at Firefighter Type 1 Squad Boss (FFT1) or higher. This temporary change replaces the Single Resource Boss (SRB) requirement, which is currently not feasible due to administrative barriers.

This memorandum does not include any other changes to the NWCG Standards for Rapid Extraction Module Support, PMS 552. This interim change takes effect immediately and will remain in place until further notice.

References:

EMC Memo 25-001: Interim Rapid Extraction Module (REMS) Training and Qualification Requirements

NWCG Standards for Rapid Extraction Module Support, PMS 552