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Week of Remembrance

2017 WOR Day 7: Leadership and South Canyon

Ribbon symbol for survivor next to the Wildland Fire Leadership logoWeek of Remembrance June 30-July 6, 2017

Today is dedicated to the 14 firefighters that lost their lives on Storm King Mountain in Colorado 23 years ago today.

On July 6, 1994, 14 wildland firefighters lost the lives on the South Canyon fire near Glenwood Springs, CO. The Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program was created as an interagency effort following this tragic event. Since 2002, the program has helped develop today’s fire leaders as well as casting eyes forward to the needs of future fire leaders. The program honors those who gave the ultimate sacrifice by promoting a safe fire suppression culture led by good leaders.

Background

Leadership, or problems associated with its practice on the fireline, has been cited frequently as a factor contributing to wildland fire accidents in accident investigation reports and management reviews for many years. The importance of leadership on fires has been echoed time and again. In the Final Report of the Interagency Management Review Team on the South Canyon Fire, published June 26, 1995, the statement is made that "attitudes and leadership are universal factors that influence safe fire suppression." A few years later, the "Wildland Firefighter Safety Awareness Study, Phase III" (Tri-Data report) was published. It contained numerous goals and implementation strategies related to leadership and leadership training.

  • Goal 69: "Provide supervisors with training in leadership and supervisory skills."
  • Goal 74: "Prepare leaders for decision-making under stress."6 minutes for safety leadership logo

2017 Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign – Leading Authentically

Task: This is an opportunity for personnel at the local level—whether collectively or through self-development—to focus and create leadership development activities relating to the national campaign theme. Some guiding questions to think about when creating leadership development activities for your unit, crew, forest, etc. are:

  • What does leading authentically mean?
  • Why is leading authentically important?
  • What are some ways to develop quality authentic leadership in the self and others?

Purpose:

  • To promote leadership development across the wildland fire community disciplines.
  • To provide an opportunity and resources that can be used for leadership development at the local unit level.
  • To collect innovative leadership development efforts and share those efforts across the community.

End State: A culture that creates and shares innovative leadership development efforts in order to maintain superior leadership in the fire community.

 

Category
Week of Remembrance
References
Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program website
2017 Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign - Leading Authentically
PMS 494-2: Leading in the Wildland Fire Service

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NWCG Latest Announcements

NWCG Website Migration

Date: April 01, 2024
Contact: NWCG Webmaster

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group is thrilled to announce a significant upgrade to https://www.nwcg.gov, involving a comprehensive redesign of over 7,000 web pages. This enhancement is focused on improving user experience. The migration to the new NWCG website will commence on April 2, 2024, starting at noon EST and is expected to take a few hours. 

During the migration period, as the www.nwcg.gov domain-name-location updates across the Internet, you might encounter either the current or the new site depending on your location. We request your patience during this transition. If you are not redirected to the new site by April 3, 2024, we recommend clearing your browser’s cache and refreshing the page.

Please note that while navigating the revamped website, there may be instances of broken links or errors. Our dedicated web migration team has made significant efforts to minimize such issues prior to launch and will promptly address any that arise via use of analytic reports. We value your patience and understanding as we work towards enhancing your overall website experience.

WFSTAR 2023 Year in Review and 2024 Core Component Module Packages Available

Date: March 6, 2024
Contact: Joe Schindel 

The 2023 Fire Year in Review module and 2024 Core Component Module Packages for RT-130, Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR) are now available on the NWCG website. The 2024 Core Component Module Package provides all content needed to deliver RT-130.

 

References:

WFSTAR 2023 Fire Year in Review module

WFSTAR 2024 Core Component Module Packages

2024 NWCG Executive Board Annual Letter

Date: March 6, 2024
Contact: NWCG

The NWCG Executive Board is privileged to share with you the 2024 NWCG Executive Board Annual Letter. As we look into the future and navigate an incredibly complex and dynamic environment, we must remain focused on our mission while actively engaging in national conversations regarding numerous wildland fire initiatives. In 2024, we prioritize building upon our successes and committing to continuous improvement. Key priorities and considerations for this year include: 

  • Determining Core Workload
  • Ensuring Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) Success
  • Improving Efficiencies
  • Firefighter Health and Wellness
  • Engagement in National Conversations

Together we will continue to make significant strides in the challenging and vital work that lies ahead. 

 

References:

2024 NWCG Executive Board Annual Letter

NWCG Welcomes NASA

Date: February 22, 2024
Contact: NWCG

NWCG welcomes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as an associate member.

“As wildfires become larger and more frequent, NASA is working to apply our scientific and technological knowledge toward this national challenge, and integral to our approach is forging collaborative partnerships,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. 

 

References:

NASA News Release

NWCG