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Policy Documents And Agency Guidelines

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The National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) and the Weather Information Management System (WIMS) are the principle applications used by the federal land management agencies to assess fire danger. At every scale, fire danger rating is a key consideration for staffing and prepositioning preparedness resources, regulating industrial activity, or placing restrictions on public lands. Because these assessments are used by and affect a wide variety of stakeholders including federal and state agencies, local governments, industrial and other private entities, as well as the general public, participation in a recognized fire danger system, and careful management of weather and fire data is vital to ensure accurate assessments and the consistent application of fire danger rating, especially for broader scale assessments. 

Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations (Red Book)  Chapter 10

Understanding risk is central to the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. Living with and managing wildland fire inherently involves facing uncertainty, success may well hinge on how risk is properly quantified and assessed. Evaluation of risk is made possible with modern evaluation tools at the planning level. Since wildland fire crosses and affects all lands and resources regardless of jurisdictional ownership, it becomes necessary for all jurisdictions to assess the level of risk and participate in establishing roles and responsibilities for mitigating threat.

These truths identified in the Cohesive Strategy clarify the need for interagency involvement; vertically from local to federal governments and horizontally across the entire nation.  Completing a zone level Fire Danger analysis cooperatively among all jurisdictions, implemented when planning for and responding to wildland fire activities align with National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy objectives.

Two Guiding Principles and Core Values are: 

  1. Fire Management decisions are based on the best available science, knowledge and experience, and used to evaluate risk versus gain.
  2. Federal agencies, local, state, Tribal governments support one another with wildfire response, including engagement in collaborative planning and the decision-making processes that take into account all lands and recognize the interdependence and statutory responsibilities among jurisdictions. 

A Direct Goal of the Cohesive Strategy Wildfire Response is:

All jurisdictions participate in making and implementing safe, effective, efficient risk-based wildfire management decisions. 

Although agency missions differ, an effective cohesive strategy must guide all organizations to recognize and accept each other’s management differences and promote a more cohesive response to the wildfire management challenges across all jurisdictions. 

Excerpts from A National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy aka 'The Cohesive Strategy':

NWCG Documents

No 19-002 National Fire Danger Rating System 2016 Release.

No 18-001 National Fire Danger Rating System 2016 Release

 

 

NWCG Latest Announcements

NEW! D-110, Expanded Dispatch Recorder Course Available Now

Date:  May 15, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Dispatch Position and Curriculum Management Subcommittee

NWCG is pleased to announce the new D-110, Expanded Dispatch Recorder (Instructor-led) course is now available on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP). Developed through the National Coordination System Committee, this course introduces the structure and function of expanded dispatch, the qualities of an effective dispatcher, and provides hands-on experience with the Interagency Resource Ordering Capability (IROC) system. 

The D-110, Expanded Dispatch Recorder course aligns with the competencies and duties outlined in the NWCG Incident Position Standards for Expanded Dispatch Recorder, PMS 350-59, and is designed for individuals with no prior experience who may be called upon to support dispatch operations.

References:

D-110, Expanded Dispatch Recorder (Instructor-Led)

Expanded Dispatch Recorder (EDRC), Position Page

NWCG Incident Position Standards for Expanded Dispatch Recorder, PMS 350-59

Wildland Fire Learning Portal

Leadership Committee IAP Flyer Now Available

Date:  May 8, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Leadership Committee

The NWCG Leadership Committee promotes and enables leadership development across the wildland fire service. The committee provides education, training opportunities, and support for leadership innovation and best practices throughout the community.

A new IAP flyer is now available on the committee website, offering an overview of the products, curriculum, and learning opportunities the Leadership Committee develops. This resource is ideal for posting in your office, sharing with new employees, or distributing through your incident management teams to engage new voices in the leadership journey and reinforce a culture of self‑reflection, development, and growth.

References:

Leadership Committee 2026 IAP Flyer

Incident Operations Subcommittee Updates the Next Generation Position Task Book for FFT1

Date:  May 7, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Incident Operations Subcommittee

The NWCG Incident Operations Subcommittee (IOSC) has updated the NWCG Position Task Book for Firefighter Type 1 (Squad Boss) (FFT1), PMS 311‑14. The FFT1 Position Task Book transitioned to the Next Generation (Next Gen PTB) format in June 2025 through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization effort. Since then, IOSC has received feedback from the wildland fire community regarding coding for one of the tasks. Task #13 has been updated to include the option of evaluation in a simulation.

See IOSC Memorandum 26‑01: Transition Plan for Implementation of Updates to the NWCG Position Task Book for Firefighter Type 1 (Squad Boss) (FFT1), PMS 311‑14 for more information.

References:

IOSC Memorandum 26-01: Transition Plan for Implementation of Updates to the NWCG Position Task Book for Firefighter Type 1

NWCG Firefighter Type 1 Squad Boss Position Page 

NEW! S-212, Intermediate Faller (Online) Course Available Now 

Date:  April 23, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Hazard Tree and Tree Felling Subcommittee

NWCG is pleased to announce that the new S‑212, Intermediate Faller (Online), course is now available on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP). This second course in the series provides students with the knowledge and skills required to perform the duties of an Intermediate Faller (FAL2), as described in the FAL2 Incident Position Description. This course is intended for individuals seeking to advance from Basic Faller (FAL3) to FAL2.

S‑212, Intermediate Faller is a fully online, self‑paced training program consisting of 13 units. Learners will engage with interactive, scenario‑based content designed to progressively build foundational skills and knowledge essential for the FAL2 role.

Students must be qualified as a Basic Faller (FAL3) prior to enrolling in S‑212, Intermediate Faller course.

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 2027.

References:

S-212 Intermediate Faller (Online)

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

Intermediate Faller (FAL2) Position Page

NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Chainsaw Operations, PMS 212