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Hazard Tree and Tree Felling Subcommittee

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Mission Statement

Mission Statement

The Hazard Tree and Tree Felling Subcommittee (HTTFS) provides and promotes the application of an effective risk management process when working in hazard tree environments and conducting chain saw operations.

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Primary Objectives

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  • Provide products to assist in the identification and mitigation of risk factors and decision-making ability in the hazard tree environment.
  • Provide analysis and guidance to the interagency wildland fire community concerning tree hazard identification and mitigation, chain saw and cross-cut saw operations, and tree felling operations in wildland fire.
  • Produce various hazard tree training products and reference materials designed to reduce hazard tree related accidents and maintain consistency and standardization among the NWCG partners.

Assessment Toolbox

Individual Tree Risk Assessment Tools

Tree Felling Toolbox

Historical Documents

*This document is historical and is not currently accessible; please contact NWCG if you need assistance having the documents read.

Lessons Learned

OSHA Logging Toolbox

Fuel Geyser Awareness

Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations, Chapter 13 Firefighter Training and Qualifications

Region 1: Northern Region

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Region 2: Rocky Mountain Region

Region 3: Southwestern Region

  • No resources

Region 4: Intermountain Region

  • No resources

Region 5: Pacific Southwest Region

Region 6: Pacific Northwest Region

Region 8: Southern Region

  • No resources

Region 9: Eastern Region

  • No resources

Region 10: Alaska Region

Canada, British Columbia

West Wide

Miscellaneous

Contacts

6 Minutes For Safety Topics Related to HTTFS 

Chair: Guarino, Michael

NWCG Coordinator: Lee, Sarah

Parent Committee: Risk Management Committee

Meeting Schedule:

Monthly on the Second Tuesday

Page Last Modified or Reviewed:

NWCG Latest Announcements

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

Equipment Bulletin 25-002: Chaps, Chain Saw, M-2020, Nonconformities Affecting Use, Appearance, and Serviceability

Date: June 2, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee

The Equipment Technology Committee issued Equipment Bulletin: 25-002 to address a manufacturing nonconformity affecting Forest Service specification, 6170-4K Chain Saw Chaps. The issue applies to chaps manufactured in 2024 and 2025 and distributed through FedMall. These chaps may have incorrectly bound edges that expose inner protective layers.

Independent purchasers should inspect all chain saw chaps received from FedMall beginning in 2024, prior to use. Review the full Equipment Bulletin: 25-002 for inspection criteria and recommended actions.

References:

NWCG Alerts

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-002

2024 Wildland Fire Emergency Medical Service Awards

Date: May 22, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Emergency Medical Committee

The NWCG Emergency Medical Committee (EMC) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 Wildland Fire Emergency Medical Service Awards. Each year, EMC recognizes individuals and groups who have demonstrated exceptional actions or accomplishments that go above and beyond their normal mission or job duties.

Congratulations to all the awardees and nominees. Through leadership and initiative, they have made significant contributions to the safety and well-being of the wildland fire community. These honors are well deserved.

References:

2024 Wildland Fire EMS Awards

NWCG Emergency Medical Committee

NWCG Welcomes the Incident Management Teams Association as an Associate Member

Date: May 21, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
https://www.nwcg.gov/contact-us

The NWCG Executive Board is honored to announce that the Incident Management Teams Association (IMTA) has joined the National Wildfire Coordinating Group as an associate member.

IMTA is a dedicated group of incident management professionals committed to enhancing the profession by promoting standards and fostering collaboration across federal, state, local, Tribal, and private sector partners throughout all phases of incident management.

“Joining NWCG aligns with our mission to elevate incident management professionals nationwide,” said Dr. Randal Collins, President of IMTA. “This is a proud moment for all of us committed to advancing public safety.”

References:

Incident Management Teams Association

National Wildfire Coordinating Group