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Interagency Helicopter Screening and Evaluation Subcommittee

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IHSES header graphic. Photo of a helicopter with a water bucket flying over mountains. Inset photos of a helicopter with a cable strung out in front of it, and another photo with a helicopter ground crew checking equipment in the helicopter. Decorative.
Mission Statement

Mission Statement

When requested the Interagency Helicopter Screening and Evaluation Subcommittee (IHSES) evaluates helicopters and related accessories for potential use in interagency fleet or contract helicopter operations.

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Primary Objectives

Photo of El Capitan with a temporary helibase located in foreground. Decorative.

  • Evaluation of aircraft and accessories which have no historic precedence in natural resource flight operations.
  • Develop guidance for nomination of potential aircraft and or accessories.
  • Establish, document and implement a standardized helicopter evaluation process. 
  • Establish, document and implement a standardized accessory evaluation process.

IHSES Standard Operating Procedures

Once an aircraft or accessory nomination has been approved by NIAC, the IHSES will

  • Develop an individual testing and evaluation plan for nominated aircraft and/or accessories tailored to the requesting agency or mission needs.  Plans will address, at minimum, the following 9 elements:  safety, performance, support requirements, field evaluation results, cost, advantages/disadvantages, policy, agreements and guides, recommended action (approve/disapprove).
  • Establish agreements for funding, contracting language, policy acceptations and any other required documentation to ensure testing can be completed.
  • Provide regular updates on IHSES activities, testing progression and accomplishments to NIAC.
  • Present test plan results to NIAC for approval.
  • Document NIAC's decision and maintain list of approved aircraft and accessories.

The IHSES will consist of three members to provide support during the development of the nomination and evaluation process.  Once an aircraft or accessory has been nominated and approved, the IHSES composition will be dictated by the scope of work.  Composition of the IHSES will depend extensively on the mission requirements of the nomination and the complexity of the test plan.

 

Chair: Bill Sloan

NWCG Coordinator: Dave Schultz

Parent Committee: National Interagency Aviation Committee

Meeting Schedule: TBD

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NWCG Latest Announcements

Updated NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515

Date: May 10, 2024
Contact: IFUASS Qualification and Curriculum Board (IFUASS) 

The 2024 revision of the NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515 is now available. PMS 515 standardizes the processes and procedures for interagency use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), including pilot inspections and approvals. This publication is now available as a PDF for easy use offline.

References:

NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515

Memorandum 24-003: Removal of Type 1 Command and General Staff (C&G) Incident Position Qualification Pathways

Date: May 10, 2024
Contact: Aitor Bidaburu 

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide NWCG direction for removal of the Type 1 Command and General Staff (C&G) incident position qualification pathways to transition to Complex Incident Management (CIM). Responders may continue to utilize available NWCG pathways to attain Type 1 C&G qualifications until December 31, 2024.

References:

Memorandum 24-003

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2024 Professional Reading Program

Date: April 26, 2024
Contact: Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program (WFLDP) 

The Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program is announcing the 2024 Professional Reading list! The intent of the Professional Reading Program is to promote the reading and discussion of these books throughout the year. Discussion guides are provided and the corresponding Wildland Fire Leadership Levels have been identified.

The five books chosen for this year are: Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean, The Wisdom of the Bullfrog by William H. McRaven, The Art of Clear Thinking by Hasard Lee, Emotional Agility by Susan David, and Writing to Persuade by Trish Hall.

References:

Professional Reading Program

Wildland Fire Leadership Levels

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Date: April 25, 2023
Contact: NWCG Training  

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) has migrated the training catalog from the NWCG website to the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP) as part of our ongoing efforts to streamline processes and improve efficiency. To facilitate this transition, the training catalog remains available on www.nwcg.gov through April 2024.

Starting May 2024, the training catalog will no longer be accessible on www.nwcg.gov. However, you can still access the complete training catalog by logging in as a guest to the WFLP.

References:

Wildland Fire Learning Portal