Mission Statement
The Emergency Medical Committee (EMC) provides national leadership in incident emergency medical services (EMS) for wildland fire personnel. The EMC establishes NWCG standards that support rapid delivery of high quality emergency medical services on national interagency wildland fire incidents.

- Establish wildland fire EMS operations, staffing, and equipment standards.
- Establish standards that enable system-wide accountability, including quality assurance, medical direction and oversight, provider credentialing, and records maintenance.
- Facilitate national mobility and availability of wildland fire EMS personnel.
- Establish standardized EMS data collection practices for wildland fire incidents.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders among the federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners in support of wildland fire EMS standardization and improvement efforts.
- Establish and regularly update wildland fire incident position standards related MEDL. This includes an incident position description and position requirements for training, experience, physical fitness, and position currency.
- Establish and regularly update training and performance support materials such as job aids, training courses, and position task books for MEDL.
Hot Topics
- Medical Unit COVID-19 Concept of Operations Plan
- Infectious Disease Guidance for Wildland Fire Incidents
- Equipment Bulletin 2019-01: Medical Kit Changes for 2019 Field Season
- IQCS Memo; Instructions for recording licenses and/or certificate in IQCS
Previous documents that have been listed under Hot Topics:
Featured Links:
- Clinical Treatment Guidelines for Wildland Fire Medical Units
- NASEMSO State Processes for Legal Recognition of EMTs for Wildand Fires
Medical Unit Toolbox:
- Activity Log - ICS 214
- General Message - ICS 213
- Medical Evaluation and Treatment Form
- Overhead Incident Request
- Record of Issues -NFES 1615 (doc)
- IMT Instructions for Managing Incident Records
- Known State Frequencies for Air Ambulance/Air MedEvac
Medical Incident Report Guidance
- Medical Incident Report and Instructions (ICS 206wf form)
Other Policy/Guidance Documents
- Emergency Medical Responder/Technician Licensing and Wilderness Medical Training Certification
- Infectious Diseases Guidelines For Wildland Fire Incident Management Teams
- Agency Administrator's Guide to Critical Incident Management, PMS 926
- Interagency Medical Qualifications Standards
- National EMS Scope of Practice Model
The NWCG EMC annually recognizes and honors individuals and/or organizations who have demonstrated outstanding work, actions or programs in emergency medical service for our Nation’s wildland firefighters.
The five Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Award categories include:
- Outstanding Wildfire EMS Individual of the Year
- Outstanding Wildfire EMS Squad/Crew/Team of the Year
- Outstanding Wildfire EMS Distinguished Service of the Year
- Excellence in Wildfire Emergency Medical Service/Rescue
- Janette Peterson Lifetime Achievement in Wildfire Emergency Medical Service
Read about the 2019 Winners
Previous winners: