National Wildfire Coordinating Group

Incident Medical Unit Subcommittee

IMUS header graphic. Decorative.

Mission Statement

The Incident Medical Unit Subcommittee provides leadership in all areas of medical response and services of wildland fire incident Medical Units, with the focus of modernizing and standardizing medical unit processes and capacity to rapidly assess, treat and/or transport sick and injured firefighters and incident support personnel.

Primary Objectives

Team of emergency responders extracting person on stretcher.  Decorative.

  • Modernize the incident medical organization to match Agency Administrator, incident responder expectations and operational needs. 
  • Develop and maintain wildland fire scope of practice for medical practitioners operating as a part of an incident Medical Unit.  
  • Address issuance of narcotics and providers across state lines, garnering support of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).  
  • 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.
  • Develop telemedicine standards and practices for incident Medical Units.  

Hot Topics

Featured Links:

Medical Unit Toolbox:

Medical Incident Report Guidance

Resources for Medical Units:

Limited Request for Recognition:

Hospitals, Burn Centers, Air Ambulance

This section is for the EMS individuals with the primary responsibility to organize and manage an effective and efficient medical unit for a wildland fire or all-risk incident. Whether you're a medical unit leader (MEDL), incident medical specialist manager (IMSM), or involved with the fire medic program, this site will help you develop the medical unit quickly and also serve as a resource for you.

The forms and templates provided here will help you get started quickly and accurately. It is your responsibility to verify the information on these forms and websites provided. The procedures, information, and forms may change periodically before it can be posted.

Note: Many states require certified/licensed EMS personnel to carry on their person their current EMS credentials at all times. It is recommended that all wildland/all-risk EMS resources do so as well.

Hospital Resources

Burn Center:

Air Ambulance:

 

 

 

Chair: 
Alan Sinclair
NWCG Coordinator: 
Carmen Thomason
Parent Committee: 
Meeting Schedule: 
TBD
Page Last Modified / Reviewed: 
2023-03-20