Mental Health Subcommittee

MHSC header graphic. Decorative. Images of firefighters overlaid on a forest fire in background. On the left positive words reflective of healthy mental state such as confidence, teamwork, friendships. On the right words indicating unhealthy stressors that may lead to poor mental health such as stress, time, expectations, no sleep, etc.

Mission Statement

The Mental Health Subcommittee (MHSC) provides national leadership in wildland firefighter mental health and wellness. The MHSC promotes and facilitates a national interagency approach to proactively identifying and addressing firefighter mental health.

⇒ Primary Objectives:

Photo of a line of wildland firefighters walking away, single file, down a path.

Develop NWCG guidance that enables firefighters and fire managers to recognize hazards to mental health and wellness and take effective prevention and mitigation actions.
Standardize processes for collecting and analyzing data on wildland firefighter mental health and wellness.
Use this data to inform development of NWCG wildland firefighter mental health and wellness guidance.
Provide a forum for all firefighters and managers to increase their knowledge of wildland firefighter mental health issues and contribute to improvements in this area.

Photo of a group of wildland firefighters carrying equipment and chainsaws walking up a steep hill while a helicopter flies in background.