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Minimum Impact Strategy and Tactics

Glossary Review Status
Staging
Review Comments

One agreed.  One:

Response on behalf of the NWCG Fuels Management Committee: The body of practices know as MIST was originally proposed by fire managers, but has been further developed and curated by the Wilderness community. As such, we advise against NWCG seeking a substantive change to the MIST title and definition without consultation and support from our Wilderness program managers from the respective USDA/DOI bureaus. An examination of existing teaching and reference materials in authoritative sources such as the Arthur Carhart Wilderness Training Center reveals that almost every training video, document and other reference is titled Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics.  To alter the name in NWCG glossary could cause unintended consequences for the Wilderness training program and make it more difficult to locate the applicable training and reference materials, especially if the Wilderness programs are unaware of these changes made by NWCG and do not take steps to update materials and titles to the new acronym.  We acknowledge the READ SC's intent and the fact that they have already adopted the rebranded acronym in PMS 313, however to maintain working relationships between fire and wilderness program areas in each of the affected agencies, confirmation that agency Wilderness program managers support this change is critical. If the READ SC has already done this, then good work, that addresses our concern. But if not, it is the Wilderness programs that provide much of the training in MIST to their staffs who act as READS in Wilderness settings, so our advice is that the Wilderness program managers be consulted and that deference be given to their preference for use of the old vs new MIST acronym.

Request Date
Type of Request
Revise
Steward(s)
Interagency Fire Planning Committee
Current Definition
The application of strategy and tactics that effectively meet suppression and resource objectives with the least environmental, cultural and social impacts. Also known as Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics
Proposed Definition

Changing the name from Minimum Impact Suppression Techniques (MIST) to Minimum Impact Strategy and Tactics

Comments due by
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References:

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References:

2024 NWCG Executive Board Annual Letter

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References:

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