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Challenges: 2023 Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign - In Service Of Others

2023 campaign banner – In Service Of Others

Theme:

The theme for the 2023 Wildland Fire Leadership Campaign is “In Service Of Others.”

Book: 

Each participant should obtain a copy of Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership - Practicing the Wisdom of Leading by Serving by James W. Sipe and Don M. Frick.

Task:

The campaign is an opportunity for personnel at the local level - whether collectively or through self-development - to focus on leadership development activities relating to the national campaign theme.

Purpose:

  • To promote leadership development across the wildland fire community disciplines.
  • To provide an opportunity and resources that can be used for leadership development at the local unit level.
  • To collect innovative leadership development efforts and share those efforts across the community.

End State:

A culture that creates and shares innovative leadership development efforts in order to maintain superior leadership in the fire community.

Dates of Campaign:

Any time between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023.

Audience:

All students of leadership and fire (wildland fire personnel—line-going and support).

Implementation:

The campaign is flexible. Local units or teams may use or adapt any or all materials (weekly challenges, reading materials, blogs, etc.) found on the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program website and within the Wildland Fire Learning Portal, posted on our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger) or develop a program or activity of your own spotlighting the campaign theme. Campaign coordinators are encouraged to craft the campaign to the needs of the local unit and team. Innovation should fuel your campaign delivery: workshops or tailgate sessions, to kick off staff meetings, as a team activity or self-directed, etc.

2023 Campaign Activities

Challenge #1

​Effective leaders are servants first.

Challenge #2

Effective leaders commit to the growth of themselves and their people.

Book Study Discussion Questions:

  • What barriers exist for me to tell my story?
  • Who is your “League”?
  • Do you have, or have you had, such a deep-seated commitment to your “League”? If so, what was it that made you feel such loyalty?
  • How committed are you to the Wildland Fire Values (duty, respect and integrity) and Principles?
  • Do you personally need to experience something to learn from it? Is this the same view you have of those your serve?
  • “Does not each generation by means of suppression, concealment and ridicule, efface what the previous generation considered most important?” How does the following quote relate to the previous question?
    • “All history is remembered history.” – Colonel Eric Carlson, paraphrased from The Courage to Be by Paul Tillich
  • What are you personally seeking? (What is your Journey to the East?) What are "we" seeking as a wildland fire service?
  • Do you have someone on your team who looks out for the well-being of the team and identifies issues? Is it you or someone else?
  • Have you had a team member leave the team? How did this affect team cohesion?
    • If the member came back to the team, how was that member treated? How did the return affect team cohesion?
  • Have you ever "lost your way" along your journey? How did you/do you intend to get back on track?
  • How can we be individuals on a group mission?
  • How do we bring the past and the future into the present moment? (Answer personally and as a team in the wildland fire service.)
  • How do we mitigate getting so caught up in our own world that we fail to see the needs of others?

Challenge #3

Effective leaders commit to the growth of themselves and their people.

Book Study Discussion Questions:

  • Discuss a time of chaos when you felt alone.
  • Do you consider the wildland fire service a resilient organization?
  • How does a team move on without a leader/servant-leader?
  • Has politeness/respect lessened since you first joined your team?
  • Who/What provides the cohesion for your team?

Challenge #4

Effective leaders commit to the growth of themselves and their people.

Book Study Discussion Questions:

  • Reflecting upon the last couple of years living through a pandemic, was there a point you felt alone and without a leader? If so, how did you deal with the situation? Did you ever feel helpless? If so, have you recovered? What words of wisdom can you give others?
  • Has your passion for the thing you seek waned over time? If not, what helped keep the passion alive? If so, what do you intend to do (if you do) to revitalize that passion?
  • Who are the “elders” (those with knowledge and/or experience) in your sphere of influence?
  • How does a leader know when they can get no more from someone with whom they serve?

Challenge #5

Effective leaders commit to the growth of themselves and their people.

 Book Study Discussion Questions:

  • When were you the most happy?
  • Discuss your reaction to the following statement in Chapter 4:
    • “…what person really knows another or even himself?”
  • Do you have a support system within your team that engages in times of despair and need?
  • How do you handle personal mistakes? How does your team handle mistakes?

 

Campaign Archives

2022 Campaign bannerLearning in the Wildland Fire Service - Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign Reference Guide

2021 Campaign bannerSharpening Your Tools - Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign Reference Guide

2020 Campaign bannerDo You Know Who You Are - Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign Reference Guide

2019 Campaign bannerThe Art of Leadership - Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign Reference Guide

2018 campaign bannerNo 2018 Reference Guide - No awards given for 2018

2017 Reference Guide - No awards given for 2017

2016 Reference Guide - No awards given for 2016

2015 Reference Guide

Winner: Washington DNR, South Puget Sound Region

2014 Reference Guide

Winner: Ruby Mountain Hotshots

2013 Reference Guide

Winner: Boulder County Sheriff's Office, Special Operations Leadership Development

 

NWCG Latest Announcements

RMC Safety Bulletin 26-001: Rhabdomyolysis in Wildland Firefighters

Date:  May 28, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Risk Management Committee

The Risk Management Committee (RMC) has issued Safety Bulletin 26-001: Rhabdomyolysis in Wildland Firefighters. Research from 2016 to 2025 shows that 88 cases of rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) were reported. Analysis of reports from eSafety, the Safety Management Information System (SMIS), and the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center (LLC) indicates that rhabdo is common during this time of year due to Work Capacity Tests and contributing factors such as weather, hydration, nutrition, and medication or supplement use.

RMC issued this safety bulletin to raise awareness in the Wildland Fire Community, and to provide research findings and educational resources that support reducing future cases of rhabdo.

References:

NWCG Alerts

RMC Safety Bulletin 26-001: Rhabdomyolysis in Wildland Firefighters

NEW! D-110, Expanded Dispatch Recorder Course Available Now

Date:  May 15, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Dispatch Position and Curriculum Management Subcommittee

NWCG is pleased to announce the new D-110, Expanded Dispatch Recorder (Instructor-led) course is now available on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP). Developed through the National Coordination System Committee, this course introduces the structure and function of expanded dispatch, the qualities of an effective dispatcher, and provides hands-on experience with the Interagency Resource Ordering Capability (IROC) system. 

The D-110, Expanded Dispatch Recorder course aligns with the competencies and duties outlined in the NWCG Incident Position Standards for Expanded Dispatch Recorder, PMS 350-59, and is designed for individuals with no prior experience who may be called upon to support dispatch operations.

References:

D-110, Expanded Dispatch Recorder (Instructor-Led)

Expanded Dispatch Recorder (EDRC), Position Page

NWCG Incident Position Standards for Expanded Dispatch Recorder, PMS 350-59

Wildland Fire Learning Portal

Leadership Committee IAP Flyer Now Available

Date:  May 8, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Leadership Committee

The NWCG Leadership Committee promotes and enables leadership development across the wildland fire service. The committee provides education, training opportunities, and support for leadership innovation and best practices throughout the community.

A new IAP flyer is now available on the committee website, offering an overview of the products, curriculum, and learning opportunities the Leadership Committee develops. This resource is ideal for posting in your office, sharing with new employees, or distributing through your incident management teams to engage new voices in the leadership journey and reinforce a culture of self‑reflection, development, and growth.

References:

Leadership Committee 2026 IAP Flyer

Incident Operations Subcommittee Updates the Next Generation Position Task Book for FFT1

Date:  May 7, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Incident Operations Subcommittee

The NWCG Incident Operations Subcommittee (IOSC) has updated the NWCG Position Task Book for Firefighter Type 1 (Squad Boss) (FFT1), PMS 311‑14. The FFT1 Position Task Book transitioned to the Next Generation (Next Gen PTB) format in June 2025 through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization effort. Since then, IOSC has received feedback from the wildland fire community regarding coding for one of the tasks. Task #13 has been updated to include the option of evaluation in a simulation.

See IOSC Memorandum 26‑01: Transition Plan for Implementation of Updates to the NWCG Position Task Book for Firefighter Type 1 (Squad Boss) (FFT1), PMS 311‑14 for more information.

References:

IOSC Memorandum 26-01: Transition Plan for Implementation of Updates to the NWCG Position Task Book for Firefighter Type 1

NWCG Firefighter Type 1 Squad Boss Position Page