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Health Department Contact Information for Incident Management Teams (IMTs)

Source:  Wildland Fire Medical and Public health Advisory Team (MPHAT)

Upon resource order for the fire incident, the IMT should

  1. Locate the counties and the county health department where the fire is located
  2. Visit the county health and the state health department website to locate:
    1. The COVID-19 call numbers.
    2. The COVID- 19 contact (when available).
    3. Any information about how the county health department wants employers to respond or report COVID-19 cases.
  3. Before traveling to an incident call the county COVID-19 call line. You will likely leave a message or talk to an operator. Please be patient if you do not talk with a person or if your questions are not answered right away, public health authorities may be busy.
  4. If you are able to talk with someone, let them know about your IMT, the fire incident, your anticipated COVID procedures. Use the information below as a guide:
    1. Your name and your team.
    2. The fire name and approximate location.
    3. The IMT COVID-19 Coordinator name and contact information (if known).
    4. Approximate and anticipated number of workers coming on site.
    5. Any MPHAT/Agency/ICT COVID-19 policies or other pertinent information.
    6. Testing policies or actions (if known) including
      1. What the IMT plans to do with symptomatic individuals, close contacts, positive cases, and testing (if known). Use the back of this document as a starting point.
    7. How to engage and any guidance from the health department about their policies such as:
      1. Does the health department want regular check-ins from the IMT? If so, at what interval, who is the point of contact, and what information do they want to receive?
      2. When a worker becomes symptomatic, does the health department want to be notified and coordinate testing and follow-up care? If not, does the health department have recommendations on who in the county can provide care and where should the worker go to obtain a test.
      3. Hospital, urgent care, and testing locations.
      4. If the IMT is using point of care ‘rapid’ testing devices, how does the fire report results and at what interval to the health department?
      5. How engaged, what is the process for, and what will the timing be for case investigation and contact tracing and outbreak investigations?
        1. What is a workplace outbreak (more than 2 cases) and when does the county want to be notified and how?
      6. Is the health department in agreement with the IMT sending asymptomatic or mildly sick personnel to their home unit (away from this county). If so, does the health department have guidance?

 

Local and State Health Department Information
State Health Department COVID-19 Contact information including:
  • 24/7 phone number
  • Websites
  • Email addresses
  
Local Health Department COVID-19 Contact information including:
  • 24/7 phone number
  • Websites
  • Email addresses
  
Local County Health Department Point of Contact Name and Contact Information  

 

Health Department Guidance On
Check-in procedures
  • What interval?
  • Who is the point of contact?
  • What information should be shared?
  

Does the health department want to be notified of symptomatic workers at a fire? If yes, what is the process?

If not, where can workers receive care and obtain tests in the county?		  
Hospital, urgent care, and testing locations and names  
If testing is performed at a fire outside of a clinical laboratory (e.g., rapid point of care device testing) how does the IMT report results and at what interval to the health department?  
For case investigation and contact tracing, how engaged with the health department be, what is the process for this, and what will the timing be for these processes?  
What is a workplace outbreak (>2 cases) and when does the county want to be notified and how?  
Can the IMT send asymptomatic or mildly sick COVID-19 positive workers back to their home unit? If so, does the health department have guidance on this?  
Other guidance:


 		  

 

NWCG Latest Announcements

Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books Now Available for UASD, UASM, UASL and UASP

Date: July 31, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Interagency Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Subcommittee
 

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for all four Unmanned Aircraft Systems positions:

  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Data Specialist (UASD)
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Manager (UASM)
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Module Leader (UASL)
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems Pilot (UASP)

The Performance Support Packages for these positions were developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization effort. These resources support trainees, qualified personnel, and evaluators in their respective roles.

Any changes to qualification pathways will take effect with the next update of the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1, scheduled for January 2026.

References:

NWCG Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Data Specialist Position Page

NWCG Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Manager Position Page

NWCG Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Module Leader Position Page

NWCG Unmanned Aircraft Systems Pilot Position Page

Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books Now Available for RADO and INCM

Date: July 30, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Incident Logistics Subcommittee
 

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for Radio Operator (RADO) and Incident Communications Center Manager (INCM).

The Performance Support Packages for these positions were developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization effort. These resources support trainees, qualified personnel, and evaluators in their respective roles.

Any changes to qualification pathways will take effect with the next update of the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1, scheduled for January 2026.

References:

NWCG Radio Operator Position Page

NWCG Incident Communications Center Manager Position Page

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-004 NEW Aquatic Invasive Species – Golden Mussels

Date: July 29, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee
 

The Equipment Technology Committee (ETC) issued Equipment Bulletin: 25-004, notifying the wildland fire community about a newly discovered invasive species and actions to take if found. Golden mussels, a highly invasive species recently identified in California, pose a significant risk to native ecosystems, infrastructure, and fire equipment. These mussels rapidly colonize hard and soft surfaces, including aquatic plants and fire equipment, clogging pipes, fouling motors, disrupting water systems, and impacting native species.

To help prevent their spread, fire personnel must follow the decontamination procedures outlined in the NWCG Guide to Preventing Aquatic Invasive Species Transport by Wildland Fire Operations, PMS 444. Additionally, report any sightings immediately to your Lead Resource Advisor and include clear, close-up photos and location details.

Read the complete ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-004 to learn more. 

References:

NWCG Alerts

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-004

NWCG Guide to Preventing Aquatic Invasive Species Transport by Wildland Fire Operations, PMS 444

Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books Now Available for ICT5 and FFT1

Date: July 29, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Incident Command Subcommittee
Incident Operations Subcommittee

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for Incident Commander Type 5 (ICT5) and Firefighter Type 1 Squad Boss (FFT1).

The Performance Support Packages for these positions were developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization effort. These resources support trainees, qualified personnel, and evaluators in their respective roles.

Any changes to qualification pathways will take effect with the next update of the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1, scheduled for January 2026.

References:

NWCG Incident Commander Type 5 Position Page

NWCG Firefighter Type 1 Squad Boss Position Page