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

Locate the counties and the county health department where the fire is located
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.
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.
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

NEW! S-290, Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (Blended) Available Now

Date: Aug 15, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
Fire Behavior Subcommittee

NWCG is excited to announce that the S-290, Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (Blended) training is now available on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal. S-290 (Blended) training combines online training and instructor-led training components that support individuals working towards any Single Resource Boss or Fire Effects Monitor incident qualifications.

This second course in the series collectively serves to develop fire behavior prediction knowledge and skills, and provides more detailed information on fuels, weather, and topography that affect wildland fire behavior for safety purposes.

Students are required to finish the prerequisite S-190, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior, before enrolling in S-290, Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (Blended).

References:

S-290, Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (Blended)

S-190, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior

Wildland Fire Learning Portal

NEW! S-271, Helicopter Crewmember (Blended) Now Available

Date: Aug 14, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
Interagency Helicopter Operations Subcommittee

The S-271, Helicopter Crewmember (Blended) is now available. Developed through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort, this training supports individuals working towards Helicopter Crewmember (HECM) incident qualifications.

S-271, Helicopter Crewmember (Blended) training combines online training and instructor-led training components. This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the duties of the HECM position, as described in the NWCG Incident Position Standards for Helicopter Crewmember, PMS 350-22.

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:

S-271, Helicopter Crewmember (Blended)

NWCG Helicopter Crewmember (HECM) Position Page

Wildland Fire Learning Portal

Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Books Now Available for FBAN and LTAN

Date: Aug 13, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
Fire Behavior Subcommittee

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for Fire Behavior Analyst (FBAN) and Long Term Fire Analyst (LTAN).

The Performance Support Packages for these positions were developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) 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 Fire Behavior Analyst Position Page

NWCG Long Term Fire Analyst Page

ETC/RMC Safety Bulletin: 25-001 New Guidance on Laundering Wildland Fire Clothing to Reduce Contamination

Date: Aug 8, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee
Risk Management Committee

The Equipment Technology Committee (ETC) and the Risk Management Committee (RMC) have issued Safety Bulletin 25-001: Laundering to Decontaminate Wildland Fire Clothing. Recent research revealed that wildland fire flame-resistant pants and shirts can be contaminated with chemicals from combustion byproducts, including carcinogens, and that common laundering practices can effectively remove these harmful contaminants from wildland firefighter clothing more effectively than previously understood. It is recommended to decontaminate wildland fire clothing as frequently as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions about this new information and how to implement recommendations can be found on the NWCG Alerts page. Read the complete ETC/RMC Safety Bulletin: 25-001 to learn more.