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PMS 411

PMS 411

Introduction

Fire Shelter History

Know Your Fire Shelter

Escape and Entrapment

Selecting Your Deployment Site

Deployment

During a Deployment

Training

Inspection and Care

After a Deployment

Project Reviews, Tech Tips, and Publications

Deployment Stories, Insights, and Reports

NWCG Standards for M-2002 Fire Shelters: Selecting Your Deployment Site

The characteristics of an effective deployment site have not changed. Your goal in selecting a deployment site is to keep the fire shelter away from heat, especially flames. Practice evaluating deployment sites so that you can recognize them quickly under stress. Identify effective sites whenever you are on the fireline so you know where they are before you need one.

A rocky mountain forest

1. Keep away from narrow draws, chutes, and chimneys. They tend to funnel smoke, flames, and hot gases that can damage your shelter.

A rocky mountain forest

2. Avoid saddles on ridgetops. They also funnel smoke and heat.


A dirt road in through wildland forest.

3. Flat areas on slopes, such as benches, or road cuts, offer some protection from radiant and convective heat. These level areas can keep you below the path of flame and convective heat. Do not deploy in the middle of a road if vehicles may be passing. A drainage ditch on the uphill side of a road cut can be an effective deployment site unless it contains fuels that could ignite and burn the shelter. Four firefighters deployed their fire shelters on this road during a burnover. All four survived with only minor burns.

A rocky mountain forest

4. Stay out of draws, even when deploying on a road.


Birds eye view of a smoke rising above trees in a forest
A rockslide with tall trees in the forefront
A rocky mountain forest.
5. Try to pick natural firebreaks such as wet meadows, wide streambeds, swampy areas, and rockslides.


A rocky mountain forest
A rocky mountain forest
6. Do not deploy in or next to tall or thick grass, small trees, trees with low branches, brush, piles of slash, or firefighting equipment such as packs, parachutes, tools, or chain saws. Firefighters have been burned because they deployed too close to such fuels. Large rockslides can be effective deployment sites, but you must stay away from brush and trees, and from fuels scattered in the rocks. Even though it can be difficult to hold the edges of the shelter down, large, jumbled rocks, rockslides sometimes offer the largest area free of fuels and may be the best option for deployment.


A rocky mountain forest

7. Ground fuels, such as grass, or tree litter, can ignite rapidly. Clear the deployment site to mineral soil if time allows. If time is critical, pick a site with the sparsest fuels.

A rocky mountain forest

8. Deploy fire shelters well away from thick vegetation such as the shrubby understory and trees.


A rocky mountain forest

9. Boulders, large rocks, buildings, vehicles, and equipment can provide buffers from the heat of the fire. Keep in mind that when vehicles, equipment, and buildings catch fire, they burn hot, and for a much longer duration than the vegetation around them. This can lead to shelters being exposed to heat for a prolonged period, well after the flame front has passed. This may keep firefighters in their shelters longer, exposed to prolonged levels of dangerous heat.

A rocky mountain forest

10. Avoid areas where rocks or logs can roll on you or snags can fall on you.


A rocky mountain forest

11. The lee side of a ridgetop can be an effective deployment site because the flames and hot gases tend to rise above the ridge. Fire intensity usually drops when fire reaches a ridge. But be alert for the possibility that firebrands might ignite fires below you on the lee side of the ridge.

A rocky mountain forest

12. Burned-out areas can be effective deployment sites if there is no fuel left to reburn. Be aware of residual heat and hotspots on the ground. Scrape the ground if possible to clear away any heat and burning materials. Burn injuries have occurred from firefighters deploying in the black that was still hot.


A rocky mountain forest
A rocky mountain forest
13. Wide areas that have been cleared of fuel, such as dozer lines or roads, can be good deployment sites, depending on the size of the area that has been cleared and the behavior of the fire.

 

A rocky mountain forest
A rocky mountain forest
14. Bodies of water can be adequate deployment zones, however you should be aware of several hazards if you find yourself having to use a body of water. Deployments can last from several minutes to an hour or more. If the water is over your head in depth, you may be at higher risk of drowning especially once your boots and clothing become waterlogged. Since water removes heat from the body much faster than air, you may be at risk of hypothermia from deployments in bodies of water. If there is a current to the water your fire shelter may be hard to hold on to or you may become entangled in your shelter and drown. The fire shelter’s ends can fill with water and become very heavy. For further information read this tech tip on deploying in bodies of water.

 

 
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2025/2026 Leadership Campaign Quarter 2 Now Available!

Date: February 13, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Leadership Committee

NWCG is excited to announce that the Quarter Two materials for the 2025/2026 Wildland Fire Leadership Campaign are now available! This annual initiative invites all leadership and wildland fire management students to engage with essential skills and knowledge needed to lead effectively in dynamic environments.

This quarter focuses on Leadership Level 2: New Leader (Conveying Intent). Conveying intent is a crucial leadership competency in the high-risk, dynamic environment of wildland firefighting. Months 4 - 6 will concentrate on how successfully conveying intent enhances situational awareness, promotes shared understanding, and empowers firefighters to exercise initiative and adapt to changing conditions.

References:

2025/2026 NWCG Leadership Campaign - Leadership Levels

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Opportunity to Serve the Wildland Fire Community as an IPTM SME!

Date: February 10, 2026
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Please contact: NWCG SME Specialist

NWCG is seeking experienced wildland firefighters and support personnel to serve as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) initiative. The intent of IPTM is to transition NWCG’s training and qualification system to a performance-based model through updated position descriptions, Incident Position Standards, Next Generation Position Task Books (Next Gen PTBs), and updates to training where needed.

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Projects begin April/May 2026 and require 15–20 hours per month for 6–8 months, including a five-day workshop in Boise, Idaho this May. Apply by February 27, 2026, at the link below and review the attached document for details.

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NEW! M-280, Resource Advisor, Fireline (Instructor-Led) Course Available Now

Date: January 29, 2026
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NWCG is pleased to announce the new M-280, Resource Advisor, Fireline (Instructor-Led) course is now available. This training supports individuals working towards Resource Advisor, Fireline (REAF) incident qualifications.

M-280, Resource Advisor, Fireline (Instructor-Led) training prepares students to serve as a Resource Advisor, Fireline (REAF) as defined in NWCG Incident Position Standards for Resource Advisor, Fireline, PMS 350-112. This course presents scenarios that reflect the diverse challenges a REAF may encounter during an incident. Through these scenarios, participants gain hands-on experience and an understanding of REAF responsibilities in a controlled learning environment.

References:

Resource Advisor, Fireline Position Page

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2026 Updates to the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1

Date: January 23, 2026
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Please contact: Incident and Position Standards Committee

The Incident and Position Standards Committee has updated the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1.

These updates address changes to incident position names and requirements for qualification, training, and experience. Updates related to the implementation of Complex Incident Management (CIM) and Incident Performance Training Modernization (IPTM) are also included.

The NWCG Wildland Fire Position Qualification Flowchart, PMS 308 has also been updated to reflect the recent changes.

References:

NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1

NWCG Wildland Fire Position Qualification Flowchart, PMS 308

IPSC Memo 26-01: January 2026 Updates to the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Positions Qualifications, PMS 310-1