National Wildfire Coordinating Group

WFSTAR, Course Delivery Information

RT-130 Decorative banner. Group of photos depicting wildland firefighters performing various duties.

RT-130 is delivered as an Instructor-Led Training. Instructor-Led Training (ILT) is usually conducted in a classroom, face to face setting.

There are circumstances where it is beneficial to deliver RT-130 training virtually (VILT). See guidance on the option for virtual delivery. The Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP) is available for RT-130 training.

RT-130 is not available as a Self-Directed (Online) training. To receive credit for course completion, students must complete a session of RT-130 with qualified instructors who monitor the quality of the training.

The hands-on fire shelter proficiency drills must be performed by each participant. An individual qualified as a unit instructor (or higher) must monitor the completion of the proficiency drill.

Expectations of Instructors

  • Prepare thoroughly. Study the course content you are going to teach.
  • Establish a collaborative and constructive classroom environment.
  • Communicate expectations.
  • Encourage student engagement.
  • Respect student diversity in backgrounds, talent, experience, and learning style.
  • Professionally represent your instructor cadre, your home unit, and your agency.

Course Guidance

Course coordinators and instructors should be thoroughly familiar with the NWCG Standards for Course Delivery, PMS 901-1.  The NWCG Standards for Course Delivery establishes standards for all aspects of NWCG training course management and delivery. These standards should be used in conjunction with the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1, and the course-specific guidance stated in the NWCG Training Catalog.

Minimum Instructor Qualifications

Minimum Instructor Qualifications Requirements have been established for instructors for RT-130. These requirements will ensure that an appropriate level of expertise and knowledge is available to facilitate refresher training exercises and discussions.

  • Lead instructor must be a qualified single resource boss.
  • Unit instructors must be qualified firefighters type 1 (FFT1).
  • Adjunct instructors may be utilized to provide limited instruction in specialized knowledge and skills at the discretion of the lead instructor. They must be experienced, proficient and knowledgeable of current issues in their field of expertise.
  • All instructors will need the knowledge and skills to utilize current educational technology as it relates to Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (RT-130) content, such as video streaming, downloading interactive videos, and use of mobile applications and devices.
  • Instructors must be prepared to facilitate a quality refresher that engages all students regardless of ICS qualification or experience level.

See Instructor Standards Section for more information.

Recommended Class Size

Recommended class size is 24 students.  Instructors should maintain a 6:1 ratio of students to instructors/coaches to facilitate exercises and discussion and to enable strong mentorship to the students. 

Cadre Meetings

Conduct initial, pre-course, and close-out instructor cadre meetings. These provide opportunities to plan, organize, preview materials, review training and exercises, and identify and address concerns and issues. Consider using an informal After Action Review process. Instructor cadre meetings are critical for instructors who do not have previous experience with the course.  Additional information is located in the NWCG Standards for Course Delivery, PMS 901-1.

Course Materials

This is a list of equipment and materials that you will need to facilitate a RT-130. If there are additional items needed, that will be in the Module Tools section below the videos you choose.

  • Desktop computer, laptop, or tablet with Internet with connection to YouTube, or
    • Ability to download modules from WFSTAR website
    • Ability to play media files
  • Large screen or projection device for classroom visibility
  • Flip chart(s) or dry erase board with markers
  • Facilitator Guide available within Module Resources on the module page
  • Incident Response Pocket Guide (IRPG), PMS 461 for each student
  • Sign-in sheet/training documentation form
  • Optional: New Generation Fire Shelter video, NFES #2711
  • Optional: The New Generation Fire Shelter booklet, NFES #2710
  • Optional: Materials for games which may be utilized to enhance refresher

Course Evaluations

Use the NWCG Course Evaluation Feedback form to collect information critical to future training improvements.

Students and cadre members are asked to contribute course evaluations. Input is welcome on all aspects of the training course, including course content, pre-course work, reference materials, quality of instruction, delivery methods, and testing procedures.

Your Goal

  1. Lead a quality refresher by engaging all students through meaningful discussion no matter their qualification or firefighting experience.
  2. Meet the objectives of each module being taught.

Classes with a wide array of experiences and qualifications can provide an excellent mentoring opportunity for the less experienced and for the more experienced to rethink old habits. But to facilitate a refresher well, you will need to spend some time to prepare.

Preparation

  • Review the module resources and video (when supplied) prior to delivering a class.
  • Become familiar with the classroom space and practice the technology.
  • Prepare any handouts, flipcharts, or visuals used in the module.
  • Know your audience.
    • What are their incident management roles?
    • What agencies and regions are the audience from?
    • What questions might you anticipate from the audience?

Tips

  • Answers to questions should align with the standards, policies, and guidelines. Good idea to have an Incident Response Pocket Guide (IRPG), PMS 461 and Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations (Red Book) handy during the refresher.
  • Ask open-ended questions to facilitate a deeper discussion. Questions in a closed-ended manner typically result in either a “Yes” or “No” answer.
    • Example:
      • Closed-ended, “Do you think it will rain?”
      • Open-ended, “What is the likelihood we will see rain today? Why?”
  • Establish some ground rules and also ask the class for ground rules.
    • Example:   “What is said in this room stays in this room.”
  • Participation is key! If you are talking more than 40% of the time, reduce your talk time and make more time for audience participation.
  • After asking a question, wait 10 seconds for responses.
  • Asked to be mentored by a respected, experienced facilitator.

Module Summary

The module summary is a valuable moment to reinforce why the module information should be important and relevant to the students.

Summarize a module by:

  • Reviewing the key points of the refresher.
  • Asking the students to summarize why THEY thought the information was important to them.
  • Asking for questions.
  • Providing ideas for continued self-development on the module topic.

 

Page Last Modified / Reviewed: 
2022-11-28

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