National Wildfire Coordinating Group

S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior

S-190 Decorative banner. Group of photos depicting wildland firefighters performing various duties.

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Course Delivery Information

S-190 may be delivered as instructor-led (classroom) or self-directed (online) training.

NWCG training materials are being updated to reduce redundancy and conflict among overlapping documents.  Course-specific student workbooks will be replaced by standards-bearing NWCG publications - the documents that actually guide operations.  Instructor guidance will be integrated into PowerPoint presentations rather than located in separate documents.  Instructors may use the instructor guide file (exported from the PowerPoint presenter notes), view the notes in presentation mode, or export the notes into the desired format.

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.

See S-190 minimum instructor qualifications. 

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, daily, 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

Each student must be provided the following:

Technical Considerations

All presentations should be downloaded and tested before the start of class to ensure compatibility with software.

PowerPoint presentations are built in Microsoft Office 2016. Saving them in an earlier version of PowerPoint may prevent some features from working correctly. Instructor notes are built in to the presentation slides under Presenter Notes.

For help, visit the Microsoft Office website, https://support.office.com/en-us/powerpoint, or contact your local IT support personnel. 

Student Assessment

Knowledge checks are embedded in the S-190 course in the form of exercises and discussion questions. Knowledge checks are not graded; they are designed to encourage student engagement and class discussions, and to enable students to demonstrate understanding of course content.

The S-190 Student Evaluation Task Sheet provides a more formal method for students to demonstrate understanding of course content. The task sheet mimics the format and intent of the NWCG Position Task Book. Task sheets should be distributed during the Course Introduction.

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.

Self-Directed (Online) S-190 Delivery Instructions

This course is available in the NWCG Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP). Log on as a guest to search for S-190 or self-enroll directly. 

For those who do not have a WFLP account and cannot get one, the course is also available through National Fire Academy (NFA) Online. An NFA Online account is needed; follow the directions on NFA Online to obtain an account. Search for course title in the catalog and add the online course to your To-Do-List. NFA Online will track your progress. When all modules are successfully completed, you will receive a certificate. It is recommended you either print or save this certificate. 

 

 

 

Page Last Modified / Reviewed: 
2023-08-15

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