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RT-130, Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR)

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

WFSTAR 2025 Core Components Module Package

Local Topics

  • Fire Year In Review 2024

     

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    Illustration: Uniformed on strategy, tactics, and hazards.
    • Revisit significant events and statistics from the 2024 fire season. Identify lessons learned to prepare for the future. Explore intelligence sources to independently enhance big picture situational awareness.

Vehicle Safety Operations

  • Module (Driving the Miles)
    • This module explores the risk exposure associated with operating vehicles during wildland fire assignments. In it, we review rapid lesson sharing of vehicle incidents and common factors that caused them. In the end we hear from a Superintendent of an Interagency Hotshot Crew who addresses human factors, driving watch outs, and standard operating procedures to provide for driving safety within the wildland firefighting community.
       

Incident Reviews and Lessons Learned

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    Identify escape routes and safety zones, and make them known. A fire crew is walking through a meadow on a path lined with pink flagging.  Behind them, a fire is growing in heavy timber.

     Module (Bench Lake Fire Immersive Case Study)

    • A case study about a successful firefighting operation near Stanely, Idaho. Fire managers and support personnel protected a community from a threatening wildfire. This case study examines what factors and decisions led to their success and how we might emulate that success in future operations.
  • Module (Duvall Creek IWI Case Study)
    • A case study involving a medical extrication on a wildfire in western Oregon. The person in charge of the extrication had to decide the best method to get the patient to definitive medical care. This case study examines their decision and the factors they had to consider.

Fire and Aviation Operational Safety

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    Weather conditions can significantly impact fire behavior, and weather forecasts help firefighters anticipate changes. This Standard Firefighting Order shows a remote automated weather station (RAWS) which sends real-time weather information to incident fire personnel.

     Module (Line Is Clear)

    • Build a knowledge base by listening to three aerial firefighting experts explain best practices when utilizing aerial resources and clarify what it means for a line to be clear.
  • Module (Short-haul Capabilities and Limitations)
    • Understanding the capabilities and limitations of Short-haul operations will help you utilize a Short-haul resource effectively. Whether you’re a Duty Officer responsible for deciding what type of resource to send to a new incident in a remote area, or you are a first-year crewmember awaiting your first fire assignment, this module will help you make informed decisions in the field by providing insight into Short-haul operations relevant to all wildland firefighters.

Human Factors, Communication, and Decision Making

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    Watch Out Situations #5. Uninformed on strategy, tactics, and hazards.

     Module (Unmanned Aircraft Systems Capabilities and Limitations)

    • Agency operated Unmanned Aircraft Systems are becoming more prevalent and more capable every year. This video is designed to provide all firefighters with a baseline understanding of UAS capabilities and limitations. Through that lens the video covers typing, communications, integration in the Fire Traffic Area, decision making when ordering, and updates in the Incident Response pocket guide.
  • Module (Country Fire Deployment Case Study)
    • A case study involving a shelter deployment on a fire near Sacramento, California. An engine responding to an initial attack call was burned over after conditions rapidly and dramatically changed fire behavior. The two crewmembers were forced to use their fire shelters to survive. This case study examines the situation and their decisions.

Fire Shelters and Entrapment Avoidance

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Photo of deployed fire shelters.

Resources

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NWCG Latest Announcements

2025-2026 Wildland Fire Leadership Campaign: "Leadership Levels" Now Available

Date: October 15, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
Leadership Committee

NWCG is excited to announce the release of the Leadership Committee’s 2025–2026 Leadership Campaign, themed “Leadership Levels.” This annual initiative offers all students of leadership and wildland fire management an opportunity to engage with essential leadership skills and knowledge needed to lead effectively in dynamic environments.

The campaign is structured into four quarters and may be completed at any time between October 1, 2025 -December 31, 2026. Leadership levels will be released quarterly.

Quarter One materials are now available on the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program website and focus on Leadership Level 1, Follower (Self-Leadership).

References:

2025/2026 NWCG Leadership Campaign - Leadership Levels

Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program

Leadership Committee

Updated! L-280, Followership to Leadership (Instructor-led) Course

Date: October 3, 2024
Questions? Please contact:
Leadership Committee

NWCG is pleased to announce the updated L-280, Followership to Leadership (Instructor-led) course is now available. L-280 is intended for operational personnel at the Firefighter Type 1 level, and for individuals pursuing Leadership Level 2, New Leader. 

This instructor-led course is a primer on leadership and the second formal course in the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program. It helps emerging leaders build the confidence, skills, and mindset needed to lead effectively in high-risk environments. 

For more information about leadership development and available courses, visit the Leadership Committee Web Portal.

References:

L-280, Followership to Leadership (Instructor-led)

Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program

Wildland Fire Learning Portal

Equipment Advisory 25-01: Pre-2006 Fire Shelter Degradation and Discontinuation of Use

Date: Sept 26, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee 

The Equipment Technology Committee (ETC) has released Equipment Advisory 25-01: Pre-2006 Fire Shelter Degradation and Discontinuation of Use. This advisory recommends all pre-2006 fire shelters should be removed from service by January 1, 2026.

This advisory recommends firefighters and fire managers to:

  • Inspect fire shelters immediately
  • Replace and destroy any pre-2006 shelters (identified by white or pink insert label)
  • Order replacements as needed

For further details, please refer to the complete advisory. 

References:

Equipment Advisory 25-01: Pre-2006 Fire Shelter Degradation and Discontinuation of Use

NWCG Fire Inspection Flowchart, PMS 411-1

NWCG Alerts

NEW! S-219, Firing Operations (Blended) Now Available

Date: Sept 11, 2025
Questions? Please contact:
Fuels Management Committee 

The S-219, Firing Operations (Blended) course is now available on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal. Developed through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort, this training supports individuals working towards Firing Boss, Single Resource (FIRB) incident qualifications.

This blended course combines online and instructor-led training to provide students with the knowledge and skills required to perform the duties of the FIRB, as described in the NWCG Incident Position Standards for Firing Boss, Single Resource, PMS 350-105.

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-219, Firing Operations (Blended)

NWCG Firing Boss, Single Resource Position Page

Wildland Fire Learning Portal