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

RT-130 Decorative banner. Group of wildland firefighters hiking down a valley to a fire. Black topo map and WFSTAR logo on left.

Devils Creek Fire

Review the events of the Devils Creek Fire Entrapment and discuss significant lessons learned.
Category: Operations
Core Component(s):
Local Topics, Incident Reviews and Lessons Learned, Fire and Aviation Operational Safety, Human Factors, Communication and Decision Making, Fire Shelters and Entrapment Avoidance
Estimated Delivery Time: 30 minutes
Video Length: 4:01

Remote Video

Intent

Review the events of the Devils Creek fire and discuss significant lessons learned.

Facilitator Preparation

  • Review the video, module tools, and additional resources listed below.
  • Consider additional activities and discussion questions pertinent to the location and agency.

Facilitating the Discussion

  • Show the video.
  • Facilitate a discussion using the discussion questions below.
  • Conduct additional activities if pertinent to your location.

Discussion Questions

  1. On the Devils Creek fire, a complex firing operation rapidly devolved into a multi-casualty incident. How can you prepare for the worst-case scenario?
    1. How do you ensure resource accountability during unforeseen events?
    2. Have you used trigger points in the past? How will you adjust your view or use of trigger points based on this event?
    3. What is your local response plan for medical emergencies?
  2. The Serious Accident Investigation reminds us “Always wear PPE (including gloves) when working on the fireline, as conditions can change rapidly and put firefighters in jeopardy of burn injuries. Consider using a shroud to protect the head, neck, and face from heat when working on the fireline.”
    1. Do you wear all articles of personal protective equipment (PPE) all the time, regardless of fireline conditions? How might you adjust your habits or PPE configuration to be better prepared for rapid changes?
    2. Discuss the importance of wearing proper PPE. How did PPE mitigate the severity of injures on this incident?
  3. As stated in the Serious Accident Investigation, “Radio communication in this area has been a constant and well-documented problem on the district. The incident relied on the cell phone as a single point of communication. This normalization of risk could easily have been a contributing factor.”
    1. Recall a time when communication issues created difficulties for you on an incident. How did you mitigate the problem?
    2. Are cell phones an acceptable method of incident communication? Why or why not?

Resources

Additional Video Information

This video is also available as a download  (zip file, size 52MB) with .srt file for closed captioning (you may need to right click and Save As). For information on how to add closed captioning to a video, see this how to page.

Note: For Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, right click the word download and select Save Link As; for IE, right click and select Save Target As.

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NWCG Latest Announcements

Leadership Committee IAP Flyer Now Available

Date:  May 8, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Leadership Committee

The NWCG Leadership Committee promotes and enables leadership development across the wildland fire service. The committee provides education, training opportunities, and support for leadership innovation and best practices throughout the community.

A new IAP flyer is now available on the committee website, offering an overview of the products, curriculum, and learning opportunities the Leadership Committee develops. This resource is ideal for posting in your office, sharing with new employees, or distributing through your incident management teams to engage new voices in the leadership journey and reinforce a culture of self‑reflection, development, and growth.

References:

Leadership Committee 2026 IAP Flyer

Incident Operations Subcommittee Updates the Next Generation Position Task Book for FFT1

Date:  May 7, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Incident Operations Subcommittee

The NWCG Incident Operations Subcommittee (IOSC) has updated the NWCG Position Task Book for Firefighter Type 1 (Squad Boss) (FFT1), PMS 311‑14. The FFT1 Position Task Book transitioned to the Next Generation (Next Gen PTB) format in June 2025 through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization effort. Since then, IOSC has received feedback from the wildland fire community regarding coding for one of the tasks. Task #13 has been updated to include the option of evaluation in a simulation.

See IOSC Memorandum 26‑01: Transition Plan for Implementation of Updates to the NWCG Position Task Book for Firefighter Type 1 (Squad Boss) (FFT1), PMS 311‑14 for more information.

References:

IOSC Memorandum 26-01: Transition Plan for Implementation of Updates to the NWCG Postion Task Book for Firefighter Type 1

NWCG Firefighter Type 1 Squad Boss Position Page 

NEW! S-212, Intermediate Faller (Online) Course Available Now 

Date:  April 23, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Hazard Tree and Tree Felling Subcommittee

NWCG is pleased to announce that the new S‑212, Intermediate Faller (Online), course is now available on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP). This second course in the series provides students with the knowledge and skills required to perform the duties of an Intermediate Faller (FAL2), as described in the FAL2 Incident Position Description. This course is intended for individuals seeking to advance from Basic Faller (FAL3) to FAL2.

S‑212, Intermediate Faller is a fully online, self‑paced training program consisting of 13 units. Learners will engage with interactive, scenario‑based content designed to progressively build foundational skills and knowledge essential for the FAL2 role.

Students must be qualified as a Basic Faller (FAL3) prior to enrolling in S‑212, Intermediate Faller course.

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 2027.

References:

S-212 Intermediate Faller (Online)

RMC Memo 26-01: Transition Plan for Implementing Updates to Intermediate Faller (FAL2) Position Qualifications

Intermediate Faller (FAL2) Position Page

NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Chainsaw Operations, PMS 212

New Aircraft Flight Schedule Form, PMS 249

Date:  April 17, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: National Coordination System Committee

A new publication from the National Coordination System Committee (NCSC) is now available. The NWCG Aircraft Flight Schedule Form, PMS 249, will be used for aviation crews and dispatch to share flight information that is needed for resource tracking, and if needed, for emergency procedures.

For further details, please contact your NCSC representative. 

References:

NCSC Memo 26-01: Implementation of NWCG Aircraft Flight Schedule Form, PMS 249

NWCG Aircraft Flight Schedule Form, PMS 249