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Position Naming Board

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PNB header graphic. Decorative.
Mission Statement

Mission Statement

The Position Naming Board (PNB) provides national leadership to maintain incident management position title and mnemonic consistency throughout the wildland fire community.

Body

photo of firefighters with forest burning in the background. Decorative.Primary Objectives

  • Establish business rules and processes for managing the position list in the system of record.
  • Maintain definitions of titles and associated mnemonics.

Request for Change

The NWCG Position Naming Board (PNB) is the authority for the approval of all position codes and position titles assigned for each position for incident management mobilization that are utilized by the wildland fire community. All position codes and position titles additions or modifications must be PNB approved prior to utilization in the national mobilization system.

Use PNB Request for Change Form to submit the following:

  1. Request new position title and position code
  2. Modification to existing position title and/or position code
  3. Notify of inactivation of an existing position

Process

All change requests must be submitted via the online request form.

All position code and position title requests submitted to the PNB for consideration must adhere to the NWCG PMS Data Standards for Position Codes and Position Titles.

All requests must be validated by the submitter's Incident and Position Standards Committee (IPSC) agency representative to ensure the request meets the need of the agency.

  • Requests submitted directly to the PNB prior to IPSC agency representative validation will be sent to the representative for validation. No action by the PNB will occur until validated/approved by the representative.
  • Requests submitted to the PNB by an IPSC agency representative is assumed to be agency validated and will be addressed by the PNB at the next scheduled meeting. 

Requests will only be addressed at the next scheduled PNB quarterly meeting due to impacts to the qualification and ordering systems. Quarterly meetings (March, June, September, December) occur on the third Thursday of the month.

Once a decision has been reached, the PNB chair will inform the requester of the decision and document the decision on the RFC form.

Instructions

  1. Email Address: Enter the email address of the person submitting the request.
  2. Requesting Change Select the appropriate agency or select the NWCG Committee requesting the change. For the selection of State or NWCG Committee, indicate which one at the next screen.
  3. Requester Information Please provide the name, agency, home unit, and telephone number of the person initiating the request so the board may make contact for additional information, if necessary.
  4. Request Type
    • New position: Enter requested new position title and position code
    • Change to existing title and/or code: Identify current position and identify requested change.
    • Inactivation of existing position: Identify position requested to be inactivated and the effective date.
  5. Description of the Proposal
    • Position Description: Detailed description of the positions duties and responsibility when assigned to an incident.
    • Description of Issue and Reason for Change: Describe the issue the proposal is intended to address or reason for the change.
    • Qualification Guides and Systems Affected: Identify the qualification documents and the applications that will be affected.
    • Supporting Documents: Is there supporting documentation that needs to be submitted to support request? If yes, submitter will be contacted for the document(s) after request is submitted. 

Position List (Mnemonics)

The position list represents all PNB approved positions being, or have been, utilized by the wildland fire community for incident management mobilization.

Chair: Benoit, Rob

NWCG Coordinator: Lamb, Erica

Parent Committee: Incident and Position Standards Committee

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NWCG Latest Announcements

2025 Wildland Fire EMS Awards

Date:  June 12, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Emergency Medical Committee

The NWCG Emergency Medical Committee (EMC) announces the recipients of the 2025 Wildland Fire Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Awards. EMC annually recognizes individuals and groups who have demonstrated outstanding actions or accomplishments that are above and beyond the expectation of one’s normal mission or job duties.

Congratulations to all the awardees and nominees. Through leadership and initiative, they have made significant contributions to the safety of the wildland fire community. These awards are well deserved.

References:

2025 Wildland Fire EMS Awards

Emergency Medical Committee

Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Book Now Available for RAMP

Date:  June 12, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Airtanker Base Operations Unit

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Book are now available for Ramp Manager (RAMP).

The Performance Support Package for this position was developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization effort. These resources support trainees, qualified personnel, and evaluators in their respective roles.

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 release in January 2027.

References:

NWCG Ramp Manager Position Page

National Interagency Aviation Committee

Make an Impact: Serve the Wildland Fire Community as an IPTM SME!

Date:  June 11, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: NWCG SME Specialist

Note: Positions with an * will last approximately 6 months.
Positions with ** will last 12 - 18 months.

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. IPTM aims to transition NWCG’s training and qualification system to a performance-based model by updating position descriptions, Incident Position Standards, Next Generation Position Task Books (Next Gen PTBs), and training where needed.

NWCG is currently recruiting SMEs for the Fall 2026 positions listed below:

  • Equipment Manager (EQPM)*
  • Fixed Wing Parking Tender (FWPT)**
  • Mixmaster (MXMS)*
  • Public Information Officer Complex (PIOC)*
  • Retardant Crewmember (RTCM)*
  • Strike Team Leader Crew (STCR)*
  • Strike Team Leader Engine (STEN)*
  • Strike Team Leader Heavy Equipment (STEQ)*
  • Task Force Leader (TFLD)**
  • Wildland Fire Investigator (INVF)** 

Projects begin October 2026. Sign up by July 10, 2026, at the link below and review the attached document for additional details. 

References:

NWCG SME Interest Sign-up

IPTM Subject Matter Expert Duties and Expectations Document

Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM)

RMC Safety Bulletin 26-001: Rhabdomyolysis in Wildland Firefighters

Date:  May 28, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Risk Management Committee

The Risk Management Committee (RMC) has issued Safety Bulletin 26-001: Rhabdomyolysis in Wildland Firefighters. Research from 2016 to 2025 shows that 88 cases of rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) were reported. Analysis of reports from eSafety, the Safety Management Information System (SMIS), and the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center (LLC) indicates that rhabdo is common during this time of year due to Work Capacity Tests and contributing factors such as weather, hydration, nutrition, and medication or supplement use.

RMC issued this safety bulletin to raise awareness in the Wildland Fire Community, and to provide research findings and educational resources that support reducing future cases of rhabdo.

References:

NWCG Alerts

RMC Safety Bulletin 26-001: Rhabdomyolysis in Wildland Firefighters