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The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) has announced the availability of the 2022 version of the NWCG Incident Response Pocket Guide (IRPG), PMS 461. The NWCG IRPG is an operational job aid carried by all federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial wildland firefighters in the United States, establishing standards for wildland fire incident response. The guide provides critical information on operational engagement, risk management, fire environment, all hazard response, and aviation management. It is a collection of guidelines, checklists, and best practices that have evolved over time within wildland fire operations.
The 5.5-inch-by-3.5-inch NWCG IRPG is broken into seven sections with colored pages:
- Operational Engagement (green).
- Specific Hazards (gray).
- Fire Environment (orange).
- All Hazard Response (yellow).
- Aviation (blue).
- Other References (white).
- Emergency Medical Care (red).
The back cover lists the 10 Standard Firefighting Orders and 18 Watch Out Situations, foundations to safe wildland firefighting operations.
Notable additions to the 2022 version include a Mental Health Checklist, a Night Operations and Fire Checklist, Dozer Typing, and a Fire Environment section that regrouped existing pieces and brought in new material, such as a Fire Environment Assessment and Interpreting the Smoke Column. Updates were made to several sections, including Burn Injuries, Injury/Fatality Procedures, and Aerial Retardant.
Hard copies can be ordered through the Great Basin Cache (GBK) using the order forms for the NWCG NFES Catalog – Part 2: Publications, PMS 449-2. There are two ordering forms available. One is specifically for those ordering only the IRPG and/or Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations (Red Book). If ordering additional items, use the full order form. Ordering questions should be directed to GBK. Please note that supply shortages may result in order delays, but additional copies will continue to arrive in the cache throughout the next several months.
Availability of the revised Spanish translation, the Guia de Respuesta de Incidente de Bolsllo (GRI), PMS 461 ES, is still a couple of months away.
NWCG’s Incident Operations Subcommittee (IOSC) oversees the review and update of the NWCG IRPG on a four-year cycle. IOSC membership is composed of representatives from all NWCG member agencies. Its mission is to provide national leadership in the development of wildland fire standards in the incident operations functional area.
Please visit NWCG.gov for more information on publications, positions, training, and subgroups of NWCG. Sign up for NWCG’s mailing list to receive periodic updates directly from NWCG.
(Source: NWCG)
Last month, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) released its fourth National Fire Service Research Agenda, with over 300 recommendations for research that will have the most significant impact on the future of the fire service.
The report documents the outcomes of the NFFF’s 2021 National Fire Service Research Agenda Symposium, which was held virtually from Feb. 15 through March 8, 2021, and sponsored exclusively by Underwriters Laboratory’s (UL’s) Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI).
The approach guiding the recommendations is “a holistic approach to research.” The fire service research conducted today is enhancing the ability of all fire service members (career, volunteer, wildland, industrial, etc.) to protect their communities while protecting their own health and safety. These two concepts, protecting others and protecting self, are not mutually exclusive, and in fact, they complement each other.
The report breaks the research recommendations down into three topical domains: 1) hiring, retention and advancement, 2) effective operations, and 3) health and safety. The prevailing theme common across these three topics was the need for the fire service to approach research and complex issues by collaborating with other disciplines and industries outside of the fire service.
The key research needs identified will help to guide future research to answer questions such as:
- How can tactical research be translated effectively into training?
- How can we gain a better understanding of the health risks associated with firefighting?
- What are the most effective communication strategies to use with potential recruits, new personnel, a diverse workforce, governing bodies, and the public?
The full set of key research needs are explained in-depth in the report. They are supported by the detailed information gathered from the Symposium workshops, which are also included in the report.
The Symposium and Report support the NFFF’s Everyone Goes Home® program, which establishes 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives, the seventh of which is to “create a national research agenda and data collection system.” The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s Everyone Goes Home Program is focused on improving the health and safety of firefighters.
Access the National Firefighter Research Agenda report at the NFFF’s Everyone Goes Home website.
(Source: NFFF)
On Jan. 28, the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC) announced the availability of several new Drone Assessment and Response Tactics (DART) courses, designed to train emergency personnel to respond to Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) threats. The courses are being offered through New Mexico Tech’s Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC) in several delivery formats:
The residential course, conducted in Playas, New Mexico, is a 24-hour course with offerings scheduled throughout 2022. Participants are presented with information on the current UAS criminal and terrorist threat, analog and electronic UAS detection techniques, and threat response tactics. Participants will view performance-based field demonstrations and take part in exercises where they are presented with varying UAS types, their capabilities, and simulated UAS threats involving Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Participants will apply course content as they implement detection techniques, track and identify these UAS, assess threats, and implement response techniques.
An awareness-level mobile course, AWR-407, is also available. This 8-hour course is delivered in the jurisdiction of the requesting agency. A third course, AWR-407-C, is tailored to the needs of the requesting agency and is also delivered in the requesting agency’s jurisdiction. It is 1.5 hours long.
EMRTC’s training is offer through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) National Training and Education Division and is listed in FEMA’s National Preparedness Course Catalog. Interested individuals, jurisdictions, or agencies can apply to attend a residential offering or schedule delivery of a mobile or customized offering through their State Administrative Agency. Instructions on applying for and scheduling NTED courses are provided on FEMA’s NTED website.
(Source: NDPC)
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