Wildland Fire Skills "Gap" Courses Now Available

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Wildland Fire Skills "Gap" Courses Now Available

Emmitsburg, MD – The United States Fire Administration (USFA) announced today the availability of wildland fire skills Gap courses for structural firefighters. The USFA's National Preparedness Network (PREPnet) has produced a Webcast that explains the requirements, availability, and distribution of these newly packaged Gap course materials. The Webcast, Crosswalk: Bridging the Skills Gap, is available for viewing anytime on the USFA Web site.

The Gap courses are based on the Wildland Training for Structural Firefighters Skills Crosswalk. The Crosswalk effort, lead by USFA in partnership with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs, identified parallel technical competencies between structural firefighters and officers (NFPA Standard 1001 and 1021) or equivalent with those of four NWCG positions: Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2), Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1), Engine Boss Single Resource (ENGB), and Strike Team Leader Engine (STEN). The Crosswalk also identified wildland skills and knowledge that qualified and experienced firefighters would not already have acquired through their structural firefighting training, such as specific wildland fire tactical concepts and wildland fire behavior. Learning modules were identified with the NWCG training courses to address these gaps.

The Gap courses take advantage of the existing skill sets of structural firefighters and minimize redundancy and classroom time for those seeking to develop their wildland fire skills. Each Gap course is composed entirely of NWCG training material pulled into specific courses.

The new Gap courses are:

G-130, Wildland Training (FFT2) for Structural Firefighters
G-131, Wildland Training (FFT1) for Structural Firefighters
G-231, Wildland Training (ENGB) for Structural Firefighters
G-330, Wildland Training (STEN) for Structural Firefighters

These new courses accomplish one of the goals stated in the National Association of State Foresters' 2003 report to Congress titled The Changing Role and Needs of Local, Rural, and Volunteer Fire Departments in the Wildland Urban Interface. Visit the Wildfire section of the USFA Web site for additional information on this wildland training endeavor and to view the Crosswalk and Frequently Asked Questions section.

The United States Fire Administration recommends everyone should have a comprehensive fire protection plan that includes smoke alarms, residential sprinklers, and practicing a home fire escape plan.

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Wednesday, March 4, 2009