![](media/image1.png){width="1.3333333333333333in" height="1.375in"}

O V E R V I E W

> Overview

**Overview**

This module provides an overview of the Wildland and Prescribed Fire
Qualification System and the Incident Qualifications and Certification
System (IQCS). The Wildland and Prescribed Fire Qualification System
Guide (PMS 310-1) documents agreed upon standards that must be met by
all participating agencies. This module will discuss how these standards
relate to five participating agencies: 1) Bureau of Land Management, 2)
Bureau of Indian Affairs, 3) National Park Service, 4) Fish and Wildlife
Service, and 5) U.S Forest Service. These standards are the basis for
determining whether an incident responder qualifies for any of the
positions managed within IQCS.

The Incident Qualifications and Certification System (IQCS) is built to
reflect the standards of the PMS 310-1 and other agency specific
guidance, such as the US Forest Service FSH 5109.17. Each of the
qualification criteria has been built into IQCS to automate
qualification processing.

**Objectives**

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

-   Understand the historical development of the Wildland and Prescribed
    Fire Qualification System

-   Identify and use the qualifications documents: the PMS 310-1 and the
    FSH 5109-17

-   Understand how IQCS manages the qualification criteria

-   Define "Roles" and "Permissions" as used in IQCS

-   Define Terminology -- SetID, Org Code, Unit ID

**Roles**

**ALL** roles will participate in the activities described in this
chapter.

**Activity Overview - History**

In this activity, we will cover the historical background of the current
Wildland and Prescribed Fire Qualification System Guide (PMS 310-1).
Understanding how we arrived at our current qualifications system will
help the users develop an understanding of the intent behind
requirements of IQCS. While the development of IQCS is based on the
requirements outlined in the Wildland and Prescribed Fire Qualification
System Guide, it is important for the user to understand that its
validity is dependent on the responsible actions of people using the
system.

**Instructions**

The instructor will review the historical development of the Wildland
and Prescribed Fire Qualification System.

> **Historical Background on the Development of the Wildland and
> Prescribed Fire Qualification System**
>
> 1976 National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) established
>
> 1974-1978 National Interagency Fire Qualifications System (NIFQS)
> developed and implemented
>
> 1974-1982 NIFQS training courses(S-courses) developed
>
> 1974-1982 Incident Command System (ICS) developed through FIRESCOPE
>
> 1982 National Interagency Incident Management System (NIIMS) developed
> and adopted by the NWCG. Combined ICS and NIFQS
>
> 1991 NWCG approved a proposal for a performance based qualification
> system, and a new curriculum composed of All Risk courses\
> (I-courses), suppression skill courses (S-courses), and job aids, and
> funded it for implementation over a ten-year period.
>
> 1993 Proposal for the Prescribed Fire training and qualification
> system approved for implementation by the NWCG
>
> 2000 Wildland and Prescribed Fire Qualification System Guide
> published.
>
> 2001 Wildland and Prescribed Fire Qualification System National
> Training Curriculum completed
>
> 2006 Wildland Fire Qualification System Guide (NWCG 310-1) updated

**Activity Overview -- Agency Qualification Criteria**

In this activity, you will locate and examine the qualification criteria
within the Wildland and Prescribed Fire Qualification System Guide (PMS
310-1) and the FSH 5109-17. We will also discuss where the qualification
criteria are located within the IQCS application. IQCS can be customized
to contain agency specific requirements as well. To determine
qualifications, IQCS compares the responder's training, experience, and
other accomplishments (referred to as COMPETENCIES) to the qualification
criteria, PMS 310-1, FSH 5109-17, and other agency specific policy
documents.

**Example Instructions**

1.  View the requirements for Crew Boss (Single Resource) as stated
    below in the extract from the PMS 310-1.

2.  Compare these requirements to the requirements stated in the extract
    from the FSH 5109-17.

3.  View the example from IQCS defining the requirements for CRWB SetID
    FS000.

The PMS 310-1 can be found at the following web site.

<http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/docs/PMS310-1.pdf>

Below is an extract from PMS 310-1, showing the qualification criteria
related to a Single Resource Crew Boss.

![](media/image2.png){width="5.614583333333333in"
height="4.822916666666667in"}

4.  Navigate to Workforce Development\>Competency Management\>Assign
    Role Competencies\>Competencies and search for CRWB. The search will
    return CRWB for NWCG0 and FS000 Setid.
    ![](media/image3.jpeg){width="0.3597222222222222in"
    height="1.261111111111111in"}

5.  Select CRWB NWCG0 and click on the arrow next to Assign Cluster
    Competencies to view the cluster attached to CRWB for this Setid.

The Forest Service Fire and Aviation Qualifications Handbook (5109.17)
can be found at the following web site.

<http://www.fs.fed.us/cgi-bin/Directives/get_dirs/fsh?5109.17>

Below is an extract from FSH Chapter 20, "Qualification and
Certification." It illustrates the qualification criteria related to a
Single Resource Crew Boss.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **CREW BOSS (SINGLE RESOURCE) (CRWB)\***                              |
|                                                                       |
| Position Category: Wildland Fire                                      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **310-1 REQUIRED TRAINING**                                           |
|                                                                       |
| S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior                             |
|                                                                       |
| S-230 Crew Boss (Single Resource)                                     |
|                                                                       |
| RT-130 Annual Fireline Safety Refresher                               |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **FOREST SERVICE ADDITIONAL REQUIRED TRAINING**                       |
|                                                                       |
| I-200 Basic Incident Command System                                   |
|                                                                       |
| IS-700 National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction    |
|                                                                       |
| L-280 Followership to Leadership                                      |
|                                                                       |
| S-234 Ignition Operations                                             |
|                                                                       |
| S-260 Interagency Incident Business Management                        |
|                                                                       |
| S-270 Basic Air Operations                                            |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **310-1 REQUIRED EXPERIENCE**                                         |
|                                                                       |
| Satisfactory performance as a Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1)               |
|                                                                       |
| \+                                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| Successful position performance as a Crew Boss, Single Resource       |
| (CRWB) on a wildland fire                                             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **310-1 PHYSICAL FITNESS LEVEL**                                      |
|                                                                       |
| Arduous                                                               |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **310-1 OTHER POSITION ASSIGNMENTS THAT WILL MAINTAIN CURRENCY**      |
|                                                                       |
| Any single resource boss (DOZB, FELB, FIRB, ENGB, TRPB, HELB)         |
|                                                                       |
| Incident Commander Type 4 (ICT4)                                      |
|                                                                       |
| Any higher position for which this position is a prerequisite         |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

The screen below illustrates how IQCS allows its users to link to the
authoritative sources of Qualification
Criteria.![](media/image3.jpeg){width="0.3597222222222222in"
height="1.261111111111111in"}

![](media/image4.png){width="5.5in" height="1.7006944444444445in"}

**IQCS Cluster Competencies**

A *cluster* is a group of competencies and accomplishments. By defining
a cluster and assigning it to a position, you automatically assign all
of the individual competencies and accomplishments to that position.

![](media/image5.png){width="3.175in" height="4.716666666666667in"}

**Tying It All Together**

IQCS is built using the qualification criteria illustrated in the
diagram below. IQCS is able to apply agency specific criteria to
determine qualifications and share those criteria with other
organizations.

When building the IQCS, special consideration was given to the complex
nature of the organizational structure of the incident response
community. Agencies and units are used in the system to apply
qualification criteria and organize data for reporting and analysis.

IQCS uses role-based security that allows users to access only
information defined by their role in the system.

> New terminology in IQCS relates to the structure depicted above. The
> organization is built in trees using agency organization codes as
> defined by the National Business Center and the National Finance
> Center. At the top of the tree is the company.

-   Company -- NWCG = National Wildfire Coordinating Group

Next in the tree are the business groups or agencies, represented by a
Setid which is five (5) characters long. The Setid defines the agency a
person works for; it also defines the position criteria an employee is
subject to.![](media/image3.jpeg){width="0.3597222222222222in"
height="1.261111111111111in"}

-   **Setid** -- BIA00, BLM00, FS000, FWS00, NPS00.

![](media/image6.png){width="5.402777777777778in"
height="2.5555555555555554in"}

> ![](media/image7.jpeg){width="2.0756944444444443in"
> height="2.7493055555555554in"}

Other Setid's include NWCG0 and OPM00.

-   OPM00 Setid is used to define an employee's job series.

-   NWCG0 is the Setid used when more than one agency uses the same
    criteria.

    -   NWCG0 is used to define the position criteria as defined in the
        310-1. FS000 is used to define the position criteria as defined
        in the 5109-17.

    -   NWCG0 is used for the Location Code table.

***Position criteria as illustrated above are based on the 310-1, the
5109-17, and agency documents that define agency specific positions such
as RXB3.***

**Organization ID's** have been taken from the system of record for the
DOI and Forest Service. You may know these codes as your office code.
Below are illustrations of the Organization tree for each of the
participating agencies.

![](media/image8.jpeg){width="3.0in" height="2.470138888888889in"}**[BIA
Org Tree EXAMPLE]{.underline} [BLM Org Tree EXAMPLE]{.underline}**

**[FS Org Tree EXAMPLE]{.underline} [FWS Org Tree EXAMPLE]{.underline}**

> ![](media/image10.jpeg){width="3.125in" height="2.7777777777777777in"}

![](media/image12.jpeg){width="3.3472222222222223in"
height="2.7777777777777777in"}**[NPS Org Tree EXAMPLE]{.underline} [Unit
ID EXAMPLE]{.underline}**

> Unit Codes or Unit IDs in IQCS are based on the National Interagency
> Coordination Center (NICC) Unit ID list. NICC is the system of record
> for Unit IDs; you can view this information on the NIFC web page. In
> IQCS, Unit IDs are associated with Organization Codes in IQCS set up
> tables. On the Job Data page, once the org code is entered, the Unit
> ID associated with that Org will be the only available choice in the
> lookup tables.
>
> **Activity Overview -- A Short History of User
> Roles**![](media/image3.jpeg){width="0.3597222222222222in"
> height="1.261111111111111in"}

IQCS security is roles and permission-based. Who and what the user is
able to see and do in IQCS is based on their roles and permissions.

A role defines what page(s) the user can see.

-   What menus you see are set at the role.

-   What tabs appear when you access a component are set at the role.

A role defines what actions a user can perform on the page(s).

'User Actions' include:

-   Display Only (no data changing or manipulating)

-   Add rows (to add new data or history)

-   Update/display rows/pages

-   Correction (to change or correct existing data)

A permission list determines WHO the IQCS user may transact upon.

Permission to access an employee\'s records is usually restricted to
records of the organization code to which the user belongs.

A person MAY be authorized to see and/or transact upon other agency
(ies') employees\' records, but only with specific approval of the
agencies and organizations involved.

However, Course Session enrollment is not restricted to those employees
within your permission list.

They both come together, when an IQCS User ID is assigned to a user,

1\) a Permission List is assigned that identifies WHO can be seen,

2\) a Role, or many Roles, is assigned that identifies WHAT pages can be
seen.

Therefore, this defines what tasks can be performed for a defined group
of employees. For example, an Account Manager can initiate a taskbook
but a Certifying Official must certify the taskbook.

The user is assigned a single User ID and your own password to log in
and see every page, field, menu, and component as identified by your
list of roles.