**The Leadership Development Initiative of the**

**National Wildfire Coordinating Group**

**5 Year Report**

**Learning from history...Preparing for the future**

**September 2006**

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**Executive Summary**

The most essential element for success in the wildland fire service is
competent and confident leadership. The importance of developing
effective leaders has been echoed in many venues. In recent years the
[1995 Findings from the Human Factors
Workshop](http://fsweb.mtdc.wo.fs.fed.us/php/library_card.php?p_num=9551 2855),
the [1998 Wildland Firefighter Safety Awareness
Study](http://www.nifc.gov/safety_study/studies/safe.html), and the
[2004 U.S. Fire Administration Firefighter Life Safety
Summit](http://www.firehero.org/s567/images/Initial_Summit_Report.pdf)
have all identified leadership development as an issue that wildland
fire agencies need to address.

From 1995 to 2000 a number of independent initiatives were generated
within the wildland fire service that revolved around the topics of
human factors, decision making, and leadership (see Appendix A).
However, this increased awareness regarding leadership was not equally
communicated in all sectors of the wildland fire service.

Consequently, the members of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group
(NWCG) determined that an interagency strategy was needed for improving
the ability to develop new leaders in the wildland fire service. In
September 2000, the NWCG Training Working Team commissioned an
interagency task group to analyze the existing wildland fire training
curriculum for leadership content, identify alternatives, and make
recommendations. [In February 2001, that task group provided the *Report
of the Leadership Task Group to the Training Working
Team*.](http://www.fireleadership.gov/committee/reports/February_2001_Task_Group_Report.pdf)
The report contained 14 specific recommendations regarding leadership
development for wildland fire agencies (see Appendix B). In November
2001, the NWCG directed the Training Working Team to charter a committee
to implement those 14 recommendations (see Appendix C). In January 2002,
the Leadership Committee of the Training Working Team began the process
of building the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program (WFLDP).

The mission of the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program is to
promote cultural change in the work force and to emphasize the vital
importance of leadership concepts in the wildland fire service by
providing educational and leadership development opportunities. In order
to meet this expectation, three program components were developed:

-   Core value set that supports principle-centered leadership actions
    in a high-risk work environment.

-   Formal curriculum that provides leadership skills training and
    education at all stages of an individual's career.

-   Non-traditional leadership development opportunities that allow
    individuals to strive for a higher performance level as a leader
    through self-directed continuous learning.

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In the five years since the program's inception in 2001, most of the
recommended actions have been implemented and the program has made
noticeable impact within the wildland fire service. These first five
years have taught us much about the art and science of

In the five years since the program's inception in 2001, most of the 14
recommended actions have been implemented and the program has made
noticeable impact within the wildland fire service. These first five
years have taught us much about the art and science of leader
development. With an eye to what has been learned in the past, the
wildland fire service now has a vehicle to meet the challenge of
developing future leaders for an increasingly complex and high-tempo
work environment.

This report is divided into five sections: Role of the Leadership
Committee, Training and Education, Self-development Opportunities,
Organizational Integration, Lessons Learned and Eyes Forward. You are
invited to explore this report and learn about the evolution of the
Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program over the past five years.

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**Role of the Leadership Committee**

**Conduit: Ideas to Action**

The NWCG Leadership Committee (LC) has a membership base that provides
representation for all participating agencies in the National Wildfire
Coordination Group. The Committee was charted in November 2001 to
implement the findings of the *Report of the Leadership Task Group to
the Training Working Team.*

With the overarching vision to build a high-quality, integrated
leadership development process that firefighters could follow from the
entry level to the senior leader level, the LC began its work with an
intensive research effort. This entailed examining best practices from a
number of organizations that operate in high tempo work environments
including the [U.S. Marine Corps University](http://www.mcu.usmc.mil/),
the [Wharton Center for Leadership and Change Management at the
University of
Pennsylvania](http://leadership.wharton.upenn.edu/welcome/index.shtml),
the [U.S. Air Force Human Factors Research
Lab](https://www.spider.hpc.navy.mil/index.cfm?RID=WEB_OT_1000427), the
[U.S. Army Training and Doctrine
Command](http://www.leavenworth.army.mil/), the [NASA Astronaut
Development
Center](http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/home/index.html), the
[National Fire Academy](http://www.usfa.fema.gov/training/nfa/), the
Institute of Nuclear Powerplant Operators, and various commercial
aviation crew resource management programs. This benchmarking and
adapting of best practices allowed the wildland fire service to
implement proven leadership development techniques along a relatively
quick timeline.

Following this research phase, the LC set out to work closely with
individuals from the field in order to build a leadership development
program that was relevant to the wildland fire service. In many cases
this meant establishing ad hoc task groups to develop the specific
products within the WFLDP. All involvement from the field level was
funded by the local units, bearing witness to the strong buy-in at the
field level for this program.

**Guiding Principles**

The LC research experience provided an exposure to a wide array of
techniques, but it also provided an opportunity to distill the higher
level common denominators that contributed to the success of leadership
development programs in these various organizations. Based on those
common denominators, the LC established guiding principles that continue
to steer decisions regarding where to invest limited resources for the
WFLDP:

-   Establish a set of leadership values and principles to provide a
    model of what is right.

-   Invest early in development opportunities for junior leaders.

-   Provide formal training that is relevant and gives firefighters an
    opportunity to practice and develop their leadership skills.

-   Recognize that risk and human error are an integral part of working
    in the wildland fire service and prepare leaders for those
    decision-making challenges.

-   Foster a student-of-leadership attitude by providing self-directed
    development resources.

-   Work with and learn from outside organizations.

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**Information Resource**

The LC serves as an information source using several different
communication avenues. The primary communication resource is the WFLDP
website ([www.fireleadership.gov](http://www.fireleadership.gov/)).
First and foremost, this website provides the Leadership Toolbox, which
is a menu of online self-development "tools" available to all users. The
website also provides support for the formal L-course training
curriculum, updates on new initiatives within the WFLDP, links to other
leadership websites, as well as program description and administrative
information. This website is hosted at the National Interagency Fire
Center and has become one of the most visited wildland fire websites
(see Appendix D) with as many as 150,000 hits and 15,000 visits during a
busy month.

The LC has a communication specialist who manages webmaster duties and
an array of informational outreach efforts. There is also a logistics
coordinator who handles information inquiries from the field or finds
the correct person to answer questions if they are unable to answer
those questions.

Lastly, the LC has recruited a number of individuals to serve as ad hoc
advisors for ongoing initiatives ranging from formal course development
to the design of online self-development tools to representing the
committee with other work groups such as the NWCG Training Development
Unit.

**Advocate**

The LC plays the important role of promoting cultural change within the
wildland fire service. Through speaking presentations at conferences and
participation in various meetings, committee members work to inform
stakeholders in the fire business about the benefits of developing
leaders whose values and character enable them to influence others by
providing purpose, direction, and motivation, in order to accomplish the
incident response mission and improve their organization.

Within the NWCG team arena, the LC worked to get the L-courses in the
leadership curriculum identified in the 2006 revision of the *Wildland
Fire Qualification System Guide (PMS 310-1).* The LC has also engaged in
collaborative efforts with a variety of programs to further the
implementation of the WFLDP:

-   Working with the state wildfire academy network to provide high
    quality L‑course cadres for a number of these academies around the
    country.

-   Developing the After Action Review training package in cooperation
    with the Wildand Fire Lessons Learned Center.

-   Providing staff support to the NWCG Refresher Training Steering
    Committee.

-   Assisting the "Advancing Fire Training for Rural Departments"
    initiative in order to help establish leadership training for the
    eight pilot states identified in this program.

-   Exploring a potential partnership with the National Fire Academy's
    "Firefighter Life Safety Initiative." In the initial stages, this
    has led the LC into working directly with several municipal fire
    departments to help them implement their own leadership development
    programs (San Diego City Fire Department, San Ramon Valley Fire
    Protection District, and Los Angeles County Fire Department).

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**Training and Education**

Recommendations #1, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 from the *Report of the Leadership
Task Group to the Training Working Team* addressed training and
education issues related to the WFLDP. Only Recommendation #1 remains
uncompleted as of September 2006. The following is the current
accomplishment status for these six recommendations:

**Recommendation 1:** Establish a distinct leadership curriculum of
courses that are connected conceptually from the least complex
(follower) level to the most complex (organizational leader) level. This
curriculum should have its own designator (e.g., L‑courses) to set it
apart from technical courses:

-   The L-course training curriculum, consisting of six courses, has
    been established. The curriculum has established course designators,
    L-180, Human Factors on the Fireline; L-280, Followership to
    Leadership; L-380, Fireline Leadership; L-381, Incident Leadership;
    L-480, IMT Leadership; and L-580, Advanced Leadership Seminar.

-   The first and most basic course, L-180, Human Factors on the
    Fireline, has been completed and is available through the NWCG
    Publication Management System as a stand-alone course. An adapted
    version of this course is also embedded into the 2004 version of the
    S-130 course, so that all new wildland firefighters are now exposed
    to this information.

-   L-280, Followership to Leadership, has been completed and is
    available through the NWCG Publications Management System (PMS).
    This course replaces the old S‑201/281 course which is no longer a
    part of the NWCG curriculum. The course has been successfully
    delivered by local units in many field locations since 2003.

-   L-380, Fireline Leadership, was initially developed through a
    partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and a private contractor
    in 2000. Subsequently, course design criteria and delivery standards
    have been developed that will enable all agencies and other vendors
    to develop and deliver the course without relying on a sole-source
    provider. This course replaces S-301/381, which is no longer
    available in the NWCG curriculum. To date there are four approved
    providers that have successfully delivered this course:
    Mission-Centered Solutions, National Outdoor Leadership School, ICI
    Training, and an internal agency cadre sponsored by U.S. Forest
    Service, Region 6. It is estimated that more than 7,000 wildland
    firefighters have attended the L-380 course since 2001.

-   L-381, Incident Leadership, is currently being delivered by one
    provider, Mission-Centered Solutions. Course design criteria and
    delivery standards have been developed that enable all agencies and
    other vendors to develop and deliver the course without relying on a
    sole-source provider. This course has been delivered since 2004.

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-   A steering committee consisting of six IMT subject matter experts
    from the field, one representative from the LC, and a project leader
    from the National Advanced Fire & Resource Institute (NAFRI) was
    established in 2004 to provide oversight for the development of the
    senior leader level L-courses. The L-480 Incident Management Team
    Leadership course was designed in a collaborative effort with a
    performance training contractor, the Institute for Advanced
    Development. The L-480 course was delivered three times during 2005
    and 2006, completing the alpha and beta test phases. The long-term
    sustainment strategy for the L-480 course is currently being
    considered by the LC and NAFRI.

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-   The development of the L-580, Advanced Leadership Seminar course was
    put on hold in January 2006 while the NWCG Training Working Team
    considers proposed changes in the overall Incident Management Team
    (IMT) training requirements.

**Recommendation 3 - COMPLETED:** The \"Human Factors\" course and the
\"Followership to Leadership\" course should be in the NWCG Publication
Management System (PMS) as Level III courses under the NWCG Course
Development and Format Standards guidelines.

-   Both the L-180, Human Factors on the Fireline course and the L-280,
    Followership to Leadership course are available in the NWCG
    Publication Management System.

**Recommendation 4 - COMPLETED:** The \"Primary Leadership\" course and
the \"Incident Leadership\" course should be exempted from the
requirements included in the NWCG Course Development and Format
Standards guidelines. These standards were developed primarily for the
in-house development of technical courses in the cognitive domain to be
delivered by agency personnel. These two leadership courses are in the
affective domain and will be developed and presented by vendors - at
least initially. Adhering to the NWCG standards will likely slow the
development and delivery of these courses and is not likely to enhance
course effectiveness.

-   The course name for Primary Leadership has been changed to
    \"Fireline Leadership.\"

-   These two courses have been developed in conjunction with
    contractors who have expertise in leadership development training
    methodology.

-   These products are not off-the-shelf course packages; they consist
    of specific course design criteria and delivery standards to allow
    wider latitude for wildland fire organizations to implement a
    complete leadership development program by avoiding a
    one-size-fits-all approach. Agencies have the option to outsource or
    develop their own training course based on the most advantageous
    method for their organization.

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**Recommendation 6 -- COMPLETED:** Eliminate the current S-201 and S-301
courses from the NWCG training curriculum. Examine whether the
supervision and management skills training that exists in those courses
needs to be presented within the wildland fire curriculum or whether
those training needs can best be satisfied by other agency-required
training that is already available.

-   Both the S-201/281 and the S-301/381 courses were evaluated to
    determine whether the supervision and management skills addressed
    within those courses would be covered elsewhere. The evaluation of
    these courses determined that all the significant skills are covered
    in the new L-280 and L-380 courses or in standard agency-specific
    supervision training.

-   L-280 has replaced S-201/281, Supervisory Concepts and Techniques.

-   L-380 has replaced S-301/381, Leadership and Organizational
    Development.

**Recommendation 7 - COMPLETED:** Incorporate the Human Factors course
into the NWCG S-130 Firefighter training course. This will allow all
entry-level firefighters to receive information on follower
responsibilities. The Human Factors course will also exist as a
stand-alone course, for those who are not required to take S-130.

-   An adapted version of L-180, Human Factors on the Fireline has been
    incorporated into the 2004 version of the S-130, Basic Firefighter
    course. The L-180 course can also be ordered and delivered as a
    stand-alone course for personnel who are not required to take the
    S-130 course.

**Recommendation 8 - COMPLETED:** Eliminate the S-131 course. Make the
Followership to Leadership course a requirement for the FFT1 position.
Both are 8-hour courses, so this change results in no net increase of
required training for the squad boss position. S-131 was developed in
response to the South Canyon Fire tragedy, yet it does little to address
leadership issues at the squad boss level. Since the Followership to
Leadership course does address precisely those leadership issues, it
should be the required course at the FFT1 level. The more cognitive,
technical content of the existing S-131 course could be developed into a
Job Aid.

-   The *Report of the Leadership Task Group to the Training Working
    Team* recommended eliminating the S-131 course. The LC has since
    received approval from the NWCG Training Working Team to rescind
    this recommendation.

-   The S-131 course has been revised to have a more tactical focus. The
    new S‑131 course features extensive use of Sand Table Exercises
    (STEX) and Tactical Decision Games (TDGS), which are training
    techniques developed through the partnership between the LC and
    Marine Corps University.

-   The end result still insured no net increase in training hours at
    the single resource boss level (as envisioned in the original
    recommendation), since the L-280 course replaced the old S-201/281
    course.

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![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

> ![](media/image3.jpeg){width="4.447222222222222in" height="8.5in"}

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**Self-development Opportunities**

Recommendations #10, 11, and 12 from the *Report of the Leadership Task
Group to the Training Working Team* addressed self-development
opportunities within the WFLDP. Only Recommendation #11 remains
uncompleted as of September 2006. The following is the current
accomplishment status for these three recommendations:

**Recommendation 10 - COMPLETED:** Adopt a specific set of desired
leadership principles and values that are common to all our
organizations. Communicate these principles and values to our work force
and incorporate them in leadership training.

-   One of the LC\'s first accomplishments was to adopt, on an
    interagency basis, the leadership values and principles as described
    in the *Report of the Leadership Task Group to the Training Working
    Team*. This was completed in January 2002.

-   The values and principles have been integrated into all of the
    L-courses during the development phase.

-   A communication plan has been developed that includes a description
    and discussion of the leadership values and principles and how they
    relate to leadership development. This plan is used by the committee
    and others to communicate the leadership values and principles to
    the field.

-   The WFLDP website devotes an entire section to the leadership values
    and principles. This website is linked prominently off the National
    Interagency Fire Center\'s web page.

-   One of the WFLDP self-development tools, the Leadership in Cinema
    program, is specifically designed to provide local units with an
    easy to use training technique that is focused on the integration of
    leadership values and principles at the first-line leader level.

-   A series of bookmarks that display the WFLDP website address along
    with the leadership values and principles have been developed and
    disseminated widely among fire personnel in the field; thousands of
    these bookmarks have been distributed. A wall poster that displays
    the values and principles for use in the L‑courses is available in
    the NWCG Publication Management System.

-   In 2003 the LC established the "Paul Gleason Lead by Example Award"
    to recognize those in the wildland fire service who exemplify the
    leadership values and principles. Six awards in three categories are
    given each year to individuals or work groups from across the
    wildland fire service.

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**Recommendation 11**: Develop a self-study component of the leadership
curriculum that allows people to study leadership concepts and
principles outside the context of formal classroom training. For
example, establish a leadership-themed website and publish a \"Book of
Books\" of recommended reading materials that will help people develop
as leaders.

-   A \"Leadership Toolbox\" has been developed for the WFLDP website.
    This toolbox offers self-development tools that are designed to
    assist fire managers, fire support staff, and firefighters in
    efforts to enhance their leadership knowledge and skills. Many of
    these tools were adapted from other work environments such as the
    military, academia, and business. The intent is to foster a lifelong
    student-of-leadership culture in the wildland fire service.

-   The Leadership Toolbox includes a wide range of self-development
    tools that can be utilized by individuals and local units. Some of
    the more significant tools include the Professional Reading Program,
    the Staff Ride Library, the Tactical Decision Game Library, the
    Leadership in Cinema program, a series of interviews with retired
    leaders in fire business called Leaders We Would Like to Meet,
    training support for the After Action Review technique, an
    individual self-development plan referenced in several of the
    L‑courses, and a Crew Cohesion Assessment reference.

-   The LC has sponsored workshops in various geographic areas to foster
    the implementation of Staff Rides, After Action Reviews, Tactical
    Decision Games and Sandtable Exercises at the field unit level.

-   The LC sponsored a leadership development exchange with the Marine
    Corps University from 2001 through 2004. This exchange was supported
    by a Memorandum of Understanding between the Marine Corps
    University, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest
    Service. This exchange enabled over 150 wildland firefighters to
    attend week-long, hands-on workshops at the U.S. Marine Corps center
    for training and education in Quantico, Virginia. These individuals
    have formed the core group for the implementation of Tactical
    Decision Games and Staff Ride techniques within the wildland fire
    service, as well as working in subject matter expert roles during
    the development process of the various L-courses.

-   A leadership doctrine publication is currently under development.
    This publication will be a small-format book based in part on the
    U.S. Marine Corps publication entitled *Leading Marines* and on the
    U.S. Army publication entitled *Army Leadership: Be, Know Do.* The
    intent of the publication is to offer a framework for wildland fire
    leaders to consider when assessing and developing themselves, their
    people, and their organizations. The goal is to make it available as
    an L-course reference in the NWCG Publication Management System.

-   This recommendation may never reach \"completed\" status due to the
    wide range of possibilities encompassed in self-development and
    self-study. The LC will continue to work with ad hoc advisors from
    the field to identify desired Leadership Toolbox products and follow
    through to implementation of those products.

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**Recommendation 12 - COMPLETED**: Institute the use of leadership
skills assessment tools within the framework of the leadership
curriculum. The primary intent in using assessment tools is to enable
people to identify which leadership traits they need to improve. The
intent is not to use these assessment tools for disciplinary action.
Some results could be used to determine whether or not individuals are
ready to advance to higher-level Incident Command leadership positions.

-   A basic leadership self-development plan and worksheet have been
    developed as a reference and are available in the Leadership
    Toolbox.

-   A basic self-assessment process is initiated in the L-280,
    Followership to Leadership course and reinforced in the L-380,
    Fireline Leadership course.

-   A complex, commercial self-assessment instrument is utilized in the
    L-480, Incident Leadership course.

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="5.0in" height="3.75in"}*\
*![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

> Firefighters learning about Tactical Decision Games and Sandtables
>
> at the Marine Corps University in May 2002.

**Organizational Integration**

Recommendations #2, 5, 9, 13, and 14 from the *Report of the Leadership
Task Group to the Training Working Team* addressed the need to integrate
the WFLDP into the various organizations that comprise the wildland fire
service. Only Recommendations #5 and #14 remain uncompleted as of
September 2006. The following is the current accomplishment status for
these five recommendations:

**Recommendation 2 - COMPLETED:** Develop a strategy for accomplishing
new course development, including a time line for completion, delivery
strategy and cost analysis. Some existing leadership courses can be
used, and some new course development will be required in order to meet
the leadership development needs of all levels of our organizations.
Delivery strategy needs to include a plan for developing agency
employees as instructors for the more advanced leadership courses;
initially these courses will only be deliverable by a vendor with
expertise in leadership development.

-   Each L-course has been addressed individually to determine content,
    delivery strategy, cost, completion timeline, designator number, and
    whether to include in the NWCG Publication Management System. These
    considerations have been documented in issue papers available on the
    WFLDP website. In many cases, the leadership courses have replaced
    existing courses to enhance development opportunities for new and
    experienced leaders.

-   The entry-level L-courses in the curriculum are designed to be
    delivered by local instructors, while the other L-courses are
    designed to be delivered by dedicated cadres that undergo an agency
    approval process in order to maintain high-quality instructors for
    the mid-level and advanced courses.

-   An analysis of the objectives for the first four L-courses has been
    completed. This analysis has resulted in a tiered hierarchy for all
    course objectives to insure that there are no gaps or overlaps in
    the objective set for the entire curriculum. This insures that
    complex objectives in the more advanced courses are supported with
    basic enabling objectives in the entry-level courses.

**Recommendation 5:** Establish a mechanism for evaluating the
effectiveness of leadership training. Such a mechanism might involve the
use of contractors and agency personnel conducting field interviews and
observing job performance on fires, months or years after training is
presented. The idea is to accurately assess how the training impacted
performance on the job.

-   All of the currently available L-courses have gone through a test
    course protocol during their development cycle.

-   Members of the LC have attended all of the currently available
    L-courses in order to have first-hand knowledge of the curriculum
    and to evaluate the courses as part of an ongoing quality control
    effort. ![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in"
    height="0.8944444444444445in"}

-   The Bureau of Land Management in Utah and the U.S. Forest Service,
    Region 4 conducted a combined follow-up review with graduates of
    L-380 courses, their subordinates, and their supervisors. This
    review was completed in the fall of 2003 and is available on the
    WFLDP website.

-   The LC has established a contract with The Guidance Group to design
    and test an evaluation methodology for the leadership curriculum.
    This work is expected to be completed by 2007.

**Recommendation 9 -- COMPLETED:** Revise the *Wildland and Prescribed
Fire Qualification System Guide (PMS 310-1)* to make specific leadership
courses \"required training\" for certain key positions and \"additional
training\" recommended for other positions. Incident Operations
Standards Working Team (IOSWT) to review, modify as needed, and approve
changes to the 310-1 recommended in this document. Suggested completion
date, fall of 2001.

-   IOSWT time frames for revision of the PMS 310-1 did not allow for
    the fall of 2001 suggested completion date to be met.

-   All WFLDP training products have been assigned course identification
    numbers within the Incident Qualifications and Certification System
    (IQCS).

-   Subject matter experts were brought together in a workshop to
    address the "required" versus "recommended" training considerations
    for L-courses in the PMS 310-1. Their observations guided the LC
    recommendations to the NWCG Training Working Team (TWT) on changes
    to the PMS 310-1.

-   A detailed proposal for both "required" and "recommended" training
    was submitted to the TWT and IOSWT at their joint February 2004
    meeting. This proposal pertained to the L-180, L-280 and L-380
    courses, since other courses in the curriculum were still under
    development at that time.

-   Of the 105 ICS positions in the PMS 310-1, "required training" was
    proposed for 13 positions (all in Command or Operations). L-380 was
    proposed as "required training" for 6 positions, while L-280 was
    proposed as "required training" for 7 positions. Another 37
    positions were identified for "recommended training" (17 for L-380
    and 20 for L-180).

-   Additional recommendations for the L-381 and L-480 courses were
    given to the IOSWT in May 2005. L-381 was proposed as "required
    training" for 3 positions and L-480 was proposed as "required
    training" for 7 positions.

-   The IOSWT has determined that none of the L-courses would be
    identified as "required training" for any position in the 2006
    revision of the *Wildland Fire Qualification System Guide (PMS
    310-1).*

-   The LC submitted a final briefing paper regarding the status of this
    issue to the NWCG parent group via the TWT in June 2005. The TWT
    elected not to forward the briefing paper to the NWCG parent group.

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**Recommendation 13 - COMPLETED:** Establish a standing group (e.g.,
Steering Committee) that will be responsible for overseeing the
implementation of the recommendations in this report. It is widely
recognized that, regardless of their quality, reports alone do not
accomplish change in an organization.

-   The Leadership Committee (LC) was established and met for the first
    time in January 2002. The committee, consisting of individuals
    representing each federal wildland fire agency, the National
    Association of State Foresters, local and municipal fire
    departments, meets twice per year to review and assign action items.

-   Actions have been taken on each of the 14 recommendations, and in
    many cases, a significant amount of work has been accomplished. As
    of September 2006, only 4 of the original 14 recommendations are
    incomplete.

-   A communication plan was developed for the WFLDP. Resources
    developed to support the communication plan include a standard
    PowerPoint presentation about the program, annual status reports,
    informational brochures for distribution at conferences and
    academies, a logo to increase program recognition among
    firefighters, a series of bookmarks that communicates the WFLDP
    website address along with the values and principles, several
    program description and FAQ features on the WFLDP website, and a
    contact link on the WFLDP website so that users can easily provide
    comments or ask questions of the various members on the LC.

-   A number of articles showcasing various aspects of the WFLDP have
    been authored by members of the LC in publications that include
    *Wildland Firefighter, Wildfire, Fire Management Today, California
    Fire Service, Wharton Digest,* and *Academy of Management Learning &
    Education.*

    ![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in"
    height="0.8944444444444445in"}

**Recommendation 14:** During the ongoing NWCG course revision process,
analyze each course within the \"S\" curriculum to determine if
leadership content is appropriate in the course given the nature of the
position for which the course is targeted (e.g., Crew Boss). The
creation of a separate leadership curriculum will not eliminate the need
for the \"context-specific\" practice of leadership competencies.

-   Members of the NWCG Training Development Group have attended many of
    the leadership courses so they are better able to determine how to
    reinforce these concepts as project leaders for their S-course
    revision assignments.

-   An individual from the NWCG\'s Training Development Group is tasked
    with briefing each new S-course revision team on the relevant
    aspects of the WFLDP.

-   The NWCG Training Development Group has created a content analysis
    tool to guide project leaders and subject matter experts through the
    process of identifying critical leadership/human factor concepts.
    For each revision, this tool provides a lens to view course material
    and position task books regarding relevant leadership skills.

-   Significant changes are occurring within the NWCG curriculum during
    the S-course revision cycle. The shift is to a more experiential
    learning approach to give students a chance to practice job skills.
    Leadership content has been added to courses such as S‑131, S-230,
    S-336, and RX-410. Due to the time frames involved in revising the
    NWCG curriculum, this process will not be complete until at least
    2009.

> ![](media/image5.jpeg){width="5.0in"
> height="3.334722222222222in"}![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in"
> height="0.8944444444444445in"}
>
> The Leadership Committee at the NASA Astronaut Development Center\
> in October 2003.

**Lessons Learned and Eyes Forward**

***LESSONS LEARNED*** - As the title of this report suggests, and as one
of the basic leadership techniques advocates, learning from past actions
is a key to future success. Some of those lessons from the Wildland Fire
Leadership Development Program's first five years include:

**Recruit and empower ad hoc advisors.**

The WFLDP has very limited resources. Bringing field users together as
small teams in order to facilitate the development phase on new products
has paid off in many ways. Continuing this strategy will insure that new
products are relevant to the field, will assist in succession planning
for LC continuity, and create an ever bigger corps of advocates for the
WFLDP.

**Develop partners outside the wildland fire service.**

There is a wealth of information and experience regarding leadership
development outside the wildland fire service. The WFLDP should continue
to work with other organizations for idea sources and to utilize
targeted outsourcing opportunities to accomplish specific projects where
there is a lack of staffing capacity.

**Utilize the power of the Web.**

Using the Web to consolidate and share leadership information has been
very effective. The WFLDP website provides a one-stop-shopping place for
leaders at every level and is also an excellent briefing tool for anyone
interested in leadership. This on-line resource organizes information
and provides useful tools to field users. The high volume of use speaks
for the value of this website.

**Work on many fronts to achieve organizational integration.**

While the initial spark for the WFLDP came from grassroots initiatives,
bringing mid‑level management and senior level leadership onboard will
be the key to an optimum end state. The LC must continue to build an
understanding of the WFLDP at the strategic levels in the wildland fire
service.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

***EYES FORWARD*** - Looking to the future, important work remains to
insure that the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program continues
as a dynamic part of wildland fire training and does not become another
checkmark on a bureaucratic "to do" list.

**Initiate an evaluation process for the L-course curriculum.**

A contract to develop an evaluation process has been established. The
intent for this initiative is to determine the long-term impact of the
L-courses. This would involve a formal evaluation system to measure
behavior changes by gathering post training feedback from both
participants and supervisors. This effort will be the first time this
has been attempted for any part of the NWCG training curriculum.

**Work with various stakeholders to craft an effective IMT development
process.**

The development of the senior level leader courses (L-480 and L-580) has
encountered challenges due to uncertainty surrounding the future path of
IMT training. A number of factors have converged to bring the current
model of IMT training into question. The LC will need to work closely
with the TWT, NAFRI, and others to resolve this issue successfully.

**Integrate leadership concepts into other NWCG efforts.**

As the mission and expectations of the wildland fire service expand, so
to will the need to insure the WFLDP stays integrated with new NWCG
efforts, especially in the area of training. Continued attention to
course crosswalk initiatives and course revision work should remain a
priority focus for the LC.

**Provide engaging and current self-development opportunities.**

The Leadership Toolbox is the most universally accessible application of
the WFLDP. It is widely used throughout the wildland fire service as
well as being cited for use by outside organizations, the military, and
by academia. Currently, the Staff Ride Library and the leadership
doctrine publication are the primary products under development. As the
field identifies needs for other tools and products in the Leadership
Toolbox, the LC should be prepared to support that development need.

**Enable local cooperators to participate in the WFLDP.**

Access to NWCG training is a challenge for some state and local fire
organizations. Good leadership on the fireground is a must no matter
where firefighters work. The LC should continue to seek innovative ways
to make leadership development opportunities available for the many
entities that make up the wildland fire service.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

> **Appendix A**

An Abridged History

of Leadership Development Initiatives

in the Wildland Fire Service

> 1995 to 2001

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

1995

Missoula Technology Development Center hosts a Human Factors Workshop in
Missoula, Montana. The focus is on decision making and group dynamics.

Significance - The workshop was the first time that the wildland fire
service at the national level collaborated with experts from other
high-risk work environments regarding the human elements of decision
making and crew cohesion.

1995

Smokejumper community begins using Cockpit Resource Management (CRM)
training for spotters and pilots.

Significance -- Introduction of CRM training concepts of the aviation
industry within the wildland fire service.

1996

A training course in human factors is developed for wildland
firefighters. This course is tested and then delivered for the next
three years at the National Park Service's Western Region Crew Boss
Academy.

Significance -- This was the first attempt to apply CRM concepts to
wildland firefighting ground resources. This provided an opportunity to
assess the CRM concepts in context...many became the foundation for the
leadership program, others were determined to be specific to the
aviation environment.

1996-1998

A number of articles are authored in wildland fire publications and
other professional journals regarding decision-making and group dynamics
in wildland firefighting.

Significance -- These articles raised the profile of wildland
firefighting in outside circles and raised awareness within the wildland
fire service for the issue of improving how firefighters are prepared
for fireground decision making.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

1996-1998

The TriData Corporation is contracted by the five federal fire agencies
to conduct a survey regarding the current state of wildland firefighter
safety.

Significance -- Over 1,000 wildland firefighters provide feedback. Over
280 individual findings are returned to the clients. Improving training
for leadership and decision making was a major emphasis area in the
findings. The five federal fire agencies created a shared national-level
position to address the findings from the study. This position was
vacated after two years and never restaffed.

1998

The NWCG Safety and Health Working Team sponsors an interagency effort
to develop a course called Human Factors on the Fireline.

Significance -- This was the first formal human factors training within
the NWCG curriculum. Mission-Centered Solutions was contracted to
provide CRM consulting services for the project. This course was
published in 2000 and eventually became L-180, the entry level course
for the leadership curriculum.

1998

A proposal is submitted to the national fire and aviation offices of
both the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service for a 40-hour
leadership development training course targeted at crew level
supervisors.

Significance -- This proposal reinforced the need identified in the
TriData report for robust leadership development opportunities early in
a firefighter's career.

1999

The Lincoln National Forest sponsors a leader development program
focusing on CRM and leadership skills, titled Fireline Leadership. The
Lincoln National Forest works in partnership with Mission-Centered
Solutions: the Lincoln National Forest provides technical expertise and
funding; Mission-Centered Solutions provides design and development
resources.

Significance -- Grassroots effort pushed leadership development from an
idea to a reality. The high level of acceptance for this prototype
course encouraged the U.S. Forest Service to initiate a wider trial
effort in the following year.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

1999

The NWCG parent group supports a leadership training initiative aimed at
the Incident Management Team level to be delivered at NARTC (now known
as NAFRI).

Significance -- The leadership development issue emerged on NWCG's radar
screen.

1999

The Fire Behavior Analyst Workshop held in Phoenix, Arizona organizes a
Staff Ride to the 1990 Dude Fire site on the Tonto National Forest.

Significance - First use of a formal Staff Ride in the wildland fire
service. The Staff Ride is an educational technique that focuses on the
human element and decision making.

2000

The U.S. Forest Service office at NIFC initiates a trial of
Mission-Centered Solution's Fireline Leadership course to be delivered
to Interagency Hotshot Crew supervisors for assessment of the product.
Three sessions are conducted on the Prescott National Forest, the Sierra
National Forest, and at the Redmond Training Center.

Significance -- Funding for leadership development training was provided
directly from a national-level budget. This course eventually became the
blueprint for the L-380, the third level course in the current
leadership curriculum.

2000

The Leadership Task Group is assembled by NWCG in September 2000 and
tasked with providing a report within 6 months.

Significance -- NWCG recognized the need to address leadership
development for all wildland firefighters.

2001

The Report of the Leadership Task Group to the Training Working Team is
submitted in February 2001.

Significance -- The strategy of the task group was to benchmark a wide
variety of outside organizations in order to present the current state
of leadership development techniques to NWCG decision makers. Two
organizations provided extensive support to this benchmarking effort -
the Marine Corps University and the Wharton Center for Leadership and
Change Management at the University of Pennsylvania.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

2001

The Fireline Leadership national training initiative for the U.S. Forest
Service is expanded to all Type 1 resources. This initiative continues
to be funded at the national level.

Significance -- Widespread involvement of the hotshot crews and
smokejumpers in the program brought higher awareness to the entire
wildland fire service.

2001

U.S. Forest Service, Region 3 funds Fireline Leadership courses for
their engine module leaders, fire management officers, and helicopter
managers.

Significance -- The Fireline Leadership course is adapted and proven
effective outside the hotshot and smokejumper communities.

2001

The Bureau of Land Management in Colorado and Wyoming provide Fireline
Leadership courses to their engine module leaders.

Significance -- First use of the Fireline Leadership course in the wider
interagency community.

2001

The Fireline Leadership course is granted equivalency by the U.S. Forest
Service and the Bureau of Land Management for the S-301, Leadership and
Organizational Development course.

Significance -- Agency recognition of what good leadership development
training looks like; opens new avenues for providing that training.

2001

NWCG Leadership Committee is chartered in November 2001 and work on the
Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program is initiated at the first
meeting in January 2002.

Significance -- Interagency commitment to improve how wildland
firefighters are prepared for the leadership and decision-making demands
they will face on the fireground.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in"
height="0.8944444444444445in"}![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in"
height="0.8944444444444445in"}

> **Appendix B**

Executive Summary from the

*Report of the Leadership Task Group*

*to the Training Working Team*

*February 2001*

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

**EXECUTIVE SUMMARY**

The Leadership Task Group to the Training Working Team believes that new
approaches are called for in addressing the leadership issues that face
wildland fire organizations. These leadership issues are very complex,
defying simple explanation or easy understanding. Solutions to these
issues will by necessity be complex as well.

Although our group was tasked with analyzing the NWCG training
curriculum and making recommendations on leadership training issues, we
ended up concluding that training alone is not enough. We feel strongly
that what our organizations need is to institutionalize leadership
development, which means we need to do a lot more than just provide
classroom training.

During the analysis phase of our work, we examined a number of different
types of organizations that attempt to address leadership issues in
their work forces for a variety of reasons. In the private sector,
leaders are needed to enhance the company\'s bottom line. In government,
leaders are needed to accomplish agency missions. In the military,
leaders are needed to fight battles and win wars. Benchmarking a variety
of organizations gave us some perspectives on our own organizations and
some ideas for dealing with our own leadership challenges.

We found that there is no such thing as a \"military model\" or a
\"corporate model\" for leadership. There are many different leadership
concepts and practices in both the public and private sectors. The task
for the wildland fire community is to sift through all of these and come
up with some combination that will work best for us, given the
challenges our organizations face.

In examining our operational environment and comparing it to that of
other organizations, the largest number of similarities are found in the
military and in other emergency service organizations. These
organizations all operate in high risk environments where decisions must
be made within compressed time frames, often by people under a great
deal of stress. By and large, we found that many of the leadership
development concepts and techniques practiced in the military have some
applicability in the world of wildland fire. We\'re not suggesting that
our operations mimic those of military organizations; we are suggesting
that we use ideas that make the most sense and have the best chance of
working.

One consideration that we made in our analysis was that there are some
marked differences between temporary organizations and permanent
organizations. Temporary organizations are those that are put together
as needed, such as any incident management organization. Permanent
organizations are \"standing\" structures that are more or less always
in place, for example the fire management organization at a local unit.
The differences in the relative permanence of an organization have a
variety of impacts on the exercise of leadership. Our recommendations
primarily focus on leadership in temporary organizations. The following
is a summary of the recommendations contained in this report:

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

1\. Establish a distinct Leadership curriculum of courses that are
connected conceptually from the least complex (follower) level to the
most complex (organizational leader) level. This curriculum should have
its own designator (e.g., L-courses) to set it apart from technical
courses.

2\. Develop a strategy for accomplishing new course development,
including a time line for completion, delivery strategy and cost
analysis. Some existing leadership courses can be used, and some new
course development will be required in order to meet the leadership
development needs of all levels of our organizations. Delivery strategy
needs to include a plan for developing agency employees as instructors
for the more advanced leadership courses; initially these courses will
only be deliverable by a vendor with expertise in leadership
development.

3\. The \"Human Factors\" course and the \"Followership to Leadership\"
course should be in the NWCG Publication Management System (PMS) as
Level III courses under the NWCG Course Development and Format Standards
guidelines. The Human Factors course is currently in the PMS;
Followership to Leadership is currently under development and needs to
be reviewed by the NWCG Standards Unit upon completion.

4\. The \"Primary Leadership\" course and the \"Incident Leadership\"
course should be

exempted from the requirements included in the NWCG Course Development
and Format Standards guidelines. These standards were developed
primarily for the in-house development of technical courses in the
cognitive domain to be delivered by agency personnel. These two
leadership courses are in the affective domain and will be developed and
presented by vendors -- at least initially. Adhering to the NWCG
standards will likely slow the development and delivery of these courses
and is not likely to enhance course effectiveness.

5\. Establish a mechanism for evaluating the effectiveness of leadership
training. Such a mechanism might involve the use of contractors and
agency personnel conducting field interviews and observing job
performance on fires, months or years after training is presented. The
idea is to accurately assess how the training impacted performance on
the job.

6\. Eliminate the current S-201 and S-301 courses from the NWCG training
curriculum. Examine whether the supervision and management skills
training that exists in those courses needs to be presented within the
wildland fire curriculum, or whether those training needs can best be
satisfied by other agency-required training that is already available.

7\. Incorporate the Human Factors course into the NWCG S-130 Firefighter
training

course. This will allow all entry-level firefighters to receive
information on follower responsibilities. The Human Factors course will
also exist as a stand-alone course, for those who are not required to
take S-130.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

8\. Eliminate the S-131 course. Make the Followership to Leadership
course a requirement for the FFT1 position. Both are 8-hour courses, so
this change results in no net increase of required training for the
squad boss position. S-131 was developed in response to the South Canyon
Fire tragedy, yet it does little to address leadership issues at the
squad boss level. Since Followership to Leadership does address
precisely those leadership issues, it should be the required course at
the FFT1 level. The more cognitive, technical content of the existing
S-131 course could be developed into a Job Aid.

9\. Revise the *Wildland and Prescribed Fire Qualification System Guide
(PMS 310-1)* to make specific leadership courses \"required training\"
for certain key positions and "additional training\" recommended for
other positions. Incident Operations Standards Working Team (IOSWT) to
review, modify as needed, and approve changes to the 310-1 recommended
in this document. Suggested completion date, fall of 2001.

10\. Adopt a specific set of desired leadership principles and values
that are common to all our organizations. Communicate these principles
and values to our work force and incorporate them in leadership
training.

11\. Develop a self-study component of the leadership curriculum that
allows people to study leadership concepts and principles outside the
context of formal classroom training. For example, establish a
leadership-themed website and publish a \"Book of Books\" of recommended
reading materials that will help people develop as leaders.

12\. Institute the use of leadership skills assessment tools within the
framework of the leadership curriculum. The primary intent in using
assessment tools is to enable people to identify which leadership traits
they need to improve. The intent is not to use these assessment tools
for disciplinary action. Some results could be used to determine whether
or not individuals are ready to advance to higher-level Incident Command
leadership positions.

13\. Establish a standing group (e.g., Steering Committee) that will be
responsible for overseeing the implementation of the recommendations in
this report. It is widely recognized that, regardless of their quality,
reports alone do not accomplish change in an organization.

14\. During the ongoing NWCG course revision process, analyze each
course within the \"S\" curriculum to determine if leadership content is
appropriate in the course given the nature of the position for which the
course is targeted (e.g., Crew Boss). The creation of a separate
leadership curriculum will not eliminate the need for the
\"context-specific\" practice of leadership competencies.

There is no single magic bullet for leadership in wildland fire, no
quick fix, no easy answer. The creation of an environment where leaders
are developed in an organized way is likely to take years, which seems
like a good reason to get started right away.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

> **Appendix C**

Charter for the NWCG Leadership Committee

of the Training Working Team

Established 2001

Revised 2004

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

![](media/image6.png){width="6.495833333333334in"
height="8.438888888888888in"}

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

![](media/image7.png){width="6.495833333333334in"
height="8.395833333333334in"}

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

> **Appendix D**

Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program

Website Statistics

www.fireleadership.gov

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

**Hits / Month www.fireleadership.gov**

Hit -- The retrieval of any item, like a page or a graphic, from a web
server.

![](media/image8.wmf){width="7.627777777777778in"
height="4.867361111111111in"}

\* Department of Interior websites shutdown during March 2004.\
![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}

**Visits / Month www.fireleadership.gov**

Visit - A web page that has been viewed by one visitor.

![](media/image9.wmf){width="7.627777777777778in"
height="4.871527777777778in"}

\* Department of Interior websites shutdown during March 2004.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.5375in" height="0.8944444444444445in"}