Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-401 Fire Management Specialist

Attachment 1
RX-590 Prescribed Fire Behavior 2 Semester Hours
Interpretation (to be combined
with $-590)
8-490 Advanced Wildland Fire 1 Semester Hour
Behavior Calculations
8-491 National Fire Danger Rating 1 Semester Hour
System
8-492 Long Term Fire Risk 1 Semester Hour
Assessment
$-493 Fire Area Growth Simulation 1 Semester Hour
8-520 Advanced Incident Management 2 Semester Hours
8-580 Advanced Fire Use Applications 1 Semester Hour
(National Parks & Wilderness
Fire Management)
8-590 Fire Behavior Interpretation 2 Semester Hours
8-620 Area Command 1 Semester Hour
P-151 Wildfire Origin and Cause 1 Semester Hour
Determination
RX-300 Prescribed Fire for Burn 1 Semester Hour
Bosses
RX-340 Introduction to Fire Effects 1 Semester Hour
$-190/290 Introduction to fire Behavior 1 Semester Hour
combined with intermediate
Wildland Fire Behavior
S-390 Introduction to Wildland Fire 1 Semester Hour
Behavior Calculations



Fire management operations - analyzing and applying fire management strategies, plus experience
in at least five of the following activities:

Mobilization and dispatch coordination
Fire prevention and education

Training

Logistics

Equipment development and deployment
Fire communication systems
Suppression and preparedness

Aviation

7, Documentation: The Office of Personnel Management revised the Operating Manual for
Qualifications Standards for General Schedule Positions, Part E.4 — E.4(a) of the General Policies
and Instructions effective February 15, 2005, to address the “Acceptability of Higher Education for
Meeting Minimum Qualification Requirements.” OPM revised the education requirement provisions
based on Congressional, Department of Education, and OPM concern with the employment of people
in the Federal government who have college degrees from non-accredited sources. Effective
February 15, 2005, the issuance of the revised OPM qualifications standard restricted qualifying
education (primarily) to colleges, universities and institutions. Anyone placed in a GS-0401 series
position on or after February 15, 2005, had or has met the OPM qualifications standard in place as of
that date.

While this revision applies to all GS positions, it has a significant impact on positions covered by the
Department’s Supplemental Standard for Fire Management Positions under the GS-0401 Fire
Management series. Prior to February 15, 2005, the OPM Operating Manual for GS Positions
allowed credits from the USDA Graduate School, or other institutions determined to be equivalent on
the same basis as study in accredited colleges, universities and institutions. At that time National
Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) was determined to be an equivalent institution. NWCG
courses taken pre-February 15, 2005 were creditable toward the GS-0401 series education
qualification requirements with the proviso that the employee provided appropriate documentation or
proof that he or she met the applicable educational provisions and the individual was already in the
GS-0401 position as of February 14, 2005.

When the original supplemental standard for Fire Management Specialist was approved on July 29,
2002, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior worked jointly
to create a draft interpretative guidance for implementation. As a result of the revision, beginning on
February 15, 2005 Departmental Human Resources Offices can now credit only educational
coursework that is listed on an official transcript from an accredited institution, college, or
university!, This means that NWCG course work, and the Technical Fire Management (TFM)
coursework that is not listed on an official transcript, or equivalent documentation, can not be used
even though prior to February 15, 2005, this course work was allowed.

T tn lieu of official transcripts from a college, university or institution, equivalent documentation is defined as a
certificate or letter of completion signed by a professor, dean, or department head of an accredited college, university
or institution. This certificate or letter of completion must indicate the name of the accredited college, university or
institution, the name of the course, the academic level of the course (upper or lower division as indicated by the
college, university or institution), and the number of semester hours awarded.



Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-401 Fire Management Specialist
Attachment 1

Examples, as creditable:*

Course # Course Title (Discipline)
= ENVS xxx Environmental Hydrology (Environmental Science)
«© SOIL xxx Soil & Environment Physics (Soil Science)
= FOR xxx Environment Conservation (Forestry)
= WESC xxx Wildlife and Changing Environment (Wildlife Science)
«FW xxx Survey of GIS in Natural Resources (Fish & Wildlife)
= GEOG xxx Decision-making Natural Resources Management (Geography)
2 F Xxx Decision Methods for Fire Managers (Forestry)
= FOR xxx Professional Writing for Natural Resources Sciences
{Forestry emphasis)
Examples, not creditable:
Course # Course Title (Discipline)
= POS xxx Environmental Policy (Political Science)
= SOC xxx Environment & Society (Sociology)
= HIST xxx American Environment History (History)
= STAT xxx Data Analysis & Regression (Statistics)
= ECON xxx Natural Resources Economics (Economics)
a ENG xxx Professional Writing for Natural Resources Sciences

(English emphasis)

AND

3. Documentation verifying the coursework was completed and met accreditation and
discipline (items B.1.a.1, B.1.a.2 above). The OPM Operating Manual for Qualification
Standards for General Schedule Positions, General Policies and Instructions, Part E.4
describes proof as: an official transcript; statement from the institution’s registrar, dean,
or other appropriate official; or equivalent documentation.

2. Specialized Experience

Specialized experience is well defined in the Supplemental Qualifications Standard for the
GS-0401 Fire Management Specialist. It is not required that this work be performed under the
supervision of a professional employee, only that the work experience meets the definition

required of this Standard.

If an employee or applicant has been performing the work described in the Supplemental
Qualifications Standard, it is creditable even if that work was performed in a technical or

administrative fire position.

§ Generally, the course number includes the Department (discipline) for which the course was developed and
whether the course is upper or lower division.

3


8. The Department point of contact for this policy is Michael Ballew, and he can be reached on
(202) 513-0755, or via email at Michael_Ballew@ios.doi.gov.

JiheLigpG : Aug
Sharlyn A. Grigsby a
Director, Office of Human Resources


Employees who met qualification requirements using NWCG courses, without academic
transcripts, prior to February 15, 2005 and were either appointed, promoted or reassigned into the
GS-0401 by that date as Fire Management Specialists are not affected by these changes as long as
they remain in their current positions. It must be noted that their current status under the GS-0401
standard is limited to the position and grade they currently hold. These employees must meet the
combination of education and experience provisions, along with the positive education
requirements for the GS-0401 series based on the new criteria if they wish to be reassigned,
detailed or referred from a merit promotion certificate. The only exception would be a “career-
ladder” promotion based on the competition held prior to February 15, 2005.

For those individuals who do not have a degree in one of the qualifying academic disciplines, but
who may qualify by a combination of education and experience, the following guidance applies
when determining qualifying education:

A. Courses supported by a transcript or equivalent documentation in which a minimum of
24 semester hours is in one or more of the disciplines. The 24 semester hours must include
upper division courses. The number of upper division courses can vary as long as
progression toward a major is displayed. It is the responsibility of the human resource
specialist to determine the qualifying nature of this progression. They can include courses
entirely from one discipline, e.g., for example, Soil Science; or a mixture of closely related
disciplines, e.g., for example, Forestry, Range Management, and Ecology.

B. College transcripts and equivalent documentation which support only lower division
education, such as that derived through an Associates Degree does not meet the basic
education requirement. Universities regularly credit continuing education coursework even
when the student is not enrolied in a degree program. These courses go through the same
strenuous curriculum review as general coursework and will also be considered as
creditable provided transcripts or certificates of completion are submitted with the
application. The Department encourages all employees covered by the 0401 Supplemental
Qualification Standard to purchase these credits for permanent documentation in their
Official Personnel Folder (OPF).

All documentation related to the “positive” education requirement of the 0401 series will be
maintained in the employee’s OPF, either paper or electronic, in accordance with the provisions of
the OPM Guide to Personnel Record Keeping.

Medical and Physical Requirements: Medical and physical requirements must be met for
positions that have duties that are of an arduous or hazardous nature.

Program Oversight and Evaluation: Bureaus and equivalent organizations will include review of
the Fire Program Management positions under the 0401 series in their internal personnel
management evaluations programs.


Supplemental Quafifications Standards, GS-401 Fire Management Speciatist
Attachment 1

A graduate degree in any of the disciplines listed above will meet basic qualifications regardless
of the undergraduate degree. Al! disciplines in A.1 above were obtained from series listed in the
Biological Sciences, GS-0401 or within an individual occupational series. For example, natural
resources management was taken from the GS-0480, Fish and Wildlife Administration Series,
and GS-0454, Rangeland Management Series.

Subject matter experts from the five wildland firefighting agencies developed A.2 related
disciplines. Physical sciences are mentioned throughout the individual occupational series for
the 0400 family. In the draft Job Family Standard for Professional Work in the Natural Sciences
Group, GS-0400, the term “natural resources” is defined as “all the things in our physical
environment that we use to meet our needs and wants.” It also quotes: “The most commonly
thought of natural resources are metals and nonmetals, energy sources, water, land, food, wild
plants and animals, and soils. Work in natural resources sciences spans a broad range of
disciplines and specialty areas. Some natural resource scientists are engaged in broad research
and development activities that, taken singly, would be classifiable to:

* A specific professional biological or agricultural science within the GS-0400 job family
or
= Aclosely related science in another job family, e.g. physics.

A.2. Individual Occupational Series:

= 0401 includes chemistry
= 0470 includes physical and earth sciences
= 0480 includes chemistry

B. Combination of Education and Experience

1, Education Equivalent: The OPM Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions,
Group Coverage Qualification Standards for Professional and Scientific Positions, requires that
an applicant possess a core of educational credit. This course work plus additional education
and/or experience meets the qualifications for a GS-0401 under paragraph B of the individual
occupational requirements. Universities regularly credit continuing education coursework even
when the student is not enrolled in a degree program. These courses go through the same
strenuous curriculum review as general coursework. The following criteria will be used to
determine eligibility for all college, university or institutional credits:

1. The course is from an accredited university. To verify a particular school’s accreditation
status go to www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation

AND

2. The course is offered in a discipline as identified in A. under Basic Requirements. It is the
responsibility of the college, university or institution to determine the discipline; the Human
Resources staff will credit all courses on a transcript or equivalent documentation in disciplines
defined in A. toward the GS-0401 Fire Management Specialist series.


+
United States Department of the Interior a
~Sas

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240 TRAMERICA
DEC 0 4 2007
Memorandum
To: Solicitor

Inspector General
Assistant Secretaries
Heads of Bureaus tba

From: lyn A. Gtigsby
Director, Office of Human Resources

Subject: Departmental Policy on Qualification Requirements for GS-0401 Fire Program
Management

The Office of the Assistant Secretary - Policy, Management and Budget, Office of Human
Resources, is issuing a new Personnel Bulletin to all Departmental offices establishing policy on
the qualification requirements for GS-0401 Fire Program Management positions. This new
guidance provides for systematic practices and procedures across the entire Department. The
new guidance is intended to clarify program requirements implemented by the supplemental
qualification standard for the 0401 series approved by the United States Office of Personnel
Management on October 1, 2002.

The attached Personnel Bulletin describes to all Bureaus and equivalent organizations an
important employment program. All Department Human Resources Offices will now use this
guidance when determining eligibility for Fire Program Management positions.

If you have any questions, please contact Michael Ballew on (202) 513-0755 or by e-mail at
Michael_Ballew@ios.doi.gov.

Attachment
ce: Deputy Secretary

Chief of Staff
Bureaw/Equivalent Office Human Resources Officers


Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-401 Fire Management Speciaiist
Attachment 1

The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate
that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the
occupation and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a
full 4-year course of study in the fields listed in section A or B of the Basic Requirements.

An example of appropriate experience which would be comparable to the required college
coursework may be that of a technician, at the GS-7 grade level or above, who is performing
duties equivalent to an entry-level professional employee, in the field of biological sciences,
agriculture, chemistry, natural resources management, or fire management. In accordance with
direction in the Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions Operating Manual, 30
semester hours or equivalent quarter hours is comparable to one year of college and can be
substituted for one year of experience. For example, an applicant has 60 semester hours of
creditable education, which includes the required 24 semester hour’s equivalent to a major field
of study. The applicant still must have 2 years of appropriate experience to meet the basic
requirements. This combination equals 100 percent.

Specialized Experience: According to the Qualification Standards for General Schedule
Positions Operating Manual, one-grade interval experience may be qualifying for two-grade
interval positions, provided that the experience demonstrated the Knowledge, Skills, and
Abilities required to perform the work successfully. This is true for either lateral or promotion
actions. The basic requirements for the type and level of experience and/or education apply to
all applicants, whether their experience has been in the same occupation as the position being
filled or in related occupational field. Since two-grade interval positions may differ significantly
in the nature of the work, it is important that applicants be evaluated on the knowledge required
to perform the work.

Other education creditable towards 24 semester hours requirement: Prior to the OPM changes to
the Operating Manual for Qualifications Standards for General Schedule Positions, Part E.4 —
E.A(a) of the General Policies and Instructions Creditable education from other than an
accredited institution of higher learning that meets the requirements of the qualifications
standards. To meet the 24 semester hour or equivalent requirement, the other education must be
equivalent to course work in a Bachelor’s of Arts or Bachelor’s of Science degree with a major
course of study in biological sciences, natural resources, chemistry, wildland fire management,
forestry, or agriculture. Most “technology” type coursework will not meet this requirement.

Technical Fire Management Courses: All TFM courses are creditable toward meeting the 24
semester hours required of the 0401 Qualification Standard if documented on either a transcript
or a certificate with the name of the accredited college, university or institution (the Department
considers this an acceptable form of “equivalent documentation”). The documentation may note
all 18 semester hours or the partial credit which the student may purchase for academic credit.
These credits are considered as “upper division” course work for the purposes of this
supplemental standard.

A. TFM courses creditable toward meeting the required 24 semester hours under the 0401
Qualifications Standard (these meet the current documentation requirements noted in the OPM



Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-401 Fire Management Specialist
Attachment 4

For additional information on crediting experience, refer to OPM Qualifications Standards for
General Schedule Positions, General Policies and Instructions, Part E.3(d) — (m).

Application of Education and Specialized Experience

Creditable Education

Education, to be creditable toward the 24-semester hour requirement, must meet the
requirements of the Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions Operating Manual,
published by the U. S. Office of Personnel Management. The nature and quality of the education
must have been such that it would serve as a prerequisite for more advanced study (graduate
level or professional education).

The education must meet one of the following:

1. Conventional - Obtained from a college, university or institution, applicable school
within the above, or applicable curriculum at the college, university or institution that
has been properly accredited.

2. Agency courses which are creditable through a college, university or institution -
These courses contain content developed or endorsed by an NWCG member agency.
An agency or university provides instructors for these courses or may use contractors to
teach them through agreements. Through an agreement with an accredited college,
university or institution, students can purchase credits. The acceptable format for
validating the course completion is a college transcript or equivalent documentation
showing completion of the course and the amount of credit awarded by the school. It
should be noted that some courses are comprised of modules, for which each individual
module can be awarded credits by the school as evidenced by the college transcript. It
is up to the servicing Human Resources (HR) Specialist to make the final determination
as to whether a course constitutes creditable education from the standpoint of
contributing to a “major field of study”.

Education Equivalent to a Major Field of Study (24 semester hours)

The 24 semester hours must be obtained in biological sciences, natural resources, wildland fire
management, forestry, or agriculture course work as noted above. You can refer to college
course catalogs or consult with college advisors or officials to help you to determine the
appropriate level of courses.

Additional Education

In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have
included courses that involved analysis, written and verbal communication, critical thinking,
planning research, etc. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similar skills
and abilities.



Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS~401 Fire Management Specialist
Attachment 1

Policy Interpretation of the Supplemental Qualification Standard for the GS-0401 Fire
Management Specialist

This is to be used in conjunction with the GS-0401 Fire Management Specialist Standard.
Basic Requirements:

A. Education: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited
college, university or institution leading to a bachelor’s or higher degree in biological
sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, or related discipline appropriate to
the position being filled. The following majors are creditable:

1. Disciplines identified in the 400 Professional and Scientific Series Standard for General
Biological Science/Natural Sciences which may be used to meet the basic requirement:

Agriculture Agricultural Extension
Agronomy Animal Science
Biochemistry Biological Sciences (General)
Biometrics (includes Applied Forestry*) Botany

Ecology Entomology

Fishery Biology (includes marine/aquatic) Forestry

General Fish & Wildlife Administration Genetics

Horticulture Microbiology

Natural Resources Management Pharmacology

Physiology Plant Pathology

Plant Physiology Plant Protection & Quarantine
Rangeland Management Soil Conservation

Soil Science Toxicology

Wildlife Biology Wildlife Refuge Management
Zoology

2. Natural Resource related disciplines as determined by Fire Management subject matter
experts to meet the Natural Science Group GS-400 which may be used to meet the basic
requirement:

Chemistry Earth Sciences
Environmental Sciences” Geology

Hydrology Meteorology

Outdoor Recreation? Physical Geography*
Physics Watershed Management

Fire Management/Fire Science

2 An Environmental Sciences degree does not equate to an environmental or natural resources policy degree

* Natural Resources emphasis.

* GIS is creditable when identified as Biometrics, Applied Forestry, Natural Resources, e.g., FOR 20x, Survey of GIS in Natural
Resourcas; GEOG xxx Hydrologic Application of GIS & Remote Sensing; NR xxx Advanced GIS Applications in Fire Ecology &
Management. It is not creditable if the course is designated as part of a discipline not listed above, e.g., Computer Science course
CS 10x, Inter Arcview.


2. Prescribed fire/fuels management - experience in activities such as:

Professional forest or range inventory methods and procedures (e.g., Brown's planar
intercept for dead and down fuels; live fuel loading assessments), or

Analysis of fuel loadings and determination of appropriate fuel treatment methods and
programming, or

Evaluating prescribed fire plans or fire management plans to ensure fire containment is
possible and identify appropriate suppression contingencies if containment is not obtained.

3. Fire management operations - analyzing and applying fire management strategies, plus
experience in at least four of the following activities:

Mobilization and dispatch coordination
Fire prevention

Training

Logistics

Equipment development and deployment
Fire communications systems
Suppression and preparedness

For GS-11 and above: Experience must have included all of the fire program management
elements as described below:

Reviewing and evaluating fire management plans for ecological soundness and technical
adequacy;

Conducting field inspections before and after prescribed or wildland fires to determine if
resource objectives were achieved and/or to evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken; and
Developing analyses on the ecological role of fire and its use and/or exclusion, and smoke
management.

In addition to fire program management, appropriate experience must have included either
prescribed fire/fuels management - or - fire management operations as described below:

Prescribed fire/fuels management - experience in a broad range of activities such as:

Professional forest or range inventory methods and procedures (e.g., Brown's planar
intercept for dead and down fuels; live fuel loading assessments);

Analysis of fuel loadings and determination of appropriate fuel treatment methods and
programming;

Land use planning and environmental coordination;

Evaluation of prescribed burn plans or fire management plans to ensure fire containment is
possible and identification of appropriate suppression contingencies if containment is not
obtained.


B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major course of
study in biological sciences, agriculture or natural resources management, chemistry or at
least 24 semester hours in biological sciences, natural resources, wildland fire management,
forestry, or agriculture equivalent to a major field of study, plus appropriate experience or
additional education that is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful
completion of a full 4-year course of study in the biological sciences, agriculture, or natural
resources.

5. Combination of education and experience: When combining education with experience, first
determine the applicant's total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for
the grade level; then determine the applicant’s experience as a percentage of the experience
required for the grade level; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at
least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. (Note: 30 semester hours or 45
quarter hours is generally the equivalent of | year of full-time undergraduate education)

Applicants who meet the criteria for Superior Academic Achievement qualify for positions at the
GS-7 level.

6. Specialized Experience: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge,
skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties related to fire program management. To be
creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level
in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

For positions at GS-7 and above, one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-
05 level is required in addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements.

For GS-7: Experience that demonstrated an understanding of fire behavior relative to fuels,
weather, and topography and how fire affects natural and cultural resources. Typical assignments
include:

e Participating in implementing prescribed fire or fire use plans to ensure resource objectives
can be met from a fire management standpoint.

* Developing initial attack incident management strategies and tactics to meet the stated
resource objectives.

For GS-9: Experience in at least two of the following three categories:

1. Experience that demonstrated understanding of fire effects on cultural and natural resources.
The assignments must have shown participation in activities such as:

e Developing fire management plans to ensure resource objectives can be met from a fire
management standpoint; or

© Conducting field inspections before and/or after prescribed fires or wildland fires to
determine if defined resource objectives have been met.


2
United States Department of the Interior «al
—_—

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TAKE PRIDE
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240 INAMERICA
DEC 0 4 2007

PERSONNEL BULLETIN NO: 07-13
SUBJECT: Qualification Requirements for GS-0401 Fire Program Management

1. This Personnel Bulletin clarifies the specific qualification requirements for the GS-0401 series,
Fire Program Management positions, at the U. S. Department of the Interior (Interior) as outlined in
the U. S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Operating Manual for General Schedule
Positions and the Department’s Supplemental Qualifications Standard.

2. Authorities: Title 5 of the United States Code; OPM, Operating Manual, Qualification
Standards for General Schedule Positions, Group Coverage Qualifications Standards for
Professional and Scientific Positions; OPM, Qualification Standards for General Schedule
Positions, General Policies and Instructions, Part E.4 — E.4(a); OPM, Operating Manual, Individual
Occupational Requirement for General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences
Series, GS-0401; OPM Letter, dated July 29, 2002, signed by Ellen E. Tunstall, Assistant Director
for Employment Policy; Interior Memorandum dated October 1, 2002, Subject: Implementation of
the Supplemental Qualification Standard for GS-0401 Fire Program Management Specialists.

3. Policy: The Department’s Supplemental Qualification Standard was developed under the
leadership of Interior, Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) United States Forest Service and with
concurrent advice from the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife
Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs and OPM. The goal of this supplemental standard is to ensure
consistent application in qualifying and hiring employees for key fire management specialist
positions under the 0401 series in these two Departments. This supplemental standard is to be used
in conjunction with the authorities and references cited above in paragraph 2 and will be used for
competitive and non-competitive actions.

4. Basic Qualification Requirements: The OPM Qualification Standard for the 0401 series
include a “positive” education requirement as stated below. It is the applicant’s responsibility to
provide documentation or proof that he or she has met the applicable educational provisions
described in this supplemental standard. No applicant may be placed in a position covered by the
0401 Qualification Standard for Fire Program Management without meeting either A or B below.
Attachment 1 to this Personnel bulletin clarifies further the use of related courses of study.

A. Degree: Biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, chemistry or
related disciplines appropriate to the position.

-OR-


Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-401 Fire Management Specialist
Attachment 1

Operating Manual for Qualifications Standards for General Schedule Positions, Part E.4 — E.4(a)}
of the General Policies and Instructions, revised effective February 15, 2005):

Module I/TA Statistics/Computer and Math
Module IT Economics
Module ITI Fuels Management
Module IV Fire Ecology
Module V Fire and Land Management
Module VI Final Projects Reviews

B. NWCG Courses listed below were initially determined to be creditable toward meeting the
required 24 semester hours under the 0401 Qualifications Standard. These met the
documentation requirements prior to the revision of the OPM Operating Manual for
Qualifications Standards for General Schedule Positions, Part E.4 — E.4(a) of the General
Policies and Instructions, effective February 15, 2005. In order to be creditable after the
February 15, 2005 revisions the NWCG courses must be listed on a transcript or equivalent
documentation from an accredited college, university or institution. The transcript or equivalent
documentation must note the credited academic hours for each course and the upper division or
lower division level of academic study for each course. Other NWCG courses, not listed in the
table below, may be used to meet the basic requirements of the 0401 Qualification Standard; they
must be listed on a transcript or equivalent documentation from an accredited college, university
or institution in order to be creditable:

FIEM Fire in Ecosystem Management 1 Semester Hour
FML Fire Management Leadership 1 Semester Hour
FPM Fire Program Management 1 Semester Hour
LFML Local Fire Management 1 Semester Hour
Leadership
NFMAS National Fire Management 1 Semester Hour
Analysis System
RX-450 Smoke Management Techniques 1 Semester Hour
RX-540 Applied Fire Effects 1 Semester Hour

6