This section of the Manual focuses on the people engaged in fire management planning and implementation. Included are the details of personnel authority and responsibilities, training and qualifications to further define Fire Management Requirement #4, which states that only qualified personnel may participate in wildland fire management for the Conservancy.

Fire management personnel should include appropriate language in their job descriptions describing their fire roles and responsibilities. Speak to your Human Resources advisor about this issue.

Conservancy Representatives working outside the U.S. must also comply with fire training and qualifications guidelines. The nature of these guidelines should mirror the U.S. system in concept, but need not comply strictly. Staff must consult with the Fire Management Coordinator to determine appropriate equivalent training and experience requirements for the country where fire management activities will occur.

Wildland Fire Position Qualification System

In March 2003, The Nature Conservancy adopted position qualifications which met or exceeded those outlined in the training and qualification system described in the National Interagency Incident Management System Wildland Fire Qualification System Guide PMS 310-1. The Conservancy determined a process for transitioning to this new standard, which was overseen by the organization's Training and Qualifications Team and the Fire Management Coordinator. The transition concluded June 30, 2005. All Conservancy staff and volunteers now follow the guidelines of the Wildland and Prescribed Fire Qualification System Guide

Explanations of primary fire management functions are included here. Additional positions are described in PMS 310-1 and are accepted by the Conservancy, but are not defined here because they are less commonly used within the organization.

TNC-Specific Qualification Guidelines

The Conservancy training requirements exceed those described in PMS 310-1 in that additional training and experience are required for some positions. These are summarized below. See the individual position descriptions for complete details.

Experience:

• Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2) qualification requires participation on one prescribed burn as a trainee.
• Burn Boss (RxB2) qualification requires participation on a total of at least 20 prescribed burns whose primary purpose is not training. The individual must successfully serve as burn boss trainee on at least 3 of the 20 burns, under the supervision of a qualified burn boss. The RxB2 task book should be completed during these trainee assignments.

Additional training required to achieve RxB2:

• Rx301 and RX341, or TNC's Workshop on Ecological Burning
• Engine Academy or equivalent

All individuals qualified at the level of Squad Boss (FFT1) or above must maintain currency in basic first aid.

CD Version of I-100, S-130 and S-190

The NWCG recently released a CD version of the courses I-100 Introduction to Incident Command, S-130 Firefighter Training, and S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior. The CD training must be followed by a field day of hands-on training.

Because we follow NWCG standards for personnel qualifications, the Conservancy will accept this training as long as it is conducted according to the rules set forth by NWCG for its administration. However, we believe there are advantages to face-to-face classroom contact between an instructor and students. Conservancy burn bosses are responsible for training of their crews. Burn bosses should discuss the CD option with their Fire Manager and come to concensus on how the CD training will be used within their programs.

Qualifications Review Committees

There may be justification for waiving some of the standard training or taskbooks for specific individuals, for example, a new employee who has significant fire experience, but whose former employer did not use the NWCG qualifications system. In these cases, the person's training and experience documentation will be examined by a Qualifications Review Commitee (QRC), authorized by the Fire Management Advisory Team. The final qualifications determination will be made by the Fire Management Coordinator after receiving a recommendation from the QRC. To request a qualifications review, contact your Fire Manager, who will review your request and if appropriate, bring it to your representative on the Fire Management Advisory Team.

Last updated October 15, 2009.