2016 Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign - Never Stop Learning

The Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program (WFLDP) is proud to announce we launched the 2016 Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign - Never Stop Learning from the 2015 Training and Education Symposium in Denver, CO. This year's theme is Never Stop Learning.  

For 2016, the campaign will focus on the importance of continually learning and growing. Participants from various disciplines will be challenged to share their continuous learning stories and success through the IGNITE the Spark for Leadership - From the Field Challenge. 

Visit the WFLDP website to download your copy of the 2016 Wildland Fire Leadership Challenge—Never Stop Learning Reference Guide. 

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Mission: The mission of the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program is “to promote cultural change in the workforce and to emphasize the vital importance of leadership concepts in the wildland fire service by providing educational and leadership development opportunities.” The campaign provides potential local or self-directed leadership development resources focused on a central theme with the intent of strengthening the wildland fire service and the community as a whole.

Theme: The theme for the 2016 campaign is Never Stop Learning. The Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program recognizes learning as a fundamental process in becoming and remaining leaders. Leaders are focused on continual improvement; they seek out and assimilate best practices that improve themselves and their organizations.

Task: Provide an opportunity for personnel at the local level—whether collectively or through self-development—to focus leadership development activities relating to the national challenge theme: Never Stop Learning.

Purpose: 

• To foster a cohesive effort to promote leadership development across disciplines.
• To provide a template that can be used to encourage leadership development at the local unit level.
• To provide a mechanism to collect innovative leadership development efforts and share across disciplines.

End State: Creation of a culture that willingly shares innovative leadership development efforts in order to maintain superior interdisciplinary leadership.

Dates of Challenge: Any time between January 1, 2016, and November 30, 2016.

Length of Challenge: Determined locally to meet the goals and the objectives of the local unit or team.

Audience: The target audience is all wildland fire personnel—line-going and support; however, we encourage other disciplines to IGNITE the Spark for Leadership and take the challenge.

Implementation: The campaign is flexible. Local units or teams may use or adapt any or all materials contained within this document or develop a program or activity spotlighting the campaign theme. Campaign coordinators are encouraged to think outside the confines of the template and develop a program that meets local and individual needs. Innovation should fuel your challenge delivery: workshops or tailgate sessions, to kick off staff meetings, as a team activity or self-directed, etc.

Measuring Success: 

• Local: Local unit leaders and managers will determine what “success” looks like and how participation will be recognized by those involved. 

Recognizing Local Unit Participation: 

• A sample certificate is available at the end of this document to acknowledge students of fire participating in the leadership challenge at the local level.

IGNITE the Spark for Leadership Challenge – From the Field for the Field

Throughout the nation, leaders are building teams and developing their people using tools they have found or developed themselves. Imagine if our leaders and their subordinates shared their experiences and successes with each other.  Consider the possibility of going to a website and having a ready-made palette of leadership development tools from which to choose—items from the field for the field.

The IGNITE the Spark for Leadership – From the Field for the Field Challenge is intended to be one of the mechanisms used to collect innovative leadership development efforts to be shared across disciplines.

The challenge is an optional component of the Wildland Fire National Leadership Campaign and is NOT limited to entities with a tie to the wildland fire service. Items to submit:

• Contact information:
• Name of participating unit/team
• Point of contact (POC) name
• POC contact information (telephone, physical address, and e-mail)
• Number of individuals participating
• Brief description of campaign activities
• Supplementary materials, including, but not limited to, photos, videos, and information used in the campaign.
• Promote your leadership campaign through social media networks such as blogs, Facebook, and Twitter.  Contact the NWCG Leadership Subcommittee Campaign and Social Media Coordinator for inclusion on the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program social media platforms.

Send your campaign documentation to:

• Mail:

NWCG Leadership Subcommittee Campaign and Social Media Coordinator

Attention: Pam McDonald

3833 South Development Avenue

Boise, ID 83705

• Electronically:   BLM_FA_Leadership_Feedback@blm.gov

Questions:

• Telephone: 208-387-5318