IGNITE: Help Others Help You

You can get everything in life you want if you help enough other people get what they want. – Zig Ziglar

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[Photo credit: Justin Vernon/USFS (2016)]

Wildland FF Health and Safety: Sleep

Sleep 

MTDC and University of Montana researchers have been conducting human factors studies on wildland firefighters for several decades. Incident management team (IMT) members asked MTDC to study human factors associated with their duties. In 2006, we began studying stress and cardiovascular risk in incident management team members. Those studies, which continued in 2007 and 2008, showed that sleep deprivation contributed to fatigue, stress, and impaired performance of team members. This report reviews some basic information concerning sleep and sleep deprivation, information that could be useful for incident management team members and wildland firefighters, as well as other agency personnel. Other information on studies of stress in incident management team members can be found in “Wildland Firefighter Health & Safety Report” Nos. 11 and 12.

IGNITE: Embracing Change

We cannot become what we need by remaining what we are. – John C. Maxwell

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[Photo credit: Sean Lancaster/Twin Falls District - BLM (2016)]

Season's Greetings

On behalf of the NWCG Leadership Subcommittee and the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program, we want to take a moment to wish our followers the warmest of holidays. May you take this time to reflect upon all that 2016 brought and 2017 has to offer. For those supporting the fire ground, thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Happy holidays to one and all!

[Photo credit: Nicole Oke, Wildland Firefighters Monument, NIFC]

IGNITE: Are you willing to go forward alone?

To be able to lead others, a man must be willing to go forward alone. - Harry Truman

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[Photo credit: Ada County Sheriff's Office, Mile Marker 14 fire (2016)]

2017 "Leading Authentically" Campaign

Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program Mission

“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.”

LEADING AUTHENTICALLY

The Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program recognizes learning, cutting-edge concepts, and tools 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.

A Life of Work, Love, and Play

A career in wildland fire comes with its share of challenges. The biggest may be the ability to manage a life of work, love and play. Emergency responders and their families are well aware of the personal sacrifices made to accomplish the mission.

IGNITE: The Enemy Within

An organization’s deadliest enemies are internal. How we treat each other while we face external challenges determines our ability to win. – Dan Rockwell

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[Photo credit: Midewin IHC]

IGNITE: Invest in Your People!

Adding value to people with high potential who are hungry to grow is one of the best investments a leader can make. - John Maxwell

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[Photo credit: Tyler Churchill/PatRick Environmental]

Your Feedback on Training is Needed

Help NWCG help the wildland fire service! Take a moment to provide feedback into NWCG training development.

"In April 2015, NWCG Training was directed to assess the NWCG Training System (guides, course materials, Position Task Books (PTB), etc.) and provide recommendations for improving system effectiveness and efficiency. The Training System Assessment is being implemented in phases. The intent of this site is to provide information about the project."

Visit the NWCG Training System Assessment website today and provide valuable feedback.

Please share through your spheres of influence!

BIA Staff Attends Gettysburg Staff Ride

Back Row (from left to right): Bob Roberts, Dave Underwood, Garth Fisher, Brig. Gen. Horace Porter, aka Mike Reetz, Mark Jackson, Joe Kafka, Darryl Martinez, and Lucas Minton Bottom Row: Robin White and Robyn Broyles

“I felt like this course will greatly improve leadership as a whole within the BIA fire organization. I learned that communications and relationships are two very important factors in leadership. I am taking back with me the notion that leadership is action and good leaders will take the necessary steps to further the interests of their employees and the mission of the Agency.” – Lucas Minton, Eastern Region Fire Management Officer

Our Values and Principles

Duty

• Be proficient in your job, both technically ans as a leader.
• Make sound and timely decisions.
• Ensure tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished.
• Develop your people for the future.

Respect

• Know your people and look out for their well-being.
• Keep your people informed.
• Build the team.
• Employ your people in accordance with their capabilities.

Integrity

• Know yourself and seek improvement.
• Seek responsibility and accept responsibility for your actions.
• Set the example.

IGNITE: Unlearning is Hard

It is not hard to learn more. What is hard is to unlearn when you discover yourself wrong. – Martin H. Fischer

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[Photo credit: NPS]

Behavioral Health: Continuing the Conversation

[This article is a joint effort between Firehouse magazine and the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program to promote firefighter health and wellness. HELP OTHERS - HELP YOURSELF]

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Did you know that firefighter suicides are rarely linked to the firefighter’s experience on one or two big, traumatic calls? The experts tell us it is usually a confluence of small personal and professional stressors, that, over time, become too much to bear. The March Firehouse magazine article “Who Responds to a Firefighter’s Worst Day?” introduces the idea that our emotional reactions to incidents are varied and somewhat unpredictable. Although as a fire service we’ve improved the screening process and assistance we provide to firefighters following traumatic calls, this article underscores that there are many other factors that contribute to stress. Left unresolved, they can cause mental and emotional damage over time.

IGNITE: Leading From...

It is better to lead from behind and put other in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership. – Nelson Mandela 

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[Photo credit: Kari Greer/USFS]

IGNITE: Understanding the Needs

Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it. – Marian Anderson

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[Photo credit: Buck Rock Foundation]

Are You the Master of Communication Illusion?

(Credit: BrainyQuote.com)

Since the beginning of time humans have tried to communication more effectively.

IGNITE: The Greatest Mistake

The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one. – John C. Maxwell

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[Photo credit: NPS/Mark Mendonca]

IGNITE: Fear of Letting Others Down

More than any system of reward and discipline, more than any policy, the fear of letting down respected teammates and peers represents the most effective means of accountability. – Leading in the Wildland Fire Service, page 54

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[Photo credit: Redding IHC, Soberanes fire (2016)]

From the Field for the Field Contest Deadline

Applications are due by November 30th for the From the Field for the Field Contest. The contest is part of the annual campaign. This year's theme was "Never Stop Learning." 

We will be launching the 2017 campaign soon! Stay tuned.

For more information, visit our website.

In Their Own Words - Hollowway Fire

"When the fire came I realized I didn't have my gloves on. I used my neck shroud to hold the shelter down."

Deploying your fire shelter is something none of us wants to do. Unfortunately, deployments do happen. More importantly, having the courage to admit you deployed your shelter and telling your story so others can learn from it is leadership. I am keenly aware that many shelter deployments go unreported. We can learn far more from our successes that our failures. Deploying your fire shelter is NOT a failure!

Take a moment to watch Chrissy Boone's story. Chrissy's courage to talk about your deployment will give you insight and hopefully create a slide you can refer to should you find yourself in a similar situation.

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Thanks to the USDA Forest Service Technology and Development Program and the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center for creating and sharing this video. A special shout out to Chrissy Boone for telling her story.

"Fire Shelter Deployments: Stories and Common Insights" is a program developed by the US Forest Service Missoula Technology and Development Center (MTDC) that will help you understand what you may experience in a fire shelter deployment. Click here fore additional fire shelter information.

IGNITE: Final Responsibility

A leader can give up anything - except final responsibility. – John C. Maxwell

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[Photo credit: Tatanka IHC]

IGNITE: Leadership by Example

The best example of leadership is leadership by example. – Jerry McClain

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[Photo credit: Cedar Fire (2016)]

Does Your Team Suffer from Groupthink?

The time wedge is getting shorter and your team needs to make a decision. You are a very cohesive group. What do you do? Do you hold out on what you feel is "right" or do you conform to the rest of the group for fear of breaking cohesion?

IGNITE: Getting Great Results

If you want great results, you need good people with great talent and awesome attitudes. – Leadership Promises by John Maxwell

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[Photo credit: Davis Morris]

IGNITE: Learning Then Moving On

Learn from the past, just don’t live there. – Mark Miller

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[Photo credit: Wyoming Interagency Hotshots]

Stress Management

Stress can be described as an imbalance between the demands of our environment and our ability to respond to those demands. Managing stress, or coping, requires adjusting the environment, our personal abilities, or the way we view our world. Situations that seem to be beyond our ability to respond may call for a combination of these coping behaviors.

Coping strategies that work for an individual depend on a host of factors, such as personal references, life experiences, the nature and duration of the challenges, and many others. Physical exercise promotes overall fitness and can help individuals manage stress. Exercise does so both by removing us temporarily from a stressful environment and by helping us to be at our best when we’re dealing with stress.

IGNITE: Help Them Help You

The goal of many leaders is to get people to think more highly of the leaders. The goal of a great leaders is to help people think more highly of themselves. – J. Carla Nortcutt

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[Photo credit: Kari Greer/USFS, Pioneer fire (2016)]

IGNITE: Without Trust...

Without trust, there can be no self-confidence, nor confidence in the abilities of others--and no leadership. – Patrick Townsend and Joan Gebhardt

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[Photo credit: UC White Mountain Research Center/Graham Turner]

Does Success Fuel Passion or Does Passion Fuel Success?

When asked why they do what they do, wildland firefighters respond with  variety of responses. Common answers include:

• I love what I do.
• I get to see beautiful country.
• I do it for the money.
• Firefighting is in my blood.

Defining why we do what we do comes easy for some and a mystery to others. Passion may not reside with employment. Passion may not be something you seek. In fact, purpose and passion are two different things as seen in the quote below.

Purpose is the reason you journey. Passion is the fire that lights your way. ~ Author Unknown

Wildland Fire Leadership Challenge - Digging a Little Deeper

• We challenge you to watch the following presentations, and then compare and contrast the messages.
• "Technical Passion and Leadership" with Rogers Smith

• "Stop Searching for Your Passion" with Terri Trespicio
• Does success fuel passion or does passion fuel success?
• Is wildland firefighting your purpose or your passion?
• Did you find your passion or did your passion find you?

50 Years Ago - Loop Fire

On November 1, 1966, the El Cariso Hotshots, a U.S. Forest Service Interregional Wildland Firefighting Crew, was trapped by flames as they worked on a steep hillside in Pacoima Canyon on the Angeles National Forest.

The crew was constructing fireline downhill into a chimney canyon and were within 200 feet of completing their assignment when a sudden shift of winds caused a spot fire directly below where they were working. Within seconds flames raced uphill, engulfing the firefighters in temperatures estimated to reach 2500 degrees F. The fire flashed through the 2,200 foot long chimney canyon in less than one minute, catching the crew while they attempted to reach their safety zones.

(Photo Credit: Herald Examiner)

Ten members of the crew perished on the Loop Fire that day. Another two members succumbed from burn injuries in the following days. Most of the nineteen members who survived were critically burned and remained hospitalized for some time.

Much of the knowledge gained about wildland fire has come through the high cost of firefighter lives. Lessons learned from the Loop Fire resulted in improved firefighting equipment, better fire behavior training, and the implementation of new firefighter safety protocols.

(Note: The Loop fire ends at 11:41)

(Interviews with Gordon King and Chuck Hartley)



We Will Never Forget
We will never forget the 12 firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty on November 1, 1966.

• Kenneth Barnhill - 19
• Raymond Chee - 23
• Fredrick Danner - 18
• John P. Figlo - 18
• Joel A. Hill - 19
• Daniel J. Moore - 21
• James A. Moreland - 22
• Carl J. Shilcutt - 26
• John D. Verdugo - 19
• William J. Waller - 21
• Michael R. White - 20
• Stephen White - 18

Loop Fire Resources

• Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program Loop fire staff ride and references
• 6 Minutes for Safety ~ This Day in History (Loop Fire)
• Lesson Learned Center Loop Fire references (including investigation report)
• El Cariso Hot Shots 1966 website

IGNITE: Passing the Torch Forward

"Old fire carry embers that can turn to flame and teach new lessons to later generations." John Maclean

Do your part and share the word.

[Photo credit: BIA Forestry & Wildland Fire Management/Rosebud Agency]

IGNITE: Timing Your Decision

The timing of your decision is just as important as the decision you make. - John C. Maxwell

Do your part and share the word.
[Photo credit: Prineville IHC]

Can Vulnerability Make Us Safer?

A coworker recently shared a podcast with me that sparked some interesting thoughts.  The podcast was titled “The New Norm,” and was an episode of the NPR “Invisibilia” series. (link to the written story here and the full podcast here)

As I listened to it, I was skeptical of how it might apply to wildland fire organizations and operations. After all, smiling Russians and teary-eyed oil rig workers aren’t normally associated with fire leadership. But then I heard something that stopped my thought process dead in its tracks: by going through an admittedly rough and unpopular process, the group of oil workers reduced their accident rate by 85%.  All of the “fluff” aside, that’s remarkable, and sparked my interest.

IGNITE: Apply and Do

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Do your part and share the word.
[Photo credit:Plumas IHC]

IGNITE: Adapting to Change

Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change. – Stephen Hawking

Do your part and share the word.
[Photo credit: Redding IHC, Soberanes fire (2016)]

Blacksheep VFD Makes an International Impact

(Training on Lake Ladoga, located on the Finnish border with Russia. Photo credit: Maria Vasilieva.)

Background

• In 2015, the area around the city of Chita suffered what they call a "firestorm" that consumed 110,000 acres and 400 homes. 
• The local government in the region often denies and under reports the size of fires.
• The federal forest service is underfunded and understaffed; so they cannot fight all fires that pop up, especially in Siberia.
• In 2016, the Irkutsk region experienced timber fires that consumed over 2,000,000 acres unchecked.

IGNITE: Leadership is a Choice

You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless the person is willing to climb. – Andrew Carnegie

Do your part and share the word.
[Photo credit:Rob Powell, Hayden fire (2016)]

IGNITE: Obligations and Responsibilities

The freedom to do your own thing ends when you have obligations and responsibilities. - Lou Holtz

Do your part and share the word.

[Photo credit: State of Alaska, Pioneer Peak IHC]

The Value of the Work

The Value of the Work from The Smokey Generation on Vimeo.

Why do you work? Do you get value from what you do?

The answers to these question vary among fire personnel. Adam Hernandez shares his reflections on the values he has experienced as a hotshot.

Kudos to Adam for applying lessons and the core values of duty, respect, and integrity well beyond the fireline and into his personal life.

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What is your story? We challenge you to become a part of this amazing project and share your leadership stories. Bethany Hannah began The Smokey Generation: A Wildland Fire Oral History and Digital Storytelling Project for her master's thesis. All members of the wildland fire service, not just hotshots, can share their stories by following her example. Click here for potential leadership questions. Visit The Smokey Generation website for complete information.

IGNITE: Resiliency

Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again. – Nelson Mandela

Do your part and share the word.
[Photo credit: Kyle Miller/Wyoming IHC]

IGNITE: The Art of Leadership

The art of leadership requires a constant interchange of theory and application. The art also includes being able to view the larger picture—discerning how to turn a weakness into a strength, gauging what is and is not within our control. – Leading in the Wildland Fire Service, page 9

Do your part and share the word.
[Photo credit: Kari Greer/USFS]

FirstNet - Coming to an Area Near You

The tragedy of 9/11 and technological advancements are influencing the way we respond to and engage emergency operations. The First Responder Network (FirstNet) provides the mechanism to provide emergency responders with real-time information and connections to enhance response efforts.

IGNITE: Power for Purpose

You are the one with the power to contribute meaning to your work. – Karissa Thacker

Do your part and share the word.
[Photo credit: National Park Service]

IGNITE: Difficult Right Over Easy Wrong

Choose the difficult right over the easy wrong. – Wildland Fire Leadership

Do your part and share the word.
[Photo credit: Star Fire Protection District, Table Rock Fire (2016]

New Feature Added to the LLC Product List

We are honored to help the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center (LLC) launch a new product. LLC staff have been working diligently to expand into the podcast arena. Exhibit your care for those around you – lead with compassion by triggering learning.

IGNITE: Performing to Our Potential

If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would astound ourselves. 

– Thomas Edison

Do your part and share the word.
[Photo credit: Folsom Lake Veterans Fire Crew]

IGNITE: Change Your Thoughts - Change Your World

Change your thoughts and you change your world. – Norman Vincent Peale

Do your part and share the word.
[Photo credit: Wyoming IHC]

In the Middle of a Burnout

(Photo credit: Photodisc)

"And there I was...in the middle of a burnout."

No, not a wildland fire burnout. The burnout I found myself in was when an individual feels "overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands." (HelpGuide.org) I was burning the candle at both ends and didn't think I would get burned.

IGNITE: Influence, Not Authority

The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.  – Ken Blanchard

Do your part and share the word.
[Photo credit: Star Fire Protection District, Table Rock Fire (2016)]