Our last crew, Penns Woods, returned home from their assignment Saturday 9/11/2021. Their last assignment was with the Greenwood Fire in Minnesota.
Let’s take a moment to discuss our Wildland Fire
Crewmembers. By now you may have gathered the basics about our crews – 20
member crews that meet qualifications to take out-of-state assignments. So,
let’s talk about their qualifications and duties. There is a Crew Boss who is
in charge of the whole crew, three squad bosses (Firefighter Type 1) who are in
charge of no more than 6 including a squad boss trainee, faller, and 3 FFT2s. Three squads
of 6 plus CRWB and CRWB(t) or Crew Representative, whose job it is to make sure
the crewmembers have everything they need and can represent the agency to make
agency-specific decisions; ensure established guidelines are followed by all
assigned crews, including work/rest and agency safety standards and procedures;
advise CRWB on how to obtain logistical support and/or make necessary
arrangements for logistical support; and facilitate special transportation needs.
They have several pieces of training required by the National
Wildfire Coordinating Group that they need to complete.
The S-190: Introduction to Wildland Behavior, this is a
foundational fire behavior course that introduces the firefighter to the basic
concepts of wildland behavior such as wildland fire environment components, how
fuels, weather, and topography affect fire behavior and how fire behavior can
affect risks to the firefighter.
The S-130: Firefighter Training, which is meant to train new
firefighters in basic firefighting skills. This gives them the Standard
Firefighting Orders and Watch Out Situations, the Lookouts, Communications,
Escape Routes, and Safety Zones (LCES) system, tools and equipment, methods for
extinguishing a fire, and the ability to construct fire line. Every year they
must attend a refresher course for the S-130.
The L-180: Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service, which
introduces firefighters to human performance concepts as part of basic
wildland firefighter training. This involves an interactive simulation where
firefighters practice decision-making skills in a high-risk environment.
They must also complete two courses provided by FEMA. The
ICS-100: Introduction to ICS, gives them the basic concepts of the Incident
Command System. IS-700: NIMS, An Introduction, which gives them a basic
understanding of the National Incident Management System.
They also must meet the arduous work requirements. This
includes passing a work capacity test (pack test) which consists of completing a 3-mile walk over
level terrain in 45 minutes or less while carrying a 45-pound pack.
Some of their duties include suppression, preparation, ignition, monitoring,
holding, and mop-up. They can help perform engine activities such as laying out the hose and running the pump. They also pack heavy loads of food, water, and tools
for miles over rough terrain in hot and smoky conditions to get to the worksite. They can also perform pump operator duties such as site selection, set up, and operation.
