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A Wildland fire module (WFM), formerly fire use module (FUM), is a 7–10 person team of firefighting personnel dedicated to planning, monitoring and starting fires. They may be deployed anywhere in the United States for resource benefits (fire use), prescribed fire and hazard fuel reduction projects.
As inter-agency national resource personnel, fire use modules have expertise in the areas of fire monitoring, ignition, holding and suppression, prescribed fire preparation and implementation support, hazard fuels reduction, and fire effects monitoring.
Fire use modules are funded by different US government agencies including the National Park Service,
The modules were developed with the primary purpose of assisting the National Park units with fire use (wildland fire use and prescribed fire), meeting the objectives of the agency in the areas of project preparation and execution with narrow burn prescription windows. Secondarily the modules were intended to be used in monitoring fire effects, and manually reducing hazard fuels on various park units. Modules were also anticipated to be used to assist other agencies in fire use and fuels treatment projects when all the park unit objectives were met.
Other modules came into existence as the use and flexibility of fire use modules became more apparent. Most notable of these fire use modules includes those on the
Unaweep WFM
and The Nature Conservancy's Southern Rockies. Since 2005, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (Forest Service) has also implemented the use of fire use modules (known as wildland fire modules) as well throughout the country. As of 2010 there were 17 wildland fire modules in the United States. These modules are highly qualified and extremely effective in a variety of fire ground operations ranging from basic suppression to extremely accurate fire behavior analysis and other tactical predictive services.
WFM publication – fitness
/ref> *1.5-mile run in a time of 11:00 or less *45 sit-ups in 60 seconds *25 pushups in 60 seconds *7 pull-ups
Index of Fire Use Modules
NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Module Operations PMS 430, March 2019
Wildland Fire Modules
{{Firefighting Wildfires in the United States National Park Service
A Wildland fire module (WFM), formerly fire use module (FUM), is a 7–10 person team of firefighting personnel dedicated to planning, monitoring and starting fires. They may be deployed anywhere in the United States for resource benefits (fire use), prescribed fire and hazard fuel reduction projects.
As inter-agency national resource personnel, fire use modules have expertise in the areas of fire monitoring, ignition, holding and suppression, prescribed fire preparation and implementation support, hazard fuels reduction, and fire effects monitoring.
Fire use modules are funded by different US government agencies including the National Park Service, USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...
Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...
. The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.
Founded in 1951, The Natu ...
is the sole non-government entity to sponsor and support a Fire Use Module.
History
In 1995, the USNational Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
(USNPS) founded fire use modules and hosted them in five different park units across the United States: Bandalier NM, Saguaro NP, Whisky town NRA, Zion NP, and Yellowstone NP. In 1999 the NPS created four more modules; Black Hills FUM, Cumberland Gap FUM, Great Smokes FUM, and Buffalo River FUM.
The modules were developed with the primary purpose of assisting the National Park units with fire use (wildland fire use and prescribed fire), meeting the objectives of the agency in the areas of project preparation and execution with narrow burn prescription windows. Secondarily the modules were intended to be used in monitoring fire effects, and manually reducing hazard fuels on various park units. Modules were also anticipated to be used to assist other agencies in fire use and fuels treatment projects when all the park unit objectives were met.
Other modules came into existence as the use and flexibility of fire use modules became more apparent. Most notable of these fire use modules includes those on the Stanislaus National Forest
Stanislaus National Forest is a U.S. National Forest which manages of land in four counties in the Sierra Nevada in Northern California. It was established on February 22, 1897, making it one of the oldest national forests. It was named after t ...
(Calvarase FUM, Summit FUM, etc.), The Ashley National Forest (Flaming Gorge WFM, Kings Peak WFM), The Bureau of Land ManagementUnaweep WFM
and The Nature Conservancy's Southern Rockies. Since 2005, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (Forest Service) has also implemented the use of fire use modules (known as wildland fire modules) as well throughout the country. As of 2010 there were 17 wildland fire modules in the United States. These modules are highly qualified and extremely effective in a variety of fire ground operations ranging from basic suppression to extremely accurate fire behavior analysis and other tactical predictive services.
Configurations
A typical module consists of the following positions: *(1) Module leader – GS-7/8/9 permanent full-time *(1) Assistant module leader – GS-6/7 permanent full-time *(2) Lead crewmember (squad leader) – GS-5/6 subject-to-furlough and permanent full-time *(3–6) Crewmembers – GS 3/4/5 temporary, subject-to-furlough, and permanent full-time.Minimum qualifications
*(1) CRWB or ENGB – Single Resource Boss *(1) FIRB – Firing boss (separate from CRWB/ENGB) *(1) ICT4 – Incident commander Type 4 *(1) ICT5 – Incident commander Type 5 (separate from single resource positions) *(2) FEMO – Fire effects monitor *(2) FFT1 – Advanced firefighter (separate from single resource positions) *(2) FALB – Faller Class 2 *(1) HECM – Helicopter crewmember *(2) Medical First Responder (or higher qualification)Target qualifications
Target qualifications for WFM are listed below (qualifications are not tied to a particular position within the WFM) * Incident Commander Type 3 (ICT3) * Prescribed Fire Burn Boss II (RXB2) * Prescribed Fire Burn Boss III (RXB3) * Fire Use Manager 2 (FUM2) * Division Supervisor (DIVS) * Task Force Leader (TFLD) * Strike Team Leader (STCR) * Helicopter Manager (HELM) * Faller B/C with crosscut certification. * GIS Specialist (GISS) * Field Observer (FOBS) * Resource Advisor (READ)Fitness goals
As a part of fire line performance required of WFMs, the physical ability to perform arduous labor is critical to module morale, personal health and safety standards. All WFM personnel strive to meet the following goals:/ref> *1.5-mile run in a time of 11:00 or less *45 sit-ups in 60 seconds *25 pushups in 60 seconds *7 pull-ups
See also
*Controlled burn
A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, is a fire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. A control ...
* Hotshot Crew
In the United States, a Shot Crew, officially known as an Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC), is a team of 20-22 elite operators which mainly responds to large, high-priority fires across the country and abroad. They are assigned to work the most chall ...
* Smokejumper
* Helitack
* Wildland fire engine
* Wildland fire tender
A wildland water tender is a specialized vehicle capable of bringing water, foam, or dry chemicals to fire trucks in the field that are engaged on the fireline. Water tenders have a large truck mounted tank that carries a minimum 1,000 gallons and ...
* Glossary of wildland fire terms
This glossary of wildfire terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to wildfires and wildland firefighting. Except where noted, terms have largely been sourced from a 1998 Fireline Handbook transcribed for a Conflict 21 counte ...
* Wildland fire suppression
References
External links
Index of Fire Use Modules
NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Module Operations PMS 430, March 2019
Wildland Fire Modules
{{Firefighting Wildfires in the United States National Park Service