The National Wildfire Coordinating Group has released an update of the Wildland Fire Qualification System Guide (PMS 310-1). The document provides a cornerstone of the National Incident Management System by establishing minimum interagency qualification requirements for national mobilization of resources. While the October, 2014 update closely resembles the previous version, the new edition includes significant changes, including:
• Incident Business Adviser Type 1 (IBA1) and Incident Business Adviser Type 2 (IBA2) have been combined to form the Incident Business Adviser (INBA) position.
• Established the Basic Faller (FAL3), Intermediate Faller (FAL2), and Advanced Faller (FAL1) positions.
• Introduction of Planning Section Chief Type 3 (PSC3), Logistics Section Chief Type 3 (LSC3), Operations Section Chief Type 3 (OPS3), and Finance Section Chief Type 3 (FSC3) position standards.
Oddly, the announcement from the NWCG about the 310-1 revision, which was sent to the entire world of wildland fire, contained numerous typos and misspellings. That made us wonder, until we researched it further, if it was a legitimate directive or a scam.
