Line Officer / AA Desk Guide for Fire Management
This desk reference guide for fire management was created to aid Line Officers who oversee fire program management – both wildfire and prescribed fire; pre-season planning, management of the incidents, post fire activities and prescribed fire implementation. There is no new information hosted in the guide, instead it provides references to the original direction providing a one point of reference for Line Officers. It is sponsored by Forest Service, the National Line Officer Team (NLOT) and was developed by the WFM RD&A with recommendations from Agency Administrators and Line Officers.
Document Downloads
Line Officer/AA Desk Guide (updated 3/24/2021)
Wildland Fire Decision Support Tools (2021)
Wildland Fire Decision Support Tools; a guide for AAs (updated 3/2019)
2022 FS Chief's Letter of Intent for Wildland Fire
2021 Joint DOI/USDA Direction to Wildland Fire Leadership
2022 NPS Superintendent Checklist
2019 NPS Superintendent Desk Reference for the Fire Management Program
2016 USFS Wildland Fire Risk Management Protocols
Incident Kits for Employee Behavioral Health and Wellbeing
Line Officer Guide Forms and Templates
BAER Team Delegation Template - docx version
Cost Share Agreement Template - docx version
Example Turn Back Standards & Mopup Guidelines
Delegation of Authority Template
Leaders Intent Letter Template
Briefing Package Template
Forest Service Agency Administrator Certification
The AA taskbook has been in place since 2019, and this was initially referred to as AA Certification for wildfire and prescribed fire positions. The process has continued to evolve providing more efficiency with AA resource ordering, AA qualifications, consistency with documentation standards and training requirements. The AA certification process has transitioned from ‘certification’ to ‘qualification’. This will be tracked within IQCS, similar to other fire positions to track experience, training, and qualifications. The taskbook covers 6 positions based on the competency of the individuals for either wildfire or prescribed fire. Additional information can be found within Chapter 5 of the Red Book. The Agency Administrator Taskbook, Pathways Charts (Wildfire and Prescribed Fire), Frequently Asked Questions, The Federal Wildland Fire Qualifications Supplement to NWCG PMS 310-1 (pg 99) outlines training.
Combined Wildfire; Prescribed Fire Agency Administrator Task Book
The following documents will need to be downloaded to initiate the taskbook, track task accomplishments and evaluation feedback from the evaluators. Both of these documents will need to be submitted to your RLOT for certification.
USFS Agency Admin TaskbookUSFS Agency Admin Evaluation record
Additional Guidance
NLOT - AA Certification Video- Leaders Intent - USFS
AA Training / Continuing Education
IQCS WFA1 / RXA2 – Example
Prescribed Fire Pathways Diagram
Wildfire Pathways Diagram
Video part 1: Initial AA response – Panel discussion
Video part 2: Lessons Learned Case Studies and Scenarios from Past Fires
Announcing 2023 Agency Administrator Refresher Webinar
Save the Date: March 29, 2023 12-2pm (Mountain Time)
Join us for our annual refresher on WFDSS and other fire management topics for agency administrators. This session serves as a WFDSS refresher for agency administrator certification/qualification requirements. Registration is required for this webinar. The link is provided below. For any questions about the session, registration, or accessibility accommodations, please email rick.mowery@usda.gov.
*New this year! If you need a completion certificate to prove your attendance to the live 2023 refresher webinar or from watching the recording, you can obtain one within the Wildland Fire Learning Portal: https://wildlandfirelearningportal.net/course/view.php?id=1990
Rare Opportunity for Free Communication Help on Your Project!
Wildland Fire Management RD&A (WFM RD&A) is sponsoring two ABT Narrative Gym sessions that are open to anyone and everyone. Dr. Randy Olson, founder of the ABT (And-But-Therefore) Framework, is generously offering the sessions to support our work in wildland fire. This renowned narrative framework has been implemented by federal agencies, The World Bank, Pfizer, and numerous non-profits. More information can be found at: http://abtframework.com/
Although the gym sessions will focus on wildland fire topics, Randy will provide an overall introduction of the ABT Framework and the narrative structure he teaches is applicable to any topic. Simply attend to watch and learn as an observer of the session or let Randy and his team of ABT builders help you tackle a real communication challenge you face.
Attend one or both sessions for free!
4/5/2023 from noon-1330 (Mountain Time)
4/19/2023 from noon-1330 (Mountain Time)
Would you just like to attend and observe? Use this zoom link to join (passcode 335072) or email alison.mims@usda.gov to ask for an .ics file you can add to your outlook calendar.
Would you like to “Win the ABT Narrative Gym Lottery!” and submit your wildland fire communication topic for consideration to be discussed during one of the sessions? Fill out this form to be considered and you will be contacted ahead of time if chosen.
There is no catch to this offer… numerous staff are currently undertaking an ABT Framework training course, and because it has proven so valuable, we would like to share this opportunity with anyone interested. Please join us!
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If you have feedback regarding the FS Line Officer AA Desk Guide, AA Certification Program (including task book, ordering, certification levels) or other items that would be beneficial to the program please submit your comments on this form.