Nothing like a work training in Tucson to get out of the high country’s snow this time of year.
Since it’s December — otherwise known as off-season — I recently had a chance to take a week-long work training down at the National Advanced Interagency Fire and Resource Institute (NAFRI) to learn a bit more about Command and General Staff (C&G) functions on an Incident Management Team (IMT).
Yay, government acronyms!
If you’re really, really interested in IMT structure, this little Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guide is helpful — especially the chart on the second page. An IMT is ordered to help with incident response (typically wildfires for me). C&G works at the upper level of the organizational structure — the Operations Section Chief is in charge of the mission strategy, the Logistics Section Chief is in charge or organizing the support (meals, supplies, etc.) needed for the mission, etc. All of these staff functions work together to complete a mission.
I’ve been qualified to work at lower-complexity incidents for a while, but I started pursuing my “Complex” qualifications last year, so this is another step in that direction.
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My (ongoing) Public Information Officer journey – plus more about PIO requirements, training and classes
S-420 was a pretty interesting class. We spent the first three days of the five-day class learning about setting objectives and establishing tactics, which typically isn’t something I normally do on incidents, so it was cool to get a high-level view of what goes into the operational side of things.
The second two days of the class were simulations. Thursday was an all-day wildfire simulation (based on the 2011 Texas Rock House Fire) and Friday was a half-day hurricane response simulation.
There were about 60 of us in the class, and we had all previously been sorted into six different IMTs for the duration of the class. Luckily, I was picked to work as a Public Information Officer (PIO) which is my normal role on fires.
I had to work as a Logistics Section Chief when I took O-305, and while it gave me a greater appreciation for everything a Logistics Section Chief does, it solidified my decision to stay in my lane as a PIO forever.
A really cool part of this training is that it’s actually a new, updated curriculum. My class got to serve as the beta testers for the new curriculum and had the opportunity to give feedback throughout the week.
I also had a chance to meet a lot of other incident responders that live and work here in the Southwest, which was pretty cool since these are the folks I’ll be progressing throughout my career with.
At the end of it all, I ended up with a new National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWGC) to add to my file, which puts me a step closer toward getting signed off as a Complex-level PIO (PIOC).
Outside of training, I did find time to sneak away for a hot yoga class one night.
Next up is S-520, which is the final class I need to take to get signed off and fully qualified as a PIOC. There’s a bit of a waiting list for these advanced fire leadership classes, so I’m not sure when I’m going to get a chance to slide into one, but my fingers are crossed!
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