- October 17-20, 2024
- November 14-17, 2024
- December 12-15, 2024
- January 9-12, 2025
- February 6-9, 2025
- March 6-9, 2025
Cost: $650 includes
tuition, books, meals & lodging. Agency sponsorship
is not required. Apply online now.
List of items needed for class is posted with S-130/190 class details.
Daily bus service to Salida departs from downtown Denver at 1:45 pm with a one-way cost of about $29 on the Bustang, Gunnison-Denver route. Light rail train service departs every 15 minutes on RTD University of Colorado A Line between Denver International Airport and Union Station in downtown Denver, with a ticket cost of $9 each way. Schedule your flight arrival time for 11:30 am or earlier on the day prior to your class start for the bus connections to Salida. Extra night of lodging costs $35. Firecamp staff will pick-up and drop-off students at the bus stop in Salida at no charge.
Introduction to ICS
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S-130/190 Firefighter Training
and Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior
   
   
Interagency Media Guidelines for Wildland Fires
March 19, 2004
General Policy
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It is the policy of federal and state agencies to provide news media
access to incidents including wildland fires, prescribed fires and
wildland fire-use fires.
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Federal and state agencies are required to provide equitable and
maximum news media access to wildland fire incidents.
-
For the purposes of these guidelines, news media representatives
include print and broadcast reporters; freelance print reporters;
freelance videographers; and photographers.
- While the wildland firefighting agencies seek to provide safe access
to incidents for news media representatives, the ultimate responsibility
for their safety lies with the individual reporter and their employer.
Guidelines
Access
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- News media representatives will be required to wear PPE as outlined
in the Fireline Handbook and the Interagency Standards for Fire and
Aviation Operations (the “Red Book”) when working on or
near the fireline, and have an appropriate safety briefing. PPE must
meet National Fire Protection Association/National Wildfire Coordinating
Group standards. The required PPE is:
- 8-inch high, lace-type work boots with non-slip, melt-resistant
soles and heels.
- Aramid shirts
- Aramid trousers
- Hard hat with chinstrap
- Leather gloves
- Fire shelter
- Water canteen
PPE may be provided by the fire organization if media representatives
are unprepared.
Firefighter Training
-
News media representatives are invited to join in basic firefighter
courses with federal and state providers, if there is sufficient room
for them.
-
These courses are voluntary. News media should be informed that attending
them is not a guarantee of access, nor an endorsement of safety accreditation,
but rather is an opportunity for information and education. Reporters
can also be referred to authorized contract trainers or the academic
community for basic firefighter courses.
-
NWCG member agencies will not administer the work-capacity test to
news media representatives because of liability concerns.
“Shadowing” Fire Crews
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Personnel assigned to an incident will facilitate in-depth coverage
opportunities for journalists.
-
News media representatives requesting to “shadow” crews
for more than one operational period on the fireline or in the fire
area must:
- Wear personal protective equipment and understand how to use it
in accordance with the direction in the fireline handbook.
- Coordinate activities with the lead Information Officer, who will
communicate with the affected crew boss, incident commander, and
the fire management officer at the crew’s home unit.
-
It is strongly recommended that reporters requesting to shadow crews
complete basic firefighter training including S-130 and S-190. If
these courses have been taken in a previous year, a current refresher
course is recommended. News media representatives must be able to
affirm that they can walk in mountainous terrain, are in good physical
condition, and have no known physical limitations.
Red Cards in the Incident Command System
• News media representatives will not be issued Qualification
Cards or “red cards” under the Incident Command System. The
red-card system was designed for incident personnel with specific duties
for which they are trained and qualified, and not for personnel not officially
assigned to the incident.
Existing Laws and Policies
These guidelines apply to all wildland fires, prescribed fires, and wildland
fire-use fires under federal or state jurisdiction, but are not intended
to supersede existing tribal laws; state laws, such as media access laws
in California; or chain-of-command procedures applicant to military crews.
Denial of Access
- Denial of access to fire camp, the fireline or other related areas
will be a rare occurrence. News media access may be limited when the
Incident Commander determines:
- Safety of firefighters or others may be compromised. Considerations
should be the same as those for determining that conditions are
unsafe for fire crews to be on the fireline including extreme fire
behavior, expected change in the weather.
- The presence of non-fire personnel compromises incident operations.
- The presence of non-fire personnel compromises the integrity of
an investigation.
- A violation of security or privacy of incident personnel would
occur.
- Federal and state agencies will support decisions regarding access
by other jurisdictions, such as a private landowner, tribal entity,
or local law enforcement agency, such as when the local law enforcement
agency closes an area for/during evacuation purposes.
- Reasons for denial of access should be documented by the lead information
officer and become part of the unit log.
- News media aviation resources must determine and abide by airspace
restrictions that may be implemented by the FAA at the request of fire
managers.
Contact: Rose Davis, Forest Service Public Affairs for Fire and Aviation
Management; 208 387-5437, or Don Smurthwaite, BLM External Affairs for
the Office of Fire and Aviation; 208 387-5895.
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