Purpose

New Hampshire makes available wildland fire fighting forces to support the national effort to suppress wildland fires to protect lives, personal property and natural resources. This national mobilization effort provides valuable training opportunities for career-oriented fire fighters. Out-of-state fire fighting assignments benefits New Hampshire by increasing the fire fighting skills, techniques and preparedness of our New Hampshire crews.

New Hampshire's first engine to be deployed out of state returns.
Watch the 2012 Channel 9 story


Click Here

Background

The New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands, Forest Protection Bureau has participated in the national mobilization of wildland fire fighting crews since 1975, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Forest Service.

Crews and single resources have been dispatched to many states over the years crisscrossing the nation. Requests for and coordination of resources (crews, overhead, engines, equipment) comes through the U.S. Forest Service.

The Division staffs and maintains support functions for a mobilization center at the Manchester airport. The center facilitates the movement of crews and personnel from all New England states and New York to other points throughout the country where fire fighting help is needed.



 
NHS #2 Receives a Crew Briefing before going to California in July

ROOKIE CLASS S-110
June 1st, 2013 Bear Brook Warehouse 9am to 1pm.  Please RSVP to Jen Little at jen.little@dred.state.nh.us

ANNUAL REFRESHER & PACK TEST INFORMATION
Times of all Pack Tests: 8:00 am

April 27th	Pack Test meets at Newport School Track Refresher to follow at Newport Fire Station
May 4th	Crew Members should reporet to the Bedford Safety Complex prior to coductiong the Pack Test at the McKelvie Shcool Track Refresher to follow at the Bedford Safety Complex
May 11th	Pack Test meets at the Moultonborough Academy Tradck Refresher to follow at the Moultonborough Academy Cafeteria
DATE CHANGE May 15th	Pack Test meets at Lancaster Fair Grounds Refresher to follow at the Lancaster Forests and Lands HQ
May 18th	Pack Test meets at Philip Exeter Track Refresher to follow at  Exeter Fire Department
May 18th	Pack Test meets at Lancaster Fair Grounds Refresher to follow at Lancaster Forests and Lands HQ

WORK CAPACITY TEST (PACK TEST)

What is the Pack Test?
The Pack Test refers to work capacity tests used to qualify individuals for the three levels of wildland firefighting duty:
 Arduous, Moderate, Light

The Pack Test measures:
Aerobic capacity, Muscular strength, Muscular endurance

All wildland firefighters must meet minimum levels of fitness requirements for the type of duties they are assigned:

Arduous: involves field work calling for above-average endurance and superior conditioning. All firefighters are required to perform arduous duty.
PACK TEST = 3-mile hike with 45-pounds in 45 minutes

Moderate: involves field work requiring complete control of physical faculties and may include considerable walking, standing and lifting 25-50 lbs. Safety Officer is an example of a moderate duty position.
PACK TEST = 2-mile hike with 25-pounds in 30 minutes

Light: involves mainly office-type work with occasional field activity. Staging area and helibase managers.
WALK TEST = 1-mile hike in 16 minutes

Testing wildland firefighters for work capacity is important for several reasons:
Personal safety and health, Coworker safety, Improved operations

Click Here for frequently asked questions about the Pack Test

Work Capacity Testing for Wildland Firefighters - brochure

**Training for the Work Capacity Test should start at least one month prior to the test. 
Ankle high footwear is required. Sneakers will not be allowed. 
People without proper footwear will not be allowed to participate. 
Bring your own 45lb. pack or vest, they WILL NOT be provided.



Qualifications For New Firefighters

To be a part of the New Hampshire wildland fire crews individuals must meet the following requirements:

• Successful completion of S-130/190, L-180.
• Successful completion of I-100, available online through NWCG.
• Successful completion of  IS-700.  This class is offered at the NH Fire Academy and can also be taken online at FEMA.gov.  A copy of your certificate will need to be on file in the Concord office.  All personnel from Strike Team Leader/Unit Leader and above will also be required to have IS-800 also.
• 3 Letters of reference:
  • Firefighters from NH:
    1.  From your local Forest Fire Warden
    2. From the state District Forest Ranger
    3. From a person of your choice
  • Firefighters from out of state:
    1. 3 letters of reference, one of which must be from your state's Fire Supervisor
• Successful completion of S-110, Rookie Class.
• Successfully complete the "work capacity test". The work capacity test also known as the pack test, requires walking three miles in 45 minutes with a 45 pound pack.  This test must be completed annually.

Annual Qualifications

Every qualified individual must pass the physical (work capacity test) requirements each year plus take the annual fire crew refresher. Both are generally scheduled together for convenience. Four to six days are scheduled each year for all qualified fire fighters to re-qualify and to receive updated information and/or training.

PAST FIRE CREWS

2012 was a very busy year across the nation.  New Hampshire sent a Type VI Engine on an out of state deployment for the first time.









2011 saw New Hampshire crews helping out in the East
Tropical Storm Irene hit the White Mountain National Forest hard and a crew was dispatched to help with storm cleanup








Though the 2010 out of state fire season was slow,
two wildland fire crews from New Hampshire were involved in fighting wildland fires in Quebec, Canada. 
We also sent a partial saw crew to Massachusetts for Hurricane Earl preparedness.  

Click Here to view the Thank You Letter from SOPFEU - Quebec






2009 was the first time a fire crew from New Hampshire
had been sent to Alaska to assist in the firefighting efforts.  






General Information

The Division of Forests and Lands, Forest Protection Bureau, maintains a list of all qualified individuals that make themselves available to participate.

When a dispatch call is received, individuals typically have 4-8 hours to assemble at the Forestry Warehouse at Bear Brook in Allenstown.   Directions to Warehouse . 

To be a member of a fire crew you must be able to make a two week to sixteen day commitment of time even though many assignments do not last that long in early spring or late fall. 

Individuals assigned to a fire crew will be issued personal protective equipment when they arrive at the Bear Brook Warehouse.

 

Fire Information:

         Firefighters may want to visit our Training Page to learn more about in-state training and to find more links to online training and information

Annual Fireline Safety Refresher Training: Every year the Forest Protection Bureau offers the Annual Safety Refresher to firefighters.  The Annual Fireline Safety Refresher Training is required for all positions as identified in the Wildland Fire Qualifications System Guide (NWCG 310-1).

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Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact (NFFPC): In 1949, New Hampshire joined with 6 other states to form the Compact. Several Canadian Provinces are now members and some US Federal Agencies currently share roles within the Compact. The mandate of the NFFPC is to provide the means for its member states and provinces to cope with fires that might be beyond the capabilities of a single member through information, technology and resource sharing (mutual aid) activities.

Firefighters may want to visit the NFFPC website to learn the current status of fire activity and resources within the Compact.




Eastern Area Coordination Center (EACC): EACC serves federal and state wildland fire agencies within the twenty-state Eastern Area (EA). EACC provides logistical support, resources, and intelligence for anticipated and ongoing wildland fire activity. EACC facilitates movement of resources (people, aircraft, ground equipment) among the EA member agencies and their individual units. EACC monitors wildfire potential, weather, and wildland fire use within the EA.

Firefighters may want to visit the EACC website to learn the current status of fire activity, resources and weather for the Eastern Area.• 




National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC):Located in Boise, Idaho, is the nation's support center for wildland firefighting. Eight different agencies and organizations are part of NIFC. Decisions are made using the interagency cooperation concept because NIFC has no single director or manager.

Firefighters may want to  visit the NIFC website to learn the current status of fire activityand resources throughout the country.• 




National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG): is made up of the USDA Forest Service; four Department of the Interior agencies: Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Fish and Wildlife Service;and State forestry agencies through the National Association of State Foresters.  The purpose of NWCG is to coordinate programs of the participating wildfire management agencies so as to avoid wasteful duplication and to provide a means of constructively working together.  Its goal is to provide more effective execution of each agency’s fire management program.  The group provides a formalized system to agree upon standards of training, equipment, qualifications, and other operational functions.