Wildland Fire

Since 1999, MCS has worked in partnership with the U.S. national wildland fire suppression agencies to build Operational Synergy through training, consulting, and doctrinal initiatives.

The most sweeping of these efforts has been the development of more than 9000 fire crew leaders and fire management officers in leadership and human factors through training programs. Beyond this training, MCS has assisted the federal agencies in developing specialized internal training and conducts ongoing support and research in support of the wildland fire industry.

For example, MCS designed and scripted the NWCG’s Human Factors on the Fireline, later to be designated L-180. This program, based on aviation Crew Resource Management (CRM) training, was the first unit-level human performance awareness training for the industry. This program has subsequently been adapted by MCS for use beyond wildland fire.

For wildland fire organizations, MCS offers a family of interconnected programs that focus on building teamwork and resiliency in crews and incident command teams.

L-380 Fireline Leadership establishes a core leadership value set and expectations for crew leaders while reinforcing good practices already in place. First developed with private investment in 1999 by MCS, this program has became the core of the NWCG Leadership (L) Curriculum, blending human performance rooted in aviation CRM with principle-based leadership models proven in the military services.

For individual participants, Fireline Leadership builds leadership skills. When used across the workforce it builds a common vocabulary, shared values, and compatible operational culture. This program establishes a core of cultural expectations that have long-term positive effects - an effort critical for building Operational Synergy.

Building on the core skills and concepts established in Fireline Leadership, the next program level deepens and broadens the concept of Operational Synergy across diverse resources in a hands-on program for personnel leading in Type 3 incidents: L-381 Incident Leadership. This program focuses on building the unique skills required for operating as an effective commander in an environment of temporary systems.

In addition to developing primary and incident leaders, MCS offers Advanced Workshops for individual fire management units, crews, and incident management teams.