Wildland firefighting is a physically and mentally demanding job, with many stressors that can take their toll on a wildland firefighter's mental health.
To address this issue, a new module, Wildfire Mental Health, has been added to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) RT-130: Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR).
The new module
The new module emphasizes the importance of asking for help, offers information about accessing mental health care resources, and provides tools and resources for mental fitness, including:
- Building resilience to face adversity.
- Improving mental preparedness.
- Recognizing the importance of self-care.
- Recognizing the effects from cumulative stress and critical incident stress.
To maintain currency, WFSTAR is required training for all personnel assigned to positions with fireline duties, and for any position assigned to the fireline for non-suppression tasks. RT-130 instructors may opt to include this new module on mental health in annual refresher training.