Following the South Canyon Fire in 1994, an interagency team was formed to investigate the fatalities and contributing factors. The subsequent 1995 Federal Wildland Fire Policy and Program Review, signed by both Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior, directed Federal wildland fire agencies to establish fire management qualifications standards to improve firefighter safety and increase professionalism in fire management programs.
To accomplish these action items, the former Federal Fire and Aviation Leadership Council (FFALC) formed an Interagency Fire Program Management Qualifications task group. The objective of the Task Group was to complete staff work, acceptable to all federal agencies with wildland fire management responsibilities and to the Office of Personnel Management, sufficient for the establishment of minimum qualifications standards for key fire management positions.
An interagency IFPM Implementation Team was formed in June 2004 to develop an implementation plan and provide oversight and guidance during the implementation phase which ended on October 1, 2010.
The Implementation team has been rechartered under the NWCG Operations and Workforce Development Committee as the IFPM Subcommittee. The IFPM subcommittee will continue to monitor the overall program and make recommendations to NWCG on modifications to the IFPM Standard and supporting documentation as needed.
