Wildland firefighting is physically and mentally demanding work with many stressors that can affect a wildland firefighter’s mental health. To address this issue, a new module, Wildfire Mental Health, has been added to National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) RT-130: Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR).
The new module emphasizes the importance of asking for help, provides information on accessing mental health care resources, and provides mental fitness tools and resources, including:
- Building resilience to adversity.
- Improving mental readiness.
- Realize the importance of self-care.
- Recognizing the effects of cumulative stress and stress from critical events.
To remain current, WFSTAR requires training for all personnel assigned to fire-line duty positions and all positions assigned to the fire-line for non-suppression duties. RT-130 instructors may choose to include this new mental health module in their annual refresher training.
For more information on RT-130 and its new Wildland Fire Mental Health module, visit the NWCG’s RT-130 WFSTAR course website.
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