This is a new award to the continue the of operation of the incident qualification system in order to meet national wildfire coordinating group wildland firefighting qualification standards

The National Association of State Foresters received a $550,000 Project Grant award dated August 14, 2025, under the State & Private Forestry Cooperative Fire Assistance program (CFDA 10.698), administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. The award extends through September 30, 2027, and supports the continued operation and maintenance of the Incident Qualification System, a critical infrastructure for certifying wildland firefighters in compliance with National Wildfire Coordinating Group qualification standards. This system ensures that firefighters across state and local agencies meet consistent training and competency requirements necessary for coordinated wildfire response and suppression operations on non-federal forest and rural lands.

The Incident Qualification System represents essential fire management infrastructure that underpins the nation's wildland firefighting readiness by enabling standardized qualification tracking, training program delivery, and personnel certification across state forestry agencies and fire management organizations. By maintaining this system, the award supports the broader federal objective of enhancing state and local firefighting capacity and interagency coordination mechanisms critical to the nation's wildfire prevention and suppression capabilities.