News & Events

MISC UPDATES / / / Jan 18, 2026

TRAINING

• Check the updated NTC schedule. Additional sections added for FFI, HazMat Ops, and Driver/Operator-Aerial.

• Have anyone who needs Inspector or Officer? Register by Monday (Jan 19), as they may be canceled due to low enrollment.

• Check the calendar for upcoming events through Emergency Management. March: LEPC meeting, Multiple Casualty Incident Response, Homeland Security Exercise & Eval Program. April: Pipeline Response.

TO-DO

• NFIRS Data: REMINDER! You will lose access to NFIRS and your data on January 31. Go download your department's historical data if you haven’t already. There are instructions on this page.

• Has your department filled out NFPA’s Needs Assessment Survey yet? Please do! The survey is open until February 15. These reports can help inform legislation and funding.

APPLY FOR...

• $750 stipend for outreach during Home Fire Sprinkler Week (May 10-16)

• Is your department in need of laptops? NVFC & State Farm are giving away 5 laptops.

• Need funding for a wildfire mitigation project? Apply here for $10k for Wildfire Prep Day.

COMMUNICATION/OUTREACH

• This coming week is CRR Week and National Passenger Safety Week.

• January is Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month, National Blood Donor Month, and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS / / / Jan 8, 2026

• Feb 3-7, Green Bay: WEMSA EMS Conference and expo.

• Feb 7, Stevens Point: Step Up and Lead Conference: training and workshop for emergency responders in management or preparing to “step up” into leadership roles. Learn more & register here.

• Feb 26-28: Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs Association, Winter In-Service: leadership training and networking

WILDLAND FIRE TRAINING / / / Jan 8, 2026

Introduction to Wildland Fire Training is being offered Feb 7 at Riverside from 8:30 to 17:00. This free course is designed to give entry level firefighters familiarity with wildland fire safety, tactics, and terminology. It meets the NFPA 1051 requirements for wildland firefighting; it is recommended that all firefighters responding to wildland fires have this training. Students must attend the entire session to receive credit.

Registration is open until Feb 1, or until the class is full. To register, please contact Nick and provide the following information:

• Student name as it would appear on a certificate

• Fire Department

It is also time to schedule your Annual Refresher trainings. Chiefs and/or training officers, please call or email Nick to schedule a training night. If he does not hear from you, he will reach out directly. The goal is to have every department's refresher completed prior to the spring fire season.

The refresher this year will be scenario-based and will cover a few other topics. If you have a strong preference on material you’d like to cover, please let Nick know!

Nick Hovda
Forest Ranger—Division of Forestry, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
715-297-0211
Nicholas.Hovda@wisconsin.gov

NTC SPRING SCHEDULE / / / Jan 8, 2026

NTC's spring class schedule is out! Click here for the full PDF. Courses start as soon as January 26, so sign up now. Student Enrollment can be completed via the NTC website or by calling Admissions at 715-803-1646.

Certification course offerings:

• Firefighter I

• HazMat Operations

• Firefighter II

• Driver/Operator, Aerial

• Fire Inspector

• Fire Officer I

• Fire & Emergency Services Instructor I

BATTLE OF THE BELLS / / / Dec 20, 2025

Haven't signed your department up yet for the BATTLE OF THE FIRE BELLS? There's still time! Ringing happens up til Christmas Eve. Join this friendly competition for bragging rights to see who can get the most in the kettle for an organization that supports us and families in the community! There are time slots available:

• Monday, 10a-6p

• Tuesday, 10a-6p

• Wednesday, 10a-2p (Hy-Vee fully booked)

Locations include Hy-Vee, Fleet Farm, Festival, Pick n Save, Lambs, Sams Club, and Walmart. Text Colleen (715-432-0384) to see if there's a 2-hour shift or two that work for your department.