Incident Investigation & Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real RED CARD practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Incident Investigation & Analysis flashcards as text
Which federal agency maintains the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center (LLC) database used by investigators to share findings nationally?
Answer: National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG)
The NWCG sponsors the Lessons Learned Center, which collects and disseminates wildland fire safety and investigation findings across all agencies.
A fire investigation team is using the '5 Whys' technique. What is the goal of this approach?
Answer: To repeatedly ask why an event occurred until the root cause is uncovered
The 5 Whys technique drills down through successive causes by repeatedly asking 'why' until the underlying root cause is identified.
When an Incident Commander fails to establish a safety zone before initiating an attack, investigation reports typically classify this under which failure category?
Answer: Tactical decision failure or violation of Standard Firefighting Orders
Failure to establish safety zones violates the Standard Firefighting Orders and is classified as a tactical decision failure in incident reports.
Which term describes an investigation finding that recommends fixing a systemic organizational issue rather than targeting an individual's behavior?
Answer: Systemic corrective action
Systemic corrective actions address organizational policies, training, or procedures rather than placing blame on individuals.
Fire investigators reviewing a burnover incident find that the crew's radio was on the wrong frequency. This finding is BEST categorized as:
Answer: Organizational — failure to establish and verify communications before operations
While an individual set the wrong frequency, the organizational failure is the lack of communication verification protocols before operations began.
What is the MAIN reason investigators are instructed not to speculate or assign blame in initial written reports?
Answer: To ensure findings are based on verified facts and avoid prejudicing the analysis
Speculation in early reports can bias subsequent investigation phases and undermine the factual integrity of the final findings.
In wildland fire accident investigation, 'decision-making under uncertainty' is studied because:
Answer: Commanders often must act on incomplete information, making the decision process itself a critical factor
Analyzing how decisions were made with available information helps investigators understand whether choices were reasonable given actual conditions at the time.