BLM’s Operational Medical Support Program trains firefighters to provide medical support in fire year 2025

The Operational Medical Support Program (OMSP) held a successful regional training at the National Advanced Fire and Resource Institute in Tucson, Arizona in February. By the end of the training, 50 providers were authorized to practice medical support in time for fire year 2025, and 16 students became delegated instructors. Bureau of Land Management National Medical Director Dr. Andrew Southard (a.k.a. Dr. Drew), OMSP state coordinators, and several state leads were in attendance.  Students from Alaska and every BLM state in the lower 48 travelled to attend the training. 

Students practice treating a broken femur during a field scenario. Photo by Dr. Drew, BLM. 

Before the in-person training, all providers took the online OMSP course through the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Wildland Fire Learning Portal. The online training focused on vehicle extrication, lacerations, and case reviews from the previous year.  

The in-person lectures reviewed core topics and skills. Additionally, Dennis Strange, BLM Idaho State Fire Management Officer, gave a keynote lecture to solidify the "why" of the OMSP. Students then participated in skill stations focused on bleeding control, splinting, epinephrine administration, glucose checks, and airway management, followed by a day of field scenarios led by Kevin Norton, BLM Idaho Operational Medical Support Program Coordinator. The scenarios were designed to be as realistic as possible using mock patients, moulage, bleeding devices, and even calling in medical incident reports to Tucson Interagency Dispatch. 

BLM firefighters participate in an airway management skill station at the National Advanced Fire and Rescue Resource institute in Tucson, Arizona. Photo by Dr. Drew, BLM. 

The OMSP is the result of many years of progress to provide consistent standards, equipment, and training to firefighters providing medical support. The program now has an internal certification process, annual competency training, minimum equipment standards, patient care reports, and injury tracking. Its three pillars are: initial resuscitation, patient extraction, and incident leadership. 

50 BLM firefighters became authorized Operational Medical Support providers after the training. Photo by Kevin Norton, BLM. 

Last year alone, the program cross-trained 395 primary firefighters from Mississippi to Alaska (consisting of hotshots, smokejumpers, engine crews, etc.) as Operational Medical Support providers. These providers have since treated 100 serious injuries, including some sustained by members of the public while accessing public lands. 

In addition to lives saved, the program has allowed wildland fire leadership to learn more about the real injuries and risks to firefighters versus those that are perceived. Ultimately, this data can lead to prevention tools and techniques for the wildland fire workforce, supporting the agency’s priority of firefighter safety. 

Learn more about OMSP in Episode 15 of our Wildfire Matters podcast: “Explaining the BLM Operational Medical Support Program with Dr. Andrew Southard.” You can listen on Amazon, Spotify, or Apple.