The OMSP is authorized under the U.S. Wildland Fire Service to primarily take care of employees working in remote and potentially hazardous conditions where traditional emergency medical services (EMS) may be significantly delayed or unable to respond. We train specifically to perform initial resuscitation, incident medical leadership, and to extract patients to our EMS partners or a higher level of care.
In order to participate in the program, you must:
- Be a U.S. Wildland Fire Service employee or Tribal Wildland Firefighter.
- Be certified by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) at the EMR, EMT, AEMT, or Paramedic level.
- A State-issued EMS license is accepted in lieu of NREMT certification during the first year a provider is Authorized to Practice by the OMSP.
- Complete program-specific initial and annual training.
- Pass an annual skills verification.
Most OMSP providers function in the program as a collateral duty. If you have the desire and skills to help ensure our workforce is as safe as possible, please follow the link to the Wildland Fire Learning Portal below for more information and ways to reach out to us.
Learn more about the OMSP on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal
Listen to the Wildfire Matters podcast - Explaining the BLM Operational Medical Support Program with Dr. Andrew Southard
**The OMSP operated as part of BLM Fire prior to 2026 but is now part of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service.
BLM National Medical Director Dr. Andrew Southard, or Dr. Drew, talks about the Operational Medical Support Program (OMSP) which provides emergency medical services that focus on initial stabilization and extraction of injured employees in the wildland environment. Dr. Drew discusses the similarities and differences between OMSP and Emergency Medical Services (EMS), when OMSP was developed, and why it is an important program for our wildland firefighters. He reveals his fire background leading to BLM National Medical Director and how employees can get involved with the program. March 29, 2023
