National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group Requests A Short Safety Stand-Down After Counterfeit Fire Shelters Found On Multiple Wildfire Incidents.
All resources asked to inspect fire shelters before end of shift Monday.
Last night, the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (NMAC) issued a safety bulletin asking wildfire resources to take a 10-minute safety stand-down to check their fire shelters and ensure they meet required Agency standards.
This comes after “non-specification” fire shelters have been found on multiple incidents this year. I have confirmed with the Agency that what has been found is non-compliant, Chinese-made knockoffs. In the most recent case, during a compliance check, these shelters were found on a contract crew.
All wildfire resources are being asked to inspect their shelters before the end of the shift on Monday.
This issue came up back in 2023 after knock-off shelters were found boldly claiming to be NWCG-compliant. NWCG issued a safety bulletin in March of that year addressing the problem. However, these new counterfeit shelters have different identifying markers than those found in 2023.
NWCG clearly states that while these counterfeit shelters have been found on multiple incidents this year, none have been involved in entrapments or deployments.
These non-specification shelters have been found on multiple incidents during the 2026 fire season; however no non-specification shelters have been involved in entrapments or shelter deployments.
NWCG
Here is the breakdown of the announcement:
Issue: Non-specification fire shelters claiming to meet Forest Service (FS) fire shelter specification 5100-606 were first found in 2023; a new version of non‑approved, non-specification fire shelters were identified in February 2026. These non-specification shelters have been found on multiple incidents during the 2026 fire season; however no non-specification shelters have been involved in entrapments or shelter deployments.
Action: Wildland firefighters, fire managers, contract inspectors, and all support personnel should remain vigilant for non-specification (i.e., counterfeit, non-approved, knockoff) fire shelters. All resources are directed to remove fire shelters from packs and cases and perform an inspection utilizing the identification elements of non-specification fire shelters and the Non-Specification Fire Shelter Inspection Flowchart included in this memo to prevent non-specification shelters from being carried on the fireline and compromising firefighter safety.
Non-specification fire shelter identification criteria may continue to evolve. Inspect all issued shelters; if questionable, contact the National Technology and Development Program (NTDP).
***NMAC directs all wildland firefighting resources to take a 10-minute safety standdown to inspect their assigned fire shelter by end of shift Monday July 13th, 2026.***
It’s horrible to think that non-compliant, knockoff fire shelters are being sold by foreign companies into the system. But that’s unfortunately the world we live in.
The Forest Service confirmed that they are taking any and all possible legal action against the manufacturers of these fake shelters.
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Dumb question: Why are government agencies buying from foreign countries and why aren't they checking for compliant equipment before issuing to firefighters?
Have we missed something important about the acquisition process?