Four graded levels. Classroom and field. Built for the people who run incidents, by people who have.
That is the report time, every level, every day. If that sounds unreasonable, you are not ready to lead people on an incident. If it sounds right, we will see you there.
You have the position task books. You completed ICS 300, 400, and more. Now the radio channel is swarmed with chatter from people expecting you to know what to do. What decides how this incident turns out is what the ICS courses didn't teach: judgment, presence, and decisions under fatigue and disagreement. ILDC is where we separate a qualified leader from an excellent one.
The structure. The forms. The chain of authority and the terminology to move inside it. All of it necessary, none of it about the person holding the position.
The person in the position. How to lead when your name is not on the org chart. How to decide when the people who report to you believe they know better, and sometimes do. How to argue, decide, and lead the same people the next morning. How to manage the one person no one else can manage for you: yourself.
Leadership is a profession. It is taught, practiced in the field, and graded. Every level ends with a credential you earned or didn't.
Five steps from curiosity to command. Each level is a prerequisite for the next. Experienced people can apply for waivers. Prices are per seat and include instruction, materials, field exercises, and the credential.
Full ladder, Basic through Command: 24 days, $17,740 per person. Orientation is a separate $725 day and is not required.
ILDC is leadership development. The standard applies from the moment you reserve your seat, before the first class begins. Inform your agency of the standard by sending them a copy of our ILDC Doctrine, here.
Instruction starts at 06:30 every training day. Anyone not in the room and ready at 06:30 is marked absent. One unexcused absence is grounds for dismissal.
There is no partial completion. Miss a field exercise and you do not receive credit for the level. You can re-enroll.
Every level has a rubric. Field performance, written work, and how you treat the people around you all count. Completing the hours is not completing the course.
Seats are sold individually. Send one person or fill a course. A course runs when it reaches its enrollment minimum, and your card is charged only when the course enrollment minimum is met.
| Course | Dates | Site | Per seat |
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We deliver across Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon, Colorado, Utah, and the western Dakotas. An agency that fills a course on its own gets it on its schedule and, where practical, at its site. Ask about a course for your agency.
Every field day has at least two instructors and a Safety Lead. The people grading you have led people when it mattered.
Developed ILDC and the Seven Hats method. Former U.S. Army TAC Officer for Officer Candidate School; principal at ClearSight Strategy.
Leads Team Leader and Section Leader field exercises.
Leads decision-analysis and After Action Review instruction.
Runs exercise safety and scenario logistics on every field day.
If yours is not here, call. The number is at the bottom of the page and a person answers it.
Yes, unless you are granted a waiver. Wildland firefighters with ten or more years of experience may be allowed to skip Basic and Team Leader by waiver. A qualified Section Chief who completes a two-hour leadership methods refresher can enter Command directly. Request a waiver during registration.
The group you climb the ladder with. At Basic you join a numbered Class, such as Class 01-26: the first Class formed in 2026, then 02-26, and so on. Your Class moves up the ladder together through Team Leader, Section Leader, and Command. An Accelerated Class takes its courses back to back. A Standard Class has time between courses to work and apply what was learned, and stays together across those gaps. Your student page shows your Class and your classmates. Orientation is open to everyone and is not part of a Class.
No. Orientation is a separate day, not a level. It is ungraded and carries no certificate; the instructors lead the day and demonstrate the method while you take part, ask questions, and decide whether Basic is your next step. It is the right place to start if you are not sure you want to lead.
You do not receive the credential, the record notes the outcome and the reason, and you can re-enroll. A dismissal records that the standard was not met. It is not a punishment.
Not yet. ILDC is run to the IACET standard from the first course, and ClearSight will apply for IACET accreditation in 2027. IACET does not allow CEUs for courses delivered before accreditation is approved, so until then your certificate states the contact hours you completed and no CEUs. We will update this answer the day that changes.
Permanently. Your student page keeps the materials for every level you attend, your released scores and feedback, and your credential with its verification link.
No. Our teaching methods come from military officer development, but the language, cases, and standards are ICS. ICS formalizes authority; incidents get resolved through relationships. ILDC teaches you to use both.
All instruction, participant materials, field exercises, and the certificate or credential. A working lunch each day on Basic and above, with coffee at report and water in the field. Lodging, breakfast, dinner, and travel are your responsibility or your employer's. On Orientation, bring your own food for the whole day, including the field exercise; planning for it is part of what the day shows you. Coffee and water are provided.
Your card is saved securely with Stripe when you reserve, and nothing is charged. When the course reaches its minimum enrollment we confirm it, charge the card, and send a receipt. If a course does not run, nothing is charged and you are offered the next date.
Yes. An agency that fills a course at the minimum size or above gets the course delivered on its schedule and, where practical, at its site. Seats are priced per person at every level; there is no group discount.
Pick a level, pick a date, reserve your seat. It takes about three minutes.