Statewide Fire Management
Video by Chad Manley and Thena Tak
We train and coach fire practitioners across California, hosting and staffing Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges, managing wildland fire qualifications for non-agency personnel, running hands-on immersive courses in English and Spanish, and supporting Tribes, Prescribed Burn Associations and other community organizations as they build their own burn programs
What We Do
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![Group of four people working to put out a forest fire, walking through a smoke-filled forest with flames on the ground, carrying firefighting tools and equipment.]()
Burn Program and PBA Development
We support the development and growth of local prescribed burn associations (PBAs) which consist of community members helping each other manage the land with fire, by providing training and mentorship through workshops and other events. We also help resource conservation districts, Tribes, land trusts, fire safe councils, and nonprofits build and sustain burn programs.
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![Group of fire students digging handline during training.]()
National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) / CARX Pre-requisite Trainings
We teach courses for community members and practitioners of all skill levels, including courses built to National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) standards and CARX prerequisites. Courses take place in spring and late Fall/early winter at locations across California, and we teach in both English and Spanish. Course offerings vary by season and available funding. Most of our courses are free or low cost.
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![A group of people gathers outdoors in front of a blue water tender, some standing, some kneeling. A scenic background of mountains and trees on a sunny day fills the background of the image.]()
Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges
We host and support both California Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges (Cal-TREXs) and TREX events throughout California. During TREX events, practitioners from many organizations come together and burn, getting training for positions they couldn’t get at home and leaving with documented experience.
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![Firefighters wearing protective gear and helmets are extinguishing a small grass fire with a fire extinguisher outdoors on a dry, grassy field.]()
Qualifications Management
We provide records management, certification, and training officer support for non-agency organizations that need their people’s wildland fire qualifications recognized for cooperative burning and career growth.
Photo: Chad Manley and Thena Tak.
Partners and Funding
Statewide, we work alongside University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy’s fire networks, the Indigenous Stewardship Network, the Northern California Prescribed Fire Council, and the practitioners and organizations who make up California’s beneficial fire community.
Our statewide fire programs are funded by the California Department of Conservation’s Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program, the USDA Forest Service Community Navigator Initaitive, the Nature Conservancy’s Fire Learning Network, March Conservation Fund and CAL FIRE.
