Documentation will need to be submitted with registration form.

Coursework Requirements

1.  IS-100 Introduction to the Incident Command System

2.  S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior

3.  S-130 Firefighter Training

4.  S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (classroom only, online courses not accepted)

5. Students will need a working knowledge of Behave Plus fire modeling system to be successful in the class.

Firing Requirements

Qualified NWCG/CICCS Firing Boss (FIRB)

or

both equivalent firing experience and

one of the following courses: S-219 Firing Operations, CA-219 Wildland Firefighting – Firing Operations, C-234 Ignition Operations, or S-234 Ignition Operations

Leadership Requirements

S-131 Advanced Firefighter

or

L-280 Followership to Leadership

or

Qualified NWCG/CICCS Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1)

or

Equivalent leadership experience

For PACE VI Application and prerequisite equivalency information click here.

For additional information regarding State Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss Certification, Course Plan click here.

Call (925) 989-0983 if you have questions or email us at:
Surefiretraining@yahoo.com

This course is intended for experienced prescribed or cultural fire practitioners who wish to be recognized by the state for their knowledge and expertise. Could include retired fire professionals, landowners and community members, NGO staff, private contractors, tribal members and cultural burners, state and local agency staff, and others.

Certified persons may act as contractors within land designated as State Responsibility Area (SRA) by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

This in person classroom-based course provides information about and develops the skills required for planning and managing prescribed fire on State or private lands.  

This course provides information about and develops the skills required for planning and managing prescribed fire on State or private lands.  The curriculum includes portions of the NWCG courses RX301, RX341, and RX410 classes, but should not be considered a substitute for any of these RX classes.  There is no course equivalency between this class and any NWCG course. 

This course contains instructor-led training, including simulation exercises and a task book. Students are required to complete the prerequisites (coursework, firing, and leadership requirements) prior to taking the instructor-led training and completing the task book. As detailed in the course plan, this course was developed and formatted into the SFT curriculum development model. Stakeholders are encouraged to study this information carefully and seek clarification from SFT if questions arise. Certified persons may act as contractors within land designated as State Responsibility Area (SRA) by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

To participate in this course, students need:
• Laptop computer with internet capability
• Laptop cord/power supply
• Appropriate clothing and foot wear and day pack for a day long field  exercise.
• Incident Response Pocket Guide (IRPG) NFES 001077 (provided by instructor)

This course format includes interactive instructor-led training, active student participation, daily homework assignments, a site visit and field exercise to gather information for the students to use to develop a burn plan, IAP and supporting maps.  Students will need to understand and be proficient using modeling tools to develop prescription parameters, such as Behave Fire Modeling System or Appendix B.  

Students will need to spend a considerable amount of time working together in small groups after class hours to develop a burn plan, IAP and group presentation.

Course Topics Include:

• State-Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss Certification Process
• Fire Use and Prescribed-Fire Laws
• Fire Behavior Concepts Relate to Prescribed-Fire Implementation
• Developing a Burn Plan
• The Permitting and Approval Process
• Implementing a Prescribed-Fire Operation
  

Students will work together in groups to develop a burn plan and Incident Action Plan (IAP) and present an operational briefing using the IAP.

Students are required to complete the prerequisites (coursework, firing, and leadership requirements) prior to taking this course. Students that successfully complete this course will be required to complete a Task Book to apply for certification as a State-Certified Prescribed- Fire Burn Boss.

Woody Bouska, President and Owner, SURE-FIRE TRAINING INC.

The lead instructor, Woody Bouska, is the president of SURE-FIRE Training Inc., a corporation that specializes in delivering high quality professional wildfire consulting, analysis, planning, mitigation and education services. Woody has over 40 years of experience in the wildland fire service and is a wildfire risk analysis and mitigation specialist. Woody has extensive experience working with various agencies and organizations planning, and conducting, prescribed burns and wildland fuels management projects. Woody is also a registered California State Fire Training Instructor who provides a variety of consulting and training services for fire departments, land management agencies and other government and corporate organizations throughout the world. He received his formal education from UC Davis in Wildlife Biology.

Sarah Gibson started a Career in Public Service in 1999 working in Emergency Medical Services as an EMT after graduating from CSU Chico with a BS in Exercise Physiology. Sarah then pursued a fire career beginning as a volunteer firefighter in 2001 in Butte County with CDF (Cal Fire) and become a Nationally Registered Paramedic that same year. Sarah began a full-time career in suppression with State and Local Government agencies in 2002 following graduation from the Butte College Fire Academy. Sarah promoted to Company Officer and successfully achieved several ICS positions before deciding to focus on developing a  career pathway that would allow her to  implement beneficial fire and Prescribed Fire across the Golden State. Sarah is a qualified CARX and RXB2(t), and also an RXMG. In 2020, Sarah earned a second BS from CSU San Marcos in Wildland Fire Science and Urban Interface Planning.  Sarah has been engaged in fire planning and implementation across the US including work Virginia, Minnesota, Missouri , Florida,  Georgia, Nebraska, Oregon, and California. In her spare time you are likely to catch Sarah running, mountain biking, surfing, bird watching, or wildflower gazing whenever possible.