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Prescribed/Wildland Fire Program
Get Involved
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Mission Statement
The Prescribed/Wildland Fire Program in the School of Natural Resources is committed to providing future leaders workable experience and knowledge in the uses, benefits, and implementation of prescribed fire as a management tool through practical learning.
Get Involved
Looking to get your start in prescribed fire or add to previous experience? Sign up for the prescribed fire volunteer list.
Volunteers will be contacted for opportunities to participate in prescribed fire and related training events.
Prescribed Fire
Introduction to Prescribed Fire Short Course
Looking to get your start in prescribed fire?
In conjunction with Nebraska Pheasants Forever, we offer a free, eight hour, short course to get your start in the basics of prescribed fire and your role as crew member on prescribed fire. This course involves three hours of online self learning followed by a five hour field day to put what you learned into practice on live fire. The field day will be conducted at Nine-Mile Prairie, Lincoln Nebraska.
Online Portion:
The online portion of this course covers the definition of prescribed fire and its uses; fire behavior and fire weather; tactics and command structure; and prescribed fire safety. This information is covered over three hours of videos, provided by Nebraska Pheasants Forever, and slides. Completion of the on-line portion is tracked through the submission of the provided study guide.
Field Portion:
Following completion of the online portion and submission of the study guide, students will participate in a five hour field day to apply lessons learned. During the field portion, we will cover equipment operation, fire weather, ignition patterns, smoke dispersal, live fire, and mop-up.
Wildland Fire
Interested in a career as a wildland firefighter or local, state, and federal natural resource agencies?
In partnership with the Nebraska Forest Service, the School of Natural Resources is offering the Basic Wildland Firefighter (FFT2) Red Card class during the January pre-session. This class is open to all students and UNL personnel needing Red Card Certification.
What’s a “Red Card”? The Red Card is part of the fire qualifications system (NWCG) used by all federal wildland fire management agencies, as well as many state and private agencies. All firefighters assigned to a fire being managed by a federal agency, such as the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, or US Fish & Wildlife are required to have a Red Card. The Red Card functions similar to a drivers' license, showing the holder of the card has the required qualification and training to hold a particular position. This basic course, together with the “pack” fitness test, will get you into the Red Card system. (Covers S-190, S-130, L-180, IS-100, & IS-700 ).
Current UNL Students register for 1 credit.
(Officially the pre-session is 3 weeks, but this class only meets the second week of January)
UNL staff, recent graduates & graduate students should contact Wyatt Koehler (wkoehler2@unl.edu) about seat availability (registration for NRES-299 not required)
Other Fire Resources
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Minimum Required PPE for University of Nebraska-Lincoln Prescribed Fire:
- Clothing:
- Cotton Long Sleeve Shirt (Cotton Flannels Work Well)
- Cotton, Denim, Canvas Full Length Pants
- Cotton Underwear
- Cotton or Wool Socks
- Leather Gloves (all leather)
- Leather Boots
- Shatter Resistant Glasses
Federal Standard Required PPE:
(Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations p.172)
https://www.nifc.gov/sites/default/files/redbook-files/Chapter07.pdf
- Clothing:
- Nomex Long Sleeve Shirt
- Nomex Pants
- Cotton Under Shirt
- Cotton Underwear
- Wool or Cotton Socks
- Gloves: Leather or Leather/Flame Resistant Combination Gloves
- Boots: A minimum of 8-inch-high, lace-type, exterior-leather work boots with melt-resistant, lug soles
- Safety Glasses
- Ear Plugs
Collaborators
Want more information?
Wyatt Koehler
Habitat Management and Prescribed Fire Education Coordinator
- Address
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School of Natural Resources
201B Forestry Hall
1800 N 37th Street
Lincoln, NE 68583-0815 US - wkoehler2@unl.edu