The Alaska Division of Forestry has released its schedule of Basic Firefighter and Fireline Safety Refresher classes for the 2020 wildland fire season.
Anyone interested in working as a Division of Forestry wildland firefighter or any support roles associated with wildland firefighting must possess an Incident Qualification Card, commonly called a Red Card, in accordance with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG). The NWCG sets minimum training, experience, and physical fitness standards for wildland fire positions.
Firefighters who already have a Red Card do not have to retake the Basic Firefighter class (S-130/190) but must attend a four-hour annual Fireline Safety Refresher class (RT-130) and pass a fitness test to be qualified to work as a wildland firefighter.
Red Card and Fireline Safety Refresher classes will be offered at Division of Forestry Area offices in Delta, Fairbanks, Glennallen, Palmer, Soldotna and Tok. Refresher classes will also be held in several Southwest Alaska villages (see attached schedules).
The S-130/190 Basic Firefighter class is a 40-hour, entry-level course that provides the basic knowledge and structure of the wildland firefighting system. The class includes S-130 Firefighter Training, S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior, and L-180 Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service. Students must also complete two online Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) training courses – ICS-100 Introduction to ICS and IS-700 National Incident Management System, An Introduction”- prior to taking the S-130/190 class. Those courses can be found at https://training.fema.gov/is/crslist.aspx.
Students who successfully complete the course and pass a required fitness test will be issued a nationally recognized Red Card that will allow them to work as a wildland firefighter or in a support role (i.e. dispatch, administration, ground support, finance, logistics) anywhere in the country. The fitness test consists of completing a 3-mile hike on level terrain in 45 minutes or less while carrying 45 pounds. People working in dispatch, administration, finance and logistical roles are not required to take the fitness test.
Eligible students must be 18 years old as of May 1.
The Fireline Safety Refresher is designed to refresh individuals on common denominators in wildland fire fatalities, principles of fireline safety (Standard Fire Orders and Watch Out Situations), and fire shelter deployment. Additional fitness testing (push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups) is required for initial attack firefighters.
The Division of Forestry’s Red Card and Fireline Safety Refresher class schedule can be downloaded as a PDF document below or can be found on the State Forestry webpage at http://forestry.alaska.gov/.
CONTACT: Tim Mowry, Division of Forestry public information officer, (907) 356-5512, tim.mowry@alaska.gov.
Categories: AK Fire Info, Training
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 