Prescribed Fire and Fire Suppression Training in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Year 2010

Abstract

The Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, uses prescribed fire for habitat improvement on over 400 National Wildlife Refuges across the United States. Wildfire is a problem on some refuges. Escaped fires have resulted in fatalities and the loss of millions of dollars in natural and man-made resources. The Service recognized the critical need for training in fire behavior, fire suppression and fire safety. A unique training and training development contract and program are described through which nearly 300 National Refuge System employees have been trained to safely carry out unique prescribed fire and fire suppression jobs. A cost savings of nearly $12,000 per trained employee may have resulted from this unique Service approach when compared with traditional training programs.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the symposium on wildland fire 2000; April 27-30, 1987; South Lake Tahoe, California

Citation

Murphy, James L.; Cole, Frank T. 1987. Prescribed Fire and Fire Suppression Training in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Year 2010. In: Davis, James B.; Martin, Robert E., technical coordinators. 1987. Proceedings of the Symposium on Wildland Fire 2000, April 27-30, 1987, South Lake Tahoe, California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-101. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; p. 177-181