Over at the newly established Southeast Prescribed Fire Update blog hosted by NC State University, they’re featuring a list of 2013 prescribed fire training and certification opportunities in Alabama (link to the post).  While not in Florida, many of our readers may find these training opportunities to be useful.

With many frequent updates and some really interesting posts, be sure to add Southeast Prescribed Fire Update to your bookmarks or RSS feed and consider following them on Twitter (@SE_RxFire).

The Natural Areas Training Academy along with the Florida Forest Service will be hosting a Basic Wildland Fire Training session (NWCG courses S-130 and S-190) in August.  These are the introductory courses required to participate in nearly all wildland fire fighting and many prescribed fire operations.  For those interested in seasonal wildland fire employment with a federal agency, completion of these courses is often a mandatory minimum requirement.

When: August 12 – 16, 2013

Where: Waccasassa Forestry Center (Gainesville, FL) and Ordway-Swisher Biological Station (Melrose, FL)

Cost: $100 Students / $125 General

Contact: Natural Areas Training Academy (850-875-7153) nata@ifas.ufl.edu

Registration: http://wec.ufl.edu/nata/calendar.html

More Info: NATA Flier

The folks at the Longleaf Alliance have scheduled a Basic Wildland Fire Fighter course for next month in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.  The course runs for a full week and includes S-130 / S-190 and L-180.  Act quickly as registration is limited and applications are due by March 8, 2013.  For more information see the course flier and the registration / nomination form.

Where: Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

When: March 11th – 15, 2013

Contact: Send nomination and registration forms to Bob Wilken (bob@longleafalliance.org).

Applications are now being accepted for the summer 2013 Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy Fire Ecology Internship.  Internships last approximately two months and include housing + $225 / week stipend.  Interns will gain experience in prescribed fire, GIS, soil sampling, fire behavior and fuels measurement, and various ecosystem assessment methods.   Applications are due by February 15, 2013.  For more information and application instructions see the 2013 Fire Ecology Program Internship announcement (.pdf).

The Texas A & M Forest Service recently published and distributed a fantastic report covering the 2011 Texas wildfire season. The fifty page report “2011 Wildfires: Common Denominators of Home Destruction” (.pdf link) is clearly written and appropriate for managers, students, homeowners, and policy makers.  I highly recommend reading it.

The video was produced in part due to a grant from the Arizona Salt River Project utility company.  Thanks to Zach Prusak of The Nature Conservancy for sharing the link through his list-serve.

The course will be offered March 18-21, 2013 at the Everglades Youth Conservation Camp  in West Palm Beach, Florida.  The registration deadline is March 8, 2013.  Be sure to register early as seating is limited.

Topics to be discussed include:

• Prescribed fire recommendations for panther and bear
• Prescribed fire recommendations for quail and other small game
• Prescribed fire recommendations for turkey
• Prescribed fire recommendations for bald eagle and red cockaded woodpecker
• Ignition techniques for habitat and restoration objectives
• Fire intensity and wildlife habitat impacts

This looks like a great workshop for folks located in South Florida!  If you can’t make it, don’t worry as the workshop is offered about once per year with the location rotating throughout the state.  For more information and to register visit the course flier.

A while back we had a post about the  Great Florida Fire School coming up November 6-10 in Fort Pierce, Florida.  They’ve finally released their official course lineup for the November conference!  This year they will include the following NWCG courses taught by members of the Florida Forest Service (FFS) formerly the Florida Division of Forestry (F DOF):

• S-130 / S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Fighting and Behavior
• S-215 Fire Operations in the Wildland-Urban-Interface (WUI)
• S-330 Strike Team / Task Force Leader

Early registration is $115.00 and runs from September 17 – October 26.  If you need S-130/S-190 to get involved in wildland fire and prescribed fire this is a good way to start.

 Unlike most of my technical t-shirts it doesn’t get “the funk“, even after several wearings between washes!  The navy color is versatile and highly stain resistent (not even a spot after multiple spit-ups from my son).  The cut is athletic and comfortable without being too tight or too billowy.  On top of all that, it’s fire resistant!  So far I haven’t had to test that aspect of the shirt yet (however if I do end up with an errant ember down my Nomex, I’ll be sure to update my review).

Overall given my experiences over the last several months, I highly recommend DRIFIRE t-shirts for wildland fire, natural resource, or any other outdoor pursuits where moisture management and flame resistance are critical to safety and comfort.  If you’re interested in picking up one of these shirts check out the DRIFIRE distributer list.

USFS Ocala National Forest Prescribed Fire

Fall is just around the corner and it is time to start planning for the Great Florida Fire School which will be held November 5-10th, 2012 at the Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida.  The course schedule has not been posted yet so keep checking their website over the next couple of months.  Typically they offer several NWCG wildland fire courses during the week of training including S-130 / S-190.  Registration is $115 for all the courses you can squeeze in during the week.