Training

"Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

~Winston Churchill

One of the most important things you can do as a wildland firefighter is commit yourself to continuous learning.

There are many areas where wildland firefighting is behind the curve (*cough*, PAY! *cough*). But one of the areas where the industry deserves some credit is in its institutionalization of studying tragedy fires. There have been some great books written on tragedy fires, most notably:

• Fire on the Mountain by John Maclean
• Granite Mountain by Brendan McDonough
• Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean
• The Thirtymile Fire: A Chronicle of Bravery and Betrayal by John Maclean
• River of Fire: The Rattlesnake Fire and the Mission Boys by John Maclean
• The Esperanza Fire: Arson, Murder and the Agony of Engine 57 by John Maclean

And these tragedy fires, and many others, are regularly talked about during trainings.

While we would encourage everyone to take the time to dive deeply into those books, we understand that people are busy. So below, we've compiled some short case studies that take ~5 min to read. They're designed to serve as a jumping off point for deeper exploration. We hope you find them helpful.

Case Studies

1. Case Study: The 2018 Camp Fire

Scenario-Based Learning

What it is: Scenario-based learning immerses learners in realistic situations where they must apply their knowledge to make decisions. In the scenarios below, you'll be transported to the fireline, and be challenged to use your imagination and knowledge to make decisions. Regardless of your role in fire, scenario-based learnings can help increase your situational awareness on the line and make you a safer firefighter.

Scenario #1

You are part of a seasoned Type 2 IA dispatched to respond to a wildfire in the rugged terrain of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Northern California. As you arrive at the scene...

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