FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation Awarded $2 Million CAL FIRE Grant to Expand Free Prescribed Fire Training Across California

Four-year, $2,023,033 investment will expand the Good Fire Training Network, provide tuition-free NWCG wildland fire training, and create new workforce development opportunities throughout California.

TRUCKEE, CA — October 14, 2026 — The Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation (HFA), a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is proud to announce it has been awarded $2,023,033 in grant funding from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to dramatically expand access to professional prescribed fire and wildland fire training throughout California.

The four-year initiative, Scaling California’s Private Lands Prescribed Fire Workforce, will expand the foundation's Good Fire Training Network, providing free National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) training, hands-on field instruction, and workforce development opportunities for individuals pursuing careers in prescribed fire, forestry, fuels reduction, and wildfire resilience.

The investment represents an important step toward addressing one of California's most significant challenges: building a qualified workforce capable of safely conducting prescribed fire and restoring fire-adapted landscapes.

Removing the Cost Barrier to Professional Fire Training

Professional wildland fire training can be expensive and difficult to access, particularly for individuals who are not employed by a government fire agency.

Through this grant, the Good Fire Training Network will offer 100% tuition-free training courses to eligible participants, helping eliminate one of the most significant barriers to entering the prescribed fire and natural resource management workforce.

The program will provide opportunities for aspiring firefighters, prescribed fire practitioners, forestry workers, conservation professionals, landowners, and individuals seeking new career pathways.

Training will include classroom instruction, online learning, field-based skills development, and practical training opportunities supporting nationally recognized wildland fire qualification pathways.

Importantly, participants will not need a college degree or existing employment with a fire agency to begin their training.

The initiative will place particular emphasis on expanding opportunities for individuals from low-income and disadvantaged communities, ensuring that professional training is accessible to a broader and more diverse workforce.

A $2 Million Investment in California's Entire Prescribed Fire Community

Although the Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation is the recipient and administrator of the grant, the organization emphasizes that the funding is intended to benefit California's entire prescribed fire community—not just one organization.

The Good Fire Training Network will collaborate with prescribed burn associations (PBAs), nonprofit organizations, conservation groups, fire agencies, resource conservation districts, instructors, and other community partners to bring professional training opportunities to communities throughout the state.

“This grant is not about building one organization. It is about building California's prescribed fire workforce,” said Lynda Cull, Program Director of the Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation. “The funding belongs to a much larger effort to make professional training accessible, support local organizations, and give people the skills they need to safely put more good fire on the ground.”

By establishing partnerships with local host organizations, the initiative will help expand training opportunities beyond traditional agency training systems and bring instruction directly into communities.

“Our goal is simple: If a community has people who want to learn, organizations willing to host training, and qualified instructors ready to teach, we want to help make that training happen,” Cull added.

Building the Workforce California Needs

California faces a growing need for skilled professionals capable of implementing prescribed fire, reducing hazardous vegetation, restoring forest health, and protecting communities from catastrophic wildfire.

Meeting that challenge requires more than funding projects. It requires investing in the people who will perform the work.

The Good Fire Training Network will provide training in essential wildland fire and prescribed fire disciplines, including:

• Basic and advanced wildland firefighter training

• Wildland fire behavior and fire weather

• Prescribed fire operations and firing techniques

• Chainsaw operations and wildland fire equipment

• Portable pumps and water delivery systems

• Crew leadership and supervisory development

• Wildland fire safety and annual refresher training

• Field-based skills development and qualification support

Courses will support NWCG training and qualification pathways, helping participants develop the skills and documented experience needed to pursue professional opportunities in prescribed fire and fuels management.

The program will also encourage partnerships that connect classroom instruction with supervised field experience and real-world prescribed fire projects.

Bringing Free Training Directly to California Communities

A major component of the initiative is the development of a collaborative network of host organizations capable of bringing training opportunities into their own regions.

Prescribed burn associations, nonprofit organizations, fire departments, conservation groups, and other qualified partners will be encouraged to participate in hosting training courses and supporting workforce development.

Rather than relying exclusively on centralized training facilities, the Good Fire Training Network will work to utilize local facilities, regional instructors, and community partnerships to make training more accessible.

This approach is intended to reduce travel barriers, strengthen local training capacity, and help communities develop the workforce necessary to carry out prescribed fire and hazardous fuels reduction projects.

“California cannot significantly expand prescribed fire without significantly expanding the number of trained people who can safely conduct it,” Cull said. “This investment gives us an opportunity to work together across organizational boundaries and develop the workforce that California needs.”

Regional Focus with Statewide Opportunities

The four-year initiative is anchored in Grizzly Flats, El Dorado County, with a primary training focus on eight California counties:

Alameda, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Merced, Nevada, Placer, and Plumas.

Additional training opportunities will be made available statewide through regional partnerships, participating host organizations, and collaborative training activities.

The Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation intends to use this investment to strengthen the Good Fire Training Network as a long-term resource for California's prescribed fire community.

By supporting both new practitioners and experienced individuals seeking additional qualifications, the initiative aims to help build a sustainable workforce that can serve communities well beyond the four-year grant period.

An Invitation to California's Fire and Conservation Community

The Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation is inviting organizations throughout California to participate in this collaborative effort.

Prescribed burn associations, nonprofit organizations, fire departments, resource conservation districts, land stewardship organizations, and qualified instructors interested in helping expand access to professional fire training are encouraged to connect with the Good Fire Training Network.

Organizations interested in hosting training courses can learn more about partnership opportunities, while individuals seeking professional development can explore available courses and upcoming training opportunities.

Good Fire Training Network:
https://www.good-fire-training.org

About the Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation

The Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving forest health, restoring fire-resilient landscapes, and strengthening communities through prescribed fire, professional training, and collaborative natural resource stewardship.

Through its Good Fire Training Network, the foundation provides workforce training and professional development opportunities for wildland fire and prescribed fire practitioners.

Through its More Good Fire Program, the foundation helps establish and support community-based Prescribed Burn Associations, strengthens local prescribed fire capacity, and assists communities in safely returning beneficial fire to California landscapes.

The foundation believes that expanding prescribed fire requires investing in both people and communities, building the training infrastructure, partnerships, and local capacity necessary to increase the responsible use of fire.

Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation:
https://www.healthyforestalliance.org

Good Fire Training Network:
https://www.good-fire-training.org

Funding Acknowledgment

Funding for this project provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Business and Workforce Development Grants as part of the California Climate Investments Program.

Media Contact

Lynda Cull
Program Director
Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation
Truckee, California

Foundation Website: www.healthyforestalliance.org
Training Program: www.good-fire-training.org