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Good Fire Training Network – National Response

The Wildfire Training Assignment Program, offered through the Good Fire Training Network (www.good-fire-training.org), provides qualified fire practitioners with the opportunity to respond to wildfires across the nation while building critical incident experience.

Operated by the Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation, this program is designed to support trainees working toward National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) qualifications. Participants deploy in trainee positions under qualified supervision, gaining hands-on experience in real incident environments while meeting task book requirements and performance standards.

Wildfire response assignments expose participants to the full spectrum of incident operations—incident command structure, division assignments, briefing protocols, fireline tactics, engine and handcrew operations, communications systems, and operational tempo. These experiences cannot be replicated in the classroom. By integrating into established incident management structures, trainees learn accountability, coordination, and leadership under dynamic conditions.

The program emphasizes readiness and professionalism. Participants must meet prerequisite training, maintain required certifications, and demonstrate physical and operational preparedness. Once mobilized, they represent not only themselves but the broader Good Fire Training Network community.

Responding to wildfires across diverse fuel types and geographic regions builds adaptability and decision-making capacity. From grassland fires to timber incidents, each assignment strengthens situational awareness and reinforces safety culture grounded in LCES, risk management, and team cohesion.

The Wildfire Training Assignment Program bridges the gap between training and qualification. By creating structured pathways for national response, we help practitioners advance their careers, complete task books, and return home with the experience needed to safely implement prescribed fire and wildfire response operations in their own communities.

This is capacity building in action—growing a nationally deployable workforce committed to professionalism, safety, and effective fire management.