Working on Fire Training Academy

Every organization’s wildfire needs are different. We build the program that meets yours.

From fire crew certifications and training to CWPPs, fuels reduction work, leadership, prescribed fire and more — we design the program, bring the instructors, and deliver it at your site. Every program is built to what your organization needs.

Tell us what you need

Come to us with the problem. Turning it into a program is our job, and the consultation is free.

If wildfire is your responsibility, this is what we do.

Since 2020, we’ve been helping California get ready for wildfire. Cities, tribes, fire departments, conservation corps, nonprofits. In the last two years alone, that’s included ten programs across seven of the state’s conservation corps — full academies, saw certifications, refreshers, classroom and field, at their own site. Most of them have hired us again; Orange County, three times over.

We’re a force multiplier for organizations that already have the community’s trust, the local priorities and the grant eligibility — but need the training capacity, the field expertise and the hands to carry the work through.

Selected recent clients

Greater Valley Conservation Corps

Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps

Urban Conservation Corps of the Inland Empire

Fresno EOC Local Conservation Corps

Sequoia Community Corps

Civicorps

Orange County Conservation Corps

The organization behind us

To develop highly trained wildland fire personnel through standardized instruction, practical experience and compliance with nationally recognized safety and operational guidelines.

Working on Fire Training Academy is the US arm of Working on Fire — an organization that has spent more than twenty years building and running wildfire crews for governments around the world. California is its US home.

World map of the Working on Fire organization’s presence, with active countries highlighted in red across five continents

Working on Fire — global presence

20+ years building wildfire crews

5 continents

100,000+ firefighters and fuels crew trained

Our instructors are career fire professionals and conservation corps leaders.

Most spent long careers on the fireline and in forestry work before they started teaching. They train to NWCG, CSTI, CA-SFT and FEMA standards — so the certificates your people earn are recognized by any agency that checks them.

Programs are tailor-made to your needs. They tend to fall into four categories.

Wildland Fire Training & Workforce Development

Qualified, deployable wildland fire crews — built from your people, or sharpened from the crews you already run. S-130 through S-290, chainsaw work, ICS, leadership, train-the-trainer.

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Community Hardening & Wildfire Planning

Defensible-space and Home Ignition Zone training, hardening inspections with written reports, community risk assessments and CWPPs — including for tribes.

Full detail →

Fuels Mitigation & Prescribed Fire

Fuels reduction, firebreaks, roadside clearance, prescribed fire and pile burning, cultural burning with sovereign nations.

Full detail →

Grant-Ready Partnership

For funded work, including Prop 4: scope, budget language, schedules and outcome measures before the money moves — then the delivery, documentation included.

Full detail →

We work with Fire agencies · Tribes · Conservation corps · Fire Safe Councils · Resource conservation districts · Resilience collaboratives · Grant-funded partners

If what you need isn’t up there, that’s not a wall. It’s the reason the first step is a conversation.

Tell us what your organization needs.

We start with your need, your site, your crew and your funding.

Strategic Inquiry Form

A member of our Integrated Fire Management team will get back to you within one business day.