Fire training event centered at FRC Friday-Sunday
Just a reminder that a prescribed fire training event is scheduled today, March 26, through Sunday, March 28. The activity will be centered at Feather River College in Quincy.
Participants will be camping Friday and Saturday night at FRC on the grass adjacent to the basketball and tennis courts. There is also a possibility of a live underburn at FRC on Sunday, weather permitting. The activities should not interfere with scheduled sporting events for this weekend on the campus. FRC football is playing Shasta College on Saturday. Fans are not permitted inside the stadium during the game that begins at 1 p.m., but can watch the livestream at https://www.facebook.com/Feather-River-College-Athletics-104750214527728
The event, known as Cal-TREX, short for “prescribed fire TRaining EXchange,” brings together fire professionals and non-traditional partners in a joint effort to restore the ecological and community protection benefits of “good fire.”
Using an “All Hands, All Lands” approach to increase the number of qualified personnel able to work on professional prescribed fire projects, the TREX model provides peer-to-peer learning and training for fire professionals to gain certifications and experience.
It is a model that supports groups like the Plumas Underburn Cooperative (PUC), a local group of citizens who assist each other in the use of prescribed fire on private lands. The group helps landowners navigate permitting, logistics, and provides tools and volunteers on burn days. Many PUC members have an interest in furthering their experience with prescribed fire, so the TREX event is a welcome opportunity to participate in something that is often accessible only to agency employees.
TREX events usually draw participants from a large regional area, however, due to COVID-19 the event will be focused on Plumas County resident participation. Participants can range from landowners looking to manage their land, to college students earning their basic firefighter qualifications or seasoned fire professionals receiving experiences to qualify as a burn boss or specialized incident command positions. Further details about the TREX event, including participant information and registration details, can be found at www.plumasfiresafe.org/trex
