Training
One of the priorities of the Big Rivers Compact is advancing the training and qualifications of wildland firefighters. The Compact accomplishes this through its annual Wildland Training Academy and additional stand-alone classes offered at the local level. All classes are taught by trained and qualified instructors and meet National Wildfire Coordinating Group standards.
Many classes taught within the Compact are 100- and 200-level courses and are usually focused on positions in the Operations Section. Courses in other functional areas (Dispatch, Logistics, Finance, Planning and Information) are offered less often and may require travel to attend. Some courses are now being taught virtually and allow students to participate from their home office.
300- and 400-level courses are regional or national level classes and usually require travel outside the geographic area to attend. Contact your state fire supervisor to inquire about tuition and travel assistance before enrolling in out-of-area courses.
Wildfire Training Academy
Since 2002 the Big Rivers Compact has hosted an annual Wildfire Training Academy. The academy is held at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois, usually during the third week of October. The class schedule is announced in early summer.
Wildfire Learning Portal
The Wildland Fire Learning Portal provides wildland firefighters with a platform to deliver and access fire training materials. It provides online content for entry level courses such as S-130 and S-190. It hosts other online courses such as smoke management, risk management and refresher classes. More than one hundred online courses are available on the portal. In addition, courses being offered in other geographic areas of the country are listed. Users are granted access to the portal after creating an account and profile.