Basic Forest Fire Suppression Course
INTRODUCTION
The province of Nova Scotia is responsible for forest fire management on all lands with the exception of Federal and Municipal. Providing the Basic Forest Fire Suppression course is part of that responsibility. The course content provides students with elementary knowledge of all aspects related to fire suppression activities. Normally the course is delivered to students in a classroom followed by a practical session outdoors with working equipment. The material that is covered in the classroom is being offered on line by the Department of Natural Resources in an effort to expedite training requirements.
The objective of the Basic Forest Fire Suppression Course is to provide suppression crew members with the basic forest fire suppression knowledge and skills, to enable them to safely and effectively manage forest fires. This course consists of a theoretical self paced component and a practical session that must be completed in the field with a certified course instructor.
The theoretical portion of the course is offered online as a service to interested participants. The time needed to complete this course will depend on the individuals’ ability; there is no time limit. Please take time to complete the tests following each lesson.
Upon completion of the online portion of the course you will be eligible to make arrangements with a District Office and complete the practical portion of the course. A list of district offices and their contact person is listed in Appendix A. Once arrangements have been made to complete the practical session, you will be required to complete a written test based on the material in this course. This is a multi-choice test, very similar to the tests following each of the six lessons in the course, with a pass mark of 65%. You must pass the test and complete the practical session to receive your certification. If you do not successfully complete the test you will be required to complete the course conducted by an instructor.
Course Structure
The theoretical portion of the course is divided into the following lessons:1. Fireline Organization
2. Fundamentals of Forest Fire Control
3. Effects of Weather, Topography, and Fuels on Fire Behavior
4. Forest Fire Suppression Tools
5. Forest Fire Suppression
6. Personal Safety