2024 San Luis Obispo Training Exchange (TREX)

San Luis Obispo County, CA: October 21st - 28th, 2024

Applications closed

Deadline to apply: 5pm on September 3rd

Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges (TREX) and cooperative burns provide experiential training that builds robust local capacity for fire management and offers fire practitioners a more holistic perspective. The key focus of TREX is promoting the spread of effective cooperative burning—helping diverse partners leverage skills, resources and staff in ways that maximize opportunities for outreach, treatment and training. The San Luis Obispo TREX seeks to build capacity for community-based burning by promoting the ecological health of diverse San Luis Obispo landscapes while meeting cultural and wildfire mitigation outcomes.

2024 TREX firelighters will engage in 8 days of training on breathtaking wildlands, learning and working alongside professional fire practitioners, tribal members, ranchers, land managers, and community members to meet diverse objectives with "Good Fire". Firelighters of varying experience will work on a range of Rx fire skills and task books, from firing and holding operations, to unit preparation and mop-up, to taking on leadership training assignments. 

The SLO TREX will be offering an entry level Firefighter Type II Course (Basic 32) and an Ignitions Course (CA-219). All pre-requisite courses will need to be submitted prior to attending the TREX. This TREX will also be offering an Arduous Pack Test, 3 miles on flat ground with a 45-pound pack in 45 minutes and fire shelter deployment skills. Must pass to be Fireline Qualified.

Fire Fighter Type II- Basic 32 course prerequisites:  

Wildland Learning Portal:

• S-130, S-190 & L-180 

FEMA Courses: 

• NIMS 700 
• ICS 100 

CA-219 Wildland Firefighting – Firing Operations course prerequisites:

1. NWCG 310-1: Wildland Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1);
2. and S-290: Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (classroom only);
3. and Online component for NWCG S-219: Firing Operations;
4. and Two (2) pre-course instructor-developed quizzes.
5. and students must possess the arduous level of physical ability per NWCG guidelines and be in excellent health. Students are required to perform hotline wildland firefighting using hand tools, while carrying 40 pounds of back pumps or drip torches in hot weather

After the classroom portion of CA-219 is successfully completed each student will need to complete the State Fire Training Firing Operations Student Task Book be issued a CA-219 course completion certificate.  The State Fire Training Firing Operations Student Task Book is a performance-based document. It lists the Experience and Course Performance Requirements for course completion.

Trainers:

Woody Bouska, President and Owner, SURE-FIRE TRAINING INC.

Woody Bouska is the president of SURE-FIRE Training Inc., a corporation that specializes in delivering high quality professional wildfire consulting, analysis, planning, mitigation and education services. Woody has over 40 years of experience in the wildland fire service and is a wildfire risk analysis and mitigation specialist. Woody has extensive experience working with various agencies and organizations planning, and conducting, prescribed burns and wildland fuels management projects. Woody is also a registered California State Fire Training Instructor who provides a variety of consulting and training services for fire departments, land management agencies and other government and corporate organizations throughout the world. He received his formal education from UC Davis in Wildlife Biology.

Dan Kelleher, Wildland Fire Training Program Coordinator, Firestorm Wildland Fire Suppression INC

Dan started his fire career in 1977 with the California Department of Forestry, then spent several years with the United States Forest Service as a Firefighter, Engine Operator and Station Captain. From 1987-2003 Dan went to the structure side of fire, serving as the Training Officer for the Fire Department at Port Townsend, WA. He left as a Lieutenant and came to Firestorm in 2004. Dan became a certified NWSA Instructor in 2007 with Firestorm and has taught over 45 wildland fire courses for over 750 hours. Dan is a Qualified Single Resource Boss, Crew & Engine and Ignition Specialist Type I, Incident Commander Type IV, Aircraft Rescue & Firefighting and Faller C.

Sarah Gibson, Statewide Burn Boss, California State Parks

Sarah Gibson started a Career in Public Service in 1999 working in Emergency Medical Services as an EMT after graduating from CSU Chico with a BS in Exercise Physiology. Sarah then pursued a fire career beginning as a volunteer firefighter in 2001 in Butte County with CDF (Cal Fire) and become a Nationally Registered Paramedic that same year. Sarah began a full-time career in suppression with State and Local Government agencies in 2002 following graduation from the Butte College Fire Academy. Sarah promoted to Company Officer and successfully achieved several ICS positions before deciding to focus on developing a  career pathway that would allow her to  implement beneficial fire and Prescribed Fire across the Golden State. Sarah is a qualified CARX and RXB2, and also an RXMGt. In 2020, Sarah earned a second BS from CSU San Marcos in Wildland Fire Science and Urban Interface Planning.  Sarah has been engaged in fire planning and implementation across the US including work Virginia, Minnesota, Missouri , Florida,  Georgia, Nebraska, Oregon, and California. In her spare time you are likely to catch Sarah running, mountain biking, surfing, bird watching, or wildflower gazing whenever possible.