S100 – Basic Wildfire Suppression and Safety

Course Details

S100 WildFire Suppression is an Emergency Services Training course required for anyone who wants to work as a wildfire firefighter. The S100 along with the S185 - Wildfire Entrapment Avoidance & Safety, are the minimum requirements to work on a fireline in British Columbia.

Learning Objectives & Specific Outcomes:

Wildfire Fire Suppression refers to the firefighting tactics used to control, manage and suppress wildfires. Upon completion of this course, the participant will demonstrate a basic knowledge of the wildland fire suppression organizational structure, the wildland fire environment, suppression and safety procedures and equipment used in British Columbia to effectively and safely respond as a basic wildland firefighter.

Course Outline:

The two-day fire suppression course consists of one day of in-class training and one day of practicum training. In the classroom, trainees learn about wildfire behaviours and how environmental factors such as wind and foliage can affect the spread of a fire. They learn the fundamentals of fighting forest fires, including suppression tactics, fireline organization, effective communication, and how to manage personal safety in and around wildfires. In the practicum, trainees use real-world fire suppression tools, including hoses, pumps and hand tools to further understand the duties and prepare the attendee to be a Wildland Firefighter.

Course Topics

• Wildfire detection and reporting
• Forest Fuels and Fire Behaviour
• ​Fireline organization
• Fireline safety
• Emergency fireline communications
• Fire suppression
• Ignition operations
• ​Hand tools
• ​Fireline heavy equipment
• Water delivery systems
• Helicopter use and safety
• Fireline aircraft
• Wildland/Urban interface safety