In California, there are many resources available to support prescribed fire planning, implementation, and training. The resources available to you will depend on where you are in the state; although some are statewide, many prescribed fire resources are organized at the local level and vary by location.
Training and Capacity Building
Prescribed Burning Associations (PBAs)
Prescribed burn associations are grassroots community cooperatives for prescribed fire. They are different in every place, depending on the needs, interests, and capacities of each community. PBAs are usually volunteer-based, sometimes (but not always) with a paid coordinator or staff, and they provide opportunities for people to come together to share and build skills, leverage financial and other resources, and implement burns. Introduced to California in 2017, PBAs are now common across the state. They are sometimes organized at the county or multi-county scale, but can also be at a smaller neighborhood or town scale. A core philosophy of the PBAs is that all are welcome to participate, regardless of prior experience. For more information and to find your local PBA, visitwww.calpba.org.
UC ANR Fire Network
The UC ANR Fire Network is a statewide team of cooperative extension advisors, specialists, and staff who work on and support a wide variety of fire-related activities across the state. Fire Network advisors and staff are available to partner on research and training, advise on burn planning and permitting, and provide connection to PBAs, other partners, and to the larger network of local and campus-based experts within the University of California. The Fire Network has also been instrumental in the design and implementation of policy efforts related to beneficial fire in California.
Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX)
Prescribed fire training exchange (TREX) events provide formal training and experience in prescribed fire. Hosted by a variety of partners across the United States and the world, TREX events have filled an important need for cooperative prescribed fire training and implementation. These events typically adhere to federal fire standards (National Wildfire Coordinating Group, NWCG) and tend to be more formal than PBA or learn-and-burn style trainings. For more information, visithttps://firenetworks.org/trex/.
Liability
California State-Certified Burn Boss (CARX) Program
The California State-Certified Burn Boss (CARX) program was mandated by Senate Bill 1260 (Jackson) in 2018, and designed through a collaborative, practitioner-led process. The program rolled out in 2021, with an inaugural class hosted by UC Cooperative Extension in Humboldt County. The certification is intended for experienced prescribed fire practitioners, and it confers liability protections and other benefits to those who are certified. The certification requires a series of prerequisites, a 40-hour class, and completion of a taskbook that demonstrates competency in several prescribed fire skill areas. For more information, visithttps://osfm.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/state-fire-training/professional-certifications/state-certified-prescribed-fire-burn-boss.
Liability Protections - Fire Suppression Costs
In 2021, the legislature passed Senate Bill 332 (Dodd), which changed the liability standard for fire suppression costs resulting from prescribed fire and cultural burning. Prior to this change, the state could seek cost recovery for suppression costs incurred during an escaped or otherwise out of control burn, even if the burner was following best management practices. With SB332, the burner must be shown to have been grossly negligent to be held liable for suppression costs. The bill language outlines best practices expected of burners, including having relevant permits and permissions, and having a burn plan that has been reviewed and approved by a qualified burn boss. Importantly, the bill did not require that the project be led or supervised by a qualified burn boss. The bill also defined cultural fire terminology for the first time in state history, and exempted cultural practitioners from the burn plan requirement, effectively putting cultural practitioners on par with qualified burn bosses.
California Prescribed Fire Claims Fund
The California Prescribed Fire Claims Fund was established in 2023 following the direction of Senate Bill 926 (Dodd 2022). The $20 million fund provides up to $2 million in liability protection for enrolled prescribed fire and cultural burning projects. Projects must be supervised by a qualified burn boss (NWCG RXB1 or RXB2, or CARX) or cultural fire practitioner in order to enroll. The fund covers damages to life and property that occur outside of the planned burn unit, with some specific exceptions. The claims fund is a five-year pilot program that will sunset in 2028; however, 2026 legislation (AB1699, Rogers) aims to eliminate the sunset and make the fund permanent. For more information and to enroll projects, visithttps://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/natural-resource-management/prescribed-fire.
Recommendations for mitigating prescribed fire liability concerns in California
- Enroll your project in the Prescribed Fire Claims Fund, which may provide $2 million dollars of coverage for projects led by a state-certified burn boss, federally qualified burn boss, or cultural practitioner.
- Include neighbors in the planning and implementation of projects whenever possible.
- Always obtain and comply with relevant permits, including air quality permits (year-round) and CAL FIRE permits (when applicable). Take an active role in the development of permit parameters, and strive for specific parameters rather than generalized statements.
- Ensure that you have planned and prepared your unit adequately for the time of year and the conditions under which you will be burning. Even under mild winter conditions, it is wise to have a basic burn plan/prescription, control and/or contingency lines, and a water resource on site. To take advantage of the benefits afforded by SB332, ensure that your burn plan has been reviewed and approved by a state-certified or federally qualified burn boss (note: cultural burners are exempt from this requirement).
- Consider using release of liability forms if you have volunteers or others working on your burn projects.
- Request that CAL FIRE provide contingency resources for your burn, as outlined in PRC § 4491. If your CAL FIRE unit has resources available, they are required by law to support prescribed fire projects on private lands.
- Consider the types of additional actions that you should take as a reasonable, prudent prescribed burner. Working with a community group like a prescribed burn association, having functional equipment, ensuring good communications with crew members and neighbors, having a burn boss and/or cultural practitioner in a lead role on the burn, and other similar actions can help demonstrate due diligence and responsible behavior.
Funding and Technical Support
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a federal agency that funds conservation work on private lands through a variety of programs, including their popular Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). In recent years, NRCS has worked to increase opportunities for prescribed fire-related funding through their programs. Prescribed fire is one of their funded “practices,” and they can provide support for prescribed fire planning, unit preparation, burn implementation, and other related practices. In California, NRCS recognizes both federal (NWCG) qualifications as well as the CARX certification for burn plan development and burn implementation. For more information, contact your local NRCS office.
CAL FIRE Grant Programs
CAL FIRE has a number of grant programs that may support prescribed fire projects. At the landowner level, CAL FIRE’s California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP) may provide support for pre-treatments (thinning, etc.) and other related unit preparation. However, most CAL FIRE grant programs require collaboration with larger non-profit organizations that are able to apply for and manage funding. CAL FIRE grant programs have supported many PBAs and prescribed fire projects in recent years. For more information, visithttps://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/grants.
CAL FIRE's Vegetation Management Program
Landowners can implement burns with CAL FIRE through their Vegetation Management Program (VMP), which is a cost-share program for prescribed fire treatments on lands in State Responsibility Area (SRA). Once a landowner applies for and is accepted into the program, CAL FIRE is responsible for project planning, preparation, and implementation, and assumes liability for the project. For more information, visithttps://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/natural-resource-management/vegetation-management-program.
Additional Resources
Check out these additional prescribed fire-related resources from the UC ANR Fire Network!