FORESTRY DIVISION POLICY MEMO NO. 24

The following standards are in effect for:

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

FOR FIREWISE COMMUNITY ADVISORS AND ASSESSORS

Arizona State Land Department, Forestry Division

General: Arizona communities seeking Firewise Communities/USA Recognition are required to complete a Community Hazard Assessment and Firewise Plan. These activities must be performed under the oversight of qualified individuals, as described below.

Firewise Advisor

The Firewise Advisor works directly with homeowners, homeowner associations, and the local fire department to complete Community Hazard Assessments. The Advisor also assists in the development of Firewise Plans and helps identify needed mitigation actions. The Advisor must have successfully completed the following:

1. S -130 Firefighter training.
   
2. S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior training.
   
3. S-215 Fire Operations in the Urban Interface training.
   
4. S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior training.
5. ”Assessing Wildfire Hazards in the Home Ignition Zone” or equivalent training such as Arizona State
   Forestry Division’s Firewise Training.
   
6. Experience in fire behavior observation in Arizona major fuel types (12 hours in grass, 12 hours in chaparral, and 12 hours in timber).

Note:  Individuals must meet all requisite qualifications and posses a valid  Incident Qualifications Card (Red Card)  to visit an active fire and be on the fireline for the purpose of gaining the required fire behavior observation experience. Once the minimum experience has been gained, the Incident Qualification Card is no longer required to be a Firewise Advisor.

Firewise Assessor

The Firewise Assessor works with homeowners, homeowner associations, and the local fire department to complete Community and Home Assessments under the direct supervision of a qualified Firewise Advisor (see above).

The assessor must complete “Assessing Wildfire Hazards in the Home Ignition Zone”, or equivalent training such as Arizona State Forestry Division’s Firewise Training.

All Firewise Advisors and Assessors who intend to assist communities achieve Firewise Communities recognition status must have the following records on file with the State Forester:

1. Certificates of completion for the required training and experience, including courses completed, date of completion, location, and instructor’s name, and hours of fire observation for the major fuel type(s) they will be working in (ie. grass, chaparral, and timber).

Upon completion of these requirements, complete records should be submitted to the State Training Officer. The Training Officer will maintain these records in the Forestry Division’s Incident Qualifications Database, and submit them to the State Incident Qualifications Review Committee for certification.  Once certified, the individual will receive a Certificate of Completion from the State Forester’s Office.

There are also Currency Requirements for individuals receiving Certificates from the State Forester. Individuals must complete one assessment every three years in each of the fuel type(s) they are working in to remain qualified. To regain currency, individuals must complete the Firefighter Refresher Course and complete four hours of fire observation in the fuel type(s) for which they were originally awarded a certificate.