Fire Management Training

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Online Fire Training Courses

Online courses are at no cost.

The first step to becoming a trained wildland firefighter is to complete the Introduction to Wildland Fire series of courses, commonly referred to as S-130/S-190, which are directed by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG).  Nearly all Iowa natural resource agencies and non-governmental organizations require that a person complete at least the basic courses, which covers basic national emergency management organization (FEMA training), basic wildland fire behavior and the factors that influence it, basic wildland firefighter training, and human factors in firefighting (NWCG training).

  • These courses are available online at no cost, or occasionally in-person. 
  • Training is not complete until you have attended an Introduction to Wildland Fire field day, several are offered each year around Iowa and the Midwest. The field day may have a cost associated with it, depending on the sponsoring organization.
  • Expect to spend about 3-5 hours completing the FEMA courses
  • Expect to spend 20-24 hours completing the NWCG courses
  • Expect to spend 6-12 hours in a field day, or around 40 hours to complete the entire course series.
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Get Started

  1. You must have a FEMA Student Identification Number (SID#) to take most online courses. Register for your FEMA SID# at https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid/.
  2. You will need a free account to register and access the NWCG online courses. Go to  https://wildlandfirelearningportal.net/login/index.php to obtain your User ID and password.
Fire Prevention Training
Course Number(s)    Title of Class
IS-100.c (Same as I-100)Intro to ICS
IS-200.cICS for Single Resources and Initial Attack
IS-700.bNIMS an Introduction
IS-800.c National Response Framework, An Introduction
L-180Human Factors on the Fireline
S-110Basic Wildland Fire Orientation for Mobilization
S-130Firefighter Training, Take S-190 FIRST
S-190Intro to Fire Behavior Take this BEFORE S-130
Firefighter MathFirefighter Math: Basic Field Calculations
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Iowa DNR Fire Training Schedule

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National & Regional Training

For other wildland fire training opportunities, go to https://wildlandfirelearningportal.net

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Self-Study RT-130 Annual Fireline Safety Refresher

This online refresher is only good for prescribed fire activities in Iowa. You will need to attend an in-person training for a Full NWCG RT-130 Annual Fireline Safety Refresher for wildfire deployment, see the Iowa Interagency Wildland Fire Training Calendar.

Follow these easy steps to complete the self-study refresher.

  1. Download the question sheet and completion verification form below and save them to your computer.
    1. Questions for 2025 Self-Study RT-130 Annual Fireline Safety Refresher
    2. 2025 Self-Study RT-130 Annual Fireline Safety Refresher Completion Verification
  2. Watch the videos and read the content listed in the training lessons section below.
  3. After you are finished, initial on the completion verification form.
  4. Answer the questions for each lesson on the question sheet saved on your computer.
  5. Email the completed question sheet and completion verification form to Ryan.Schlater@dnr.iowa.gov.

Contact for Questions: Ryan Schlater Fire Specialist, Training Coordinator ryan.schlater@dnr.iowa.gov 515-233-8067 ext 2 (office) 515-979-8739 (cell)

Training Lessons

Drip Torch Maintenance and Issues

Grant West Prescribed Fire Fatality

Protecting Wildfire Personnel from Smoke

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