You've made the decision to have an exciting summer, embracing working outdoors and tackling strenuous labor. You're going to fight fire on the line or in a support role. Before you step into your boots and put on your nomex you have classes to take, certifications to get, forms to fill out, and there’s a good chance that you’ve got some questions. Below are some frequently asked questions. Any other questions you have can be directed to your local area training officer or the statewide training email dnr.dof.training@alaska.gov.

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What is a Red Card?

An Incident Qualification Card (Red Card). It is an interagency certification confirming that certain standards in training and fitness have been met. The red card lists your name, home unit, fitness level, current qualifications and trainee positions, certifying that a person is qualified to do the required job.

How do I get a Red Card?

You have to be sponsored by a wildland fire agency and complete the FEMA Courses, IS-100 and IS-700. (See below for more information.)

After that it all depends on what you want to do.

To be a crew member and qualify as a Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2), you must complete the Basic Firefighter Training and pass the Arduous Work Capacity Test. The FFT2 qualification is the foundation for many other fireline positions.

To qualify for support positions, admin, driver or warehouse handler, you must complete the FEMA Courses. Depending on the position, additional training may be required. You’ll receive a red card with your qualifications.

Sponsorship. What is it?

Sponsorship is your local area office taking you on as an EFF, maintaining your training records, certificates, and managing you as an on-call employee. When you get sponsored, your local area office becomes your home unit. You can only have one home unit at a time. Your home unit is your point of contact for hiring, training, assignments and any other questions.

If you want to change your home unit, you need to contact the local area office you want to transfer to, make contact with the training officer and have them transfer your records from your original home unit to the new home unit.

EXAMPLE: If you live in Fairbanks, your home unit is Fairbanks Area. If you want to transfer to Delta Area, you need to contact them, they’ll contact Fairbanks Area and have your records transferred, making you a Delta resource.

Being sponsored by an area is not a guarantee for employment.

What are the FEMA Courses and who needs to take them?

The FEMA Courses are online courses, taken through the FEMA website. IS-100, Introduction to the Incident Command Systems, is about 2 hours long. IS-700, Introduction to the National Incident Management System, is about 3.5 hours long. All EFF are required to take IS-100 and IS-700.

IS-100 and IS-700 are considered entry level/introductory courses. The IS-200, Basic Incident Command System for Initial Attack Response, is not an introductory course and is required for single resource leaders, non-entry level positions, or those likely to assume supervisory positions. Good news, you only take the FEMA courses once.

What is the Pack Test?

The Pack Test, also called the Arduous Weight Capacity Test (WCT), is a 3 mile walk over level terrain, in 45 minutes or less while carrying a 45-pound pack; required for ALL basic and advanced wildland firefighters.

There are two more WCTs.

The Moderate WCT, the Field Test, is a 2 mile walk over level terrain in 30 minutes or less while carrying a 25-pound; required for positions like Safety Officer, Prescribed Fire Burn Boss Type 2 and Structure Protection Specialist. The light WCT, the Walk Test, is 1 mile over level terrain in 16 minutes or less with no load; required for positions like Incident Communications Technician, Prescribed Burn Boss Type 1, and Staging Area Manager.

What is the Refresher?

The Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher Course, RT-130 or the Fireline Safety Refresher, is annual training to maintain currency for the qualifications on your Red Card. RT-130 is about 4 hours of classroom work, followed by outdoor shelter deployment and the fitness test, if applicable. Refreshers are offered April-May.

Do I have to take a refresher class every year and the Pack Test?

Yes, all personnel that receive a Red Card from the Division of Forestry and Fire Protection must attend an annual Fireline Safety Refresher. RT-130 is an instructor-led course and must be attended live (virtual or in-person). Watching a recorded refresher is not allowed. Visit the Annual Refresher Training page for the Spring Schedule.

When can I expect to be called for work?

It all depends on the current weather, predicted weather, fire activity, time of year; there are a lot of factors that go into hiring EFF. Taking the Basic Firefighter Training, completing the FEMA classes, and filling out the EFF Sign-Up Form does not guarantee employment.

If my local area office didn’t call me for employment, can I work for another area office?

Yes, you can. When you fill out the EFF Sign-Up Form you can pick any of the locations/State of Alaska Area Offices you would like to work in. You may follow up with those offices regarding employment.

I’ve been hired. How much do I get paid and when?

Your wages are based on the EFF pay scale and which qualification you have been hired as. After 40 hours of time worked in a week, EFF receives overtime. When on an out of area assignment, in addition to their wages, EFF receive per diem for meals and lodging in that area. EFF are paid bi-weekly, on the same schedule as regular State of Alaska Employees. EFF do not receive holiday pay or any other benefits.

What do I do with my training certificates and fire assignment evaluations?

Keep originals of all your certificates and evaluations. Give your training officer and your supervisor a copy as soon as you can. All documents should be in PDF format. You can use a PDF app on your phone to scan and send them in.