2026 Summer Academy

Schedule & Course Descriptions

Mesa University
Grand Junction, Colorado

Summer 2026 Course Schedule

Click Here for PDF

*Lunch ONLY is included with all course tuition

*Sessions A & B: These are multiple offerings of the SAME CLASS, please only register for one session.

Visit the Course descriptions below to view:

-Prerequisite requirements

-Expected prework requirements

*(some prework will be found on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal and some will be sent to you via email)

  • *Lunch ONLY is included with all course tuition

    • ICS-300: Intermediate ICS for Supervisors & Expanding Incidents June 1-3, 2026

    • ICS-400: Advanced ICS for C& G Staff and Complex Incidents June 4-5, 2026

  • *Lunch ONLY is included with all course tuition

    • CWMBP: Community Wildfire Mitigation Best Practices June 3-5, 2026

    • MIT 101: Mitigation 101 June 3, 2026

    • MH: Mental Health Essentials for Wildland Fire fighters: Managing subjective hazards in the wilderness June 5, 2026

    • PEW: (PTRC/EQTR)Personnel & Equipment Time Recorder Workshop June 4-5, 2026

    • (LS) LeadStrong: Leadership & Mental Health Training by Responder Strong June 2, 2026 (AM Session: 830-12:30 PM Session : 1:30- 5:30)

    • Tech: Field Mapping for Operations Session A: June 3, 2026 Session B: June 5, 2026

  • *Lunch ONLY is included with all course tuition

    • FI-210: Wildland Fire Origin & Cause Determination June 1-5, 2026

    • L-280: Followership to Leadership June 4-5, 2026

    • M-280: Resource Advisor, Fireline (REAF) June 4-5, 2026

  • *Lunch ONLY is included with all course tuition

    • S-112: Wildland Fire Chainsaws June 1-3, 2026 **NEW BLENDED

    • S-130/190: Basic Firefighter Training & Intro to Wildland Fire Behavior June 1-5, 2026

    • S-130/190 Field and Review A: Basic Field Day ONLY June 4-5, 2026

    • S-131: Firefighter Type 1 June 3-4, 2026

    • S-200: Initial Attack Incident Commander June 4-5, 2026

    • S-211: Portable Pump Operations June 1-3, 2026

    • S-215: Fire Operations in the Wildland Urban Interface June 1-3, 2026

    • S-219: Firing Operations w/ ½ Day LeadStrong Training June 1-2, 2026 **NEW Blended

    • S-230: Crew Boss w/ ½ Day Lead Strong Training June 1-2, 2026 ** NEW BLENDED

    • S-231: Engine Boss June 3-4, 2026 ** NEW BLENDED

    • S-236: Heavy Equipment Boss June 3-5, 2026

    • S-260: Interagency Incident Business Management June 1-3, 2026

    • S-270: Basic Air Operations June 1-2, 2026

    • S-273: Single Engine air Tanker Manager June 3-5, 2025

    • S-290: Anticipating Wildland Fire Behavior (Blended) June 1-2, 2026

Click Here for Student Registration

Click Here for VENDOR Registration

Course Descriptions

Included: Prerequisite/ Qualification Requirements & Prework

ICS-300: Intermediate ICS: ICS for Supervisors & Expanding Incidents

This course is designed to enable personnel to operate efficiently using ICS in supervisory roles on expanding or Type 3 incidents. Topics include: ICS fundamentals review, incident/event assessment & agency guidance in establishing incident objectives, Unified Command, incident resources management, planning process, demobilization & incident transfer of command or close out. Qualifies for CO Post Credit! Prerequisites: ICS-200

ICS-400: Advanced ICS: ICS for Command & General Staff & Complex Incidents

This course directs the student towards an operational understanding of large single agency & complex multiagency/multi-jurisdictional incident responses. Topics include fundamentals review for command & general staff, major &/or complex incident/event management, area command, & multi-agency coordination. Interchangeable with G400 & H467, they are all NIMS compliant. Qualifies for CO Post Credit! Prerequisites: ICS-300

FEMA Courses

PEW: Personnel & Equipment Time Recorder Workshop

A hands-on workshop designed to simulate activities of Personnel and Equipment Time Recorders in an incident Time Unit setting.

Prerequisites: I-100 Introduction to Incident Command System, S-110 Wildland Fire Suppression Orientation, IS-700 Introduction to National Incident Management System, Initiated PTRC or EQTR Taskbook. Completed S-260 and S-261 or previous trainee assignment preferred.

Required Program Access: NAP Account E-ISuite Enterprise Access, FireNet or FireNet Guest Account

MIT 101: Mitigation 101

This introductory course offers a foundational training experience tailored for professionals in the field of mitigation and wildfire management. This immersive one-day program aims to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of concepts, resources, and terminology crucial to navigating the intricacies of community wildfire mitigation. This course is intended as a precursor to Community Wildfire Mitigation Best Practices (CWMBP) if students are interested in taking that course as well.  Participants can expect to leave Mitigation 101 with a heightened Awareness of wildfire mitigation and awareness of: Community Wildfire Mitigation Terminology, Introduction to Fire Behavior and Response, Policies, Plans, and Funding, The Players and Programs, Taking Action in Communities and on Landscapes and Ongoing Learning Opportunities.

Prerequisites: *Watch prework video, will be emailed.

LeadStrong (LS): Leadership & Mental Health Training

by Responder Strong

Mid-level leaders are the heartbeat of the responder wellness culture. All Responders face extraordinary levels of occupational stress, trauma exposure & emotional burden. This leads to elevated rates of suicide risk, burnout and turnover across the responder communities. With this course we will teach how to identify early signs of distress and performance change, foster psychological safety and improve team morale, strengthen daily peer support and resilience practices, build trust and connection between personnel and leadership and reduce crisis escalation through early intervention.

Without intervention, these factors erode organizational culture, operational readiness and the long-term health of the workforce.

Prerequisites: none.

TECH: Field Mapping Tools for Operations

Learn mobile field tools for gaining increased geospatial situational awareness as well as for creating and editing incident data. Students will use the web-based ArcGIS Online site managed by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). This course includes a tutorial on the Colorado Wildfire Incident Management System (COWIMS) and its use in wildland fire and emergency management. Students will learn common apps such as Survey123, Field maps and others. These apps can be used for both situational awareness and incident data management. The COWIMS section covers topics that include workflows and best practices while using Intterra's COWIMS, utilizing Colorado's Multi-Mission Aircraft data for greater situational awareness, and integrating COWIMS data with geospatial platforms such as ArcGIS and Google Earth.

Prerequisites: All students need COWIMS and NIFC ArcGIS Online accounts BEFORE the course. More details will be provided in class resource order.

Mental Health Essentials for Wildland Firefighters: Managing subjective hazards in the wilderness

Want to reduce workplace conflict and keep yourself and your crews safe this summer? This 1-day course is designed to build group-risk management, leadership, and resilience skills for in and out of the field by applying a nervous-system/polyvagal lens to areas of mental health and subjective hazard. Self and group attunement is critical for safely navigating risk in backcountry environments. This course will help you build communication and self-awareness skills needed to operate safely in high-risk conditions.

Prerequisites: none.

Skill Specific Courses

CWMBP: Community Wildfire Mitigation Best Practices Training

3-day short course Community Wildfire Mitigation Best Practices (CW-MBP) is a national-level training from Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc. (COCO) and the USDA Forest Service. It is designed for current or future mitigation specialists, wildfire program leads, and others working with residents and their communities to reduce wildfire risk. CW-MBP training concentrates on science, methods, and tools to help you engage communities and residents while also helping you to eliminate ineffective practices. Participants should come with a basic understanding of wildfires, how structures ignite, and vegetation management practices. The course assumes you know how to mitigate but are seeking ways to engage your community. In this workshop, you will work through some of the greatest challenges facing our wildland-urban interface communities with a focus on how to increase engagement with residents and partners. The course will help you break down ineffective practices to make space for the more effective ones with a focus on on-the-ground mitigation activities. The 2-day short course covers all the same topics as our full course however some topics are covered at a higher level. If you are interested in getting the Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) N9073 Training Certificate, you must complete pre-work, attend and actively participate in both days of training, and complete a Mitigation Action Plan (MAP) within two weeks of course completion.

- *Prework Required will be emailed: Step one: register through the CWFIMA site. Step two: your registration for this class is not complete until you receive additional instructions from a COCO representative and fill out the additional paperwork to confirm acceptance into the course.

NWCG Course Descriptions

S-130/190 (Online): Review & Field Day (2-days)

This two-day class assists those students taking the online S-130/190 course with the necessary classroom review & field work to successfully complete the class for NWCG certification. *Prework Required (completed Online portion and returned Completion certificates) Prerequisites: successful completion of online S-130, 190, L-180, IS 100, IS 700 modules (approx. 24 hours online) prior to attending 2-day class.

S-130,190, L-180 Found on Windland Fire Learning Portal

IS.100, IS.700 Found on FEMA Website

S-200: Initial Attack Incident Commander

Initial Attack Incident Commander The intent of this course is to provide students with the tools & techniques to make the transition from Single Resource Boss to Incident Commander. *Prework Required, complete online portion on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal and watch the movie “Apollo 13” Prerequisites: Qualified as any Single Resource Boss (SRB).

S-211: Portable Pumps & Water Use

This course is designed to provide knowledge and skills to design, setup, operate, troubleshoot, and shut down portable water delivery systems. The focus is on portable pumps – it does not address water delivery for engines. Topics covered include: portable water delivery systems; equipment; roles and responsibilities; and system design and hydraulics. There is also a field exercise where students will apply what they learned in the classroom.

Prerequisites: None.

S-219: Firing Operations

*New Blended*

This course was developed using a blended approach to learning. Students are required to complete the online training portion of the course prior to taking the ILT. The course introduces the roles and responsibilities of a Firing Boss, Single Resource (FIRB), and outlines duties of other personnel who may engage firing operations. The course discusses and illustrates common firing devices and techniques.

Prerequisites: FFT1 Minimum.

**Students seeking (FIRB) certification must successfully complete, ICS-200, S-230, S-290 and RT-130.

S-236: Heavy Equipment Boss

This is a skill course is designed to meet the training needs of a Heavy Equipment Boss on an incident as outlined the PMS 310-1 and the Position Task Book developed for the position. Primary considerations are tactical use and safety precautions required to establish and maintain an effective dozer operation. A field exercise is required as part of the course. *Prework Required, complete online portion on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (estimated 2 hours)

Prerequisites: includes completion of pre-course work (2 hours) and qualified as firefighter type 1 (FFT1).

S-270: Basic Air Operations

This course offers information on the uses of aircraft in fire suppression and provides instruction on how to conduct oneself in and around aircraft. It will familiarize the trainee with tactical and logistical uses of aircraft in fire suppression, as well as, describe the specifications for helicopter landing areas. Prerequisites: None.

FI-210: Wildland Fire Origin & Cause Determination

This course is designed to prepare an individual for basic fire investigation responsibilities in the area of origin and cause determination. Students successfully completing this course will receive full credit for FI-210 as required by NWCG certification standards.

Prerequisites: Law Enforcement Officer or 1 year experience as a firefighter.

M-208: Resource Advisor, Fireline

The M-280, Resource Advisor, Fireline training course is a performance-based INSTRUCTOR-LED training (ILT) designed to prepare students to serve as a Resource Advisor, Fireline (REAF) as defined in NWCG Incident Position Standards for Resource Advisor, Fireline, PMS 350-112. This course presents scenarios that reflect the diverse challenges a REAF may encounter during an incident. Through these scenarios, participants gain hands-on experience and an understanding of REAF responsibilities in a controlled learning environment. This course is required for individuals seeking qualifications to be a REAF.

Prerequisites: ICS-100, ICS-200, S-130, S-190, RT-130

S-131: Firefighter Type 1

This course is designed to meet the needs of an advanced Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1). The course is interactive & contains several tactical decision games designed to facilitate learning objectives & class discussion. Topics include: Fireline reference materials, communications & tactical decision making. Prerequisites: Qualified as FFT2.

S-112: Intro to Wildfire Chainsaw Operations

*NEW BLENDED*

This BLENDED course is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills to perform the duties of the Basic Faller (FAL3) position. By the end of this course students will be able to:

Perform a procedural size up and determine assignment complexity. Recognize how to maintain work area and cutting area control. Describe how to maintain communication and coordination with saw teams. Recognize the impact of human factors on chainsaw operations.

Identify the parts of a chainsaw. Demonstrate safe chainsaw operation practices, including wearing personal protective equipment and performing safety checks. Demonstrate how to safely handle a chainsaw, including starting and stopping procedures, body positioning, and managing reactive forces. Perform basic chainsaw maintenance.

Prerequisites: None.

Must complete Estimated 4 Hours of online Prework through the Wildland Fire Learning Portal before 1st day of class.

S-230: Crew Boss (blended)

This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills to perform the duties of the Crew Boss (CRWB) position, as described in the NWCG Incident Position Standards for Crew Boss, PMS-350-98. Topics include travel and check-in in, briefings, assigning tasks and assessing crew performance, implementing fire line duties, mop-up, firing operations, using aerial resources, medical emergencies, and wildland urban interface *Prework Required, complete “enroll me” online portion on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (estimated 3 hours) Prerequisites: S-290 & FFT1 qualified.

S-260: Interagency Incident Business Management

Discusses business management principles associated with incidents. This course includes employee responsibilities & conduct; recruitment personnel time recording; pay & commissary; correct reporting procedures for injuries; procurement & equipment time recording; property documentation; cooperative agreements with other agencies; claims/accident investigations. Prerequisites: none.

S-290: Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (Blended)

This is a skills focused course designed to prepare the developing fireline supervisor to undertake safe and effective fire management operations. It is the second course in a series that collectively serves to develop fire behavior prediction knowledge and skills. The course will train students how to make a thorough, timely assessment of the fire environment and to anticipate changes in fire behavior based on changes in and/or alignment of the fuels, weather, and topography. Students will then practice using this information to support their decision-making and risk management on the fireline.

This BLENDED course is designed to introduce students to the characteristics and interactions of the wildland fire environment (fuels, weather, and topography) that affect wildland fire behavior for safety purposes. Students will also be shown how such information can be applied. *Prework Required, complete online portion on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal Pre/ Online work: 27 Hours of completed online work before arrival to first day of class. Prerequisites: S-130/190.

L-280: Followership to Leadership

This training course is designed as a self-assessment opportunity for those stepping into a leadership role. One-day of classroom followed by a field day with students working through a series of problem-solving events in small teams. Topic areas include; Leadership values & principles transition challenges for new leaders, situational leadership, team cohesion factors, & ethical decision-making. *Prework Required will be mailed (read Atilla the Hun or alternate reading from instructor) Prerequisites: Experience on incident assignments in operations or support functions & L-180.

S-130/190: Firefighter Training & Intro to Wildland Fire Behavior (5-days)

This introductory course is designed to train entry-level firefighters referred to as a Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2). You will be introduced to & gain knowledge of the basic incident management organization, firefighting techniques, suppression equipment, safety, strategy/tactics along with fire behavior. Field exercises will be performed for valuable hands-on training. Includes L-180. Prerequisites: None.

S-215: Fire Operations in the Wildland/Urban Interface

Instructional units include firefighter safety in the interface, managing human factors in the interface, pre-incident planning, size-up & initial strategy, structure triage, structure protection overview, tactics in the interface, tactical operations & resource use in the interface, action assessment, plan update, & after-action review. Prerequisite: Agency personnel - (FFT1) qualified.

Structural Fire Department- must complete Intro to ICS(I-100), (L-180), (S-130/190), & (S-131); or equivalent training.

S-231: Engine Boss

This is a skill course designed to produce student proficiency in the performance of the duties associated with engine boss, single resource (ENGB). Topics include engine & crew capabilities & limitations, information sources, fire size-up considerations, tactics, & wildland/urban interface. *Prework Required, complete “enroll me” online portion on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (estimated 6 hours) Prerequisites: S-230 & FFT1 qualified.

S-273: Single Engine Airtanker Manager

This course is designed to meet the training needs of a Single Engine Airtanker Manager (SEMG). Perform the tasks required of a SEMG to mobilize and transition into an incident aviation environment.

This course will prepare students to manage, and oversee all phases of a single engine airtanker operation to support local unit and incident activities.

Students will evaluate the capabilities and organizational needs to implement a safe and efficient single engine airtanker operation to meet the requirements of the local unit and/or an Incident Action Plan, or both.

Prerequisites: Completion of S-270.

PREWORK: Students are required to complete five online modules and complete an assessment prior to coming to class. Refer to the Interagency Aviation Training (IAT) Guide for IAT A-course equivalencies: https://www.iat.gov/