Self-Paced Online - Optional Group Enrollment with Live Instruction
Course Overview
RX-310 Introduction to Fire Effects is a 30-hour, self-paced online course that explores how fire interacts with ecosystems across Canada and the United States. Developed in alignment with National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) standards, the course supports training requirements for applicable prescribed fire and wildfire qualifications, including those recognized by the NWCG and BC Wildfire Service (BCWS).
The course combines current case studies, practical exercises, short videos, and podcast-style discussions with wildland fire practitioners and researchers from across Canada and the USA.
You will explore the relationships between fire regimes, fire behaviour, and ecological effects. You will also learn how prescribed fire treatments can be designed to achieve desired ecological outcomes and how fire effects can be assessed through monitoring.
Throughout the course, we will look at real examples of fire at work, from coastal forests to prairie grasslands. We will use current research, field observations, and monitoring approaches to connect the science to what happens on the ground.
RX-310 can support certification and qualification requirements for several wildland fire positions across Canada and the USA. But do not take it just to check off another training requirement. Take the time to be curious, ask questions, and think about how the material applies to your own planning, operations, and post-fire response.
Course Objectives
At the successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of fire as an ecological process using the concepts of fire regimes and fire effects at multiple scales.
Identify realistic management solutions within an adaptive management framework.
Communicate effectively with fire and resource professionals based on a common understanding of fire effects.
Demonstrate an understanding of how fire management and resource issues interact.
Demonstrate an understanding of how to manipulate treatments to achieve desired first-order fire effects.
**Thank you for your patience, as I update the Avatar voice connected with some slides.**
What to Expect in the Course
Learn at your own pace.
This course is entirely online. Whether you're on duty, in the field, working a night shift, or catching up on a rainy day, you decide when to work through the lessons.
Practical examples and exercises.
You will work through field examples, visuals, readings, and exercises that connect fire ecology and fire effects to real situations. The course includes examples from different ecosystems and fire management programs across North America.
Downloadable Student Manual.
The Student Manual is available to download directly from the course. Use it to follow along, make notes, and refer back to the material. There is considerably more detail in the manual than in the videos. Many participants print it and keep it as a reference for burn planning, monitoring, and field work.
Final Exam.
To meet NWCG course requirements, there is a final exam. It is multiple choice, open book, and you have several attempts to complete it. No one has failed. You'll be fine!
Looking for Fire Effects Monitoring Training?
RX-310 provides the background knowledge for understanding and interpreting fire effects. If you're looking for practical field training, there are additional options.
Fire Effects and Treatment Monitoring Workshop
This workshop focuses on field-based monitoring methods, data collection, and evaluating ecological responses to fire.
The next workshop is scheduled for June 2027.
You can also check the Association for Fire Ecology events calendar for other fire ecology and monitoring training opportunities.
S-244 Field Observer / Fire Effects Monitor (FOBS/FEMO)
If you're looking for training specific to the operational Fire Effects Monitor position on prescribed burns, contact BCWS Cultural and Prescribed Fire (CRx) or visit the Wildland Fire Learning Portal for available training.
An online training option is also available through the University of Idaho.
RX-310 complements these courses and provides foundational knowledge for prescribed fire leadership and fire effects monitoring roles.
Course Dates and Access
Enrol anytime. There are no scheduled course dates.
RX-310 is entirely self-paced, so you can start whenever you want and work through the material on your own schedule. You'll initially have six months to complete the course. If you need more time, just contact me and I can arrange an extension. Course access does not expire, so you can return to the learning materials after completing the course.
If you're an employer or supervisor who would like staff to complete the training within a shorter period, I can adjust the completion timeframe.
Training for Agencies and Groups
Looking to enroll several staff in RX-310? Explore the group enrolment with the option to add four live online sessions. These sessions provide opportunities to discuss course content, ask questions, and apply fire effects concepts to your agency's operations. Participants complete the online course independently, with live sessions scheduled around the group's training needs.
Group pricing and live instruction are available by arrangement.
Instructors
Jacquie Rasmussen is a Professional Agrologist consultant, specializes in project management, outreach and education, field data capture (primarily plants), and community partnerships. She’s committed to reconciliation with help from her St’át’imc partners and has experience in invasive species management, watershed restoration, agriculture planning, and prescribed burning. She lives in Lillooet with her husband and two dogs, enjoying outdoor activities like mountain biking, hiking, and paddling.
Colleen Ross is a fire ecologist and burn boss with 30 years of experience in wildfire management, fire behaviour, and fire effects monitoring across western North America. She has worked with agencies including the U.S. National Park Service and has extensive experience in prescribed fire planning, ecosystem restoration, fuels management, and post-fire monitoring. Colleen teaches nationally recognized wildfire and prescribed fire courses with a practical focus on applying fire ecology and fire effects principles to real world fire management and ecosystem restoration projects.
Chloe Kuch is based in Nelson and is a Forester in Training and an aspiring fire practitioner with a keen focus on wildfire management and prescribed fire. Her fascination with fire and the many ways it shapes the landscape first led her into fire suppression and has since evolved into a passion for prevention and mitigation, including ecosystem restoration. Drawing on her experience in operations, she now applies that knowledge to designing prescribed burns and to building capacity for more prescribed burning throughout the province.
Todd Penke is a Director with Biodiversity Pathways, a non-profit wildlife research organization. He works with First Nations, Governments and other organizations on applied research tied to wildlife and habitat. Part of his work focuses on the return of prescribed fire to the landscape with Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi'it First Nation to help improve habitat for culturally important wildlife while also reducing the risk of high severity wildfire.
Mandy Croppo is based in the West Kootenays and is a Forestry Instructor at Selkirk College, Registered Forest Technologist, and lifelong learner with a keen interest in forests and fire. Her career began in structural firefighting and paramedicine before moving into wildland fire and eventually forestry, giving her a unique perspective on wildfire and forest management. She teaches silviculture, forest policy, resource measurements, and applied research, drawing on her diverse operational experience, and is passionate about inspiring the next generation of forest professionals. Building on her fire background, she is expanding her involvement in fuel management planning, prescription development, and prescribed burning, with a growing interest in fire ecology and landscape fuels management. Outside of work, she can be found trail running, mountain biking, backpacking, and exploring the forests and mountains of the West Kootenays.
Daniella Oake is a forestry planning and resource management professional with experience in operational planning, stakeholder engagement, regulatory processes, and project coordination. She has worked with government, Indigenous communities, industry partners, and local stakeholders to support sustainable resource management and informed decision-making. Her experience spans both field and office environments, giving her a practical understanding of how planning decisions translate into on-the-ground outcomes. Known for her collaborative style and balanced approach, Daniella combines strategic planning expertise with operational experience to support responsible resource development and long-term community benefits.
Carter Kuiper is an Indigenous scientist and a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation. He is based in Creston and the Environmental and Community Sustainability Coordinator with Yaqan Nukiy (Lower Kootenay Band). He previously worked with the Wildfire Analytics Lab at the University of Alberta researching fire exposure, wildfire risk reduction, and telecommunication vulnerabilities to wildfire. He has worked with Indigenous Services Canada and Transport Canada performing GIS analysis and wildfire exposure assessments. Carter is dedicated to bringing cultural fire back to the landscape and has developed an immense passion for fire ecology over the course of his career.
Participant Feedback (Sep 2026 edition)
“Very engaging, slides throughout the course were engaging and well put together. Having multiple instructors lead different sections, made it interesting and helped. Overall one of the best courses I have done. Thank you.” - City of Edmonton employee
“Great content, and relatively concise and to the point. Also I enjoyed learning from the case studies and podcasts put on by fire practitioners.” - BCWS Crew Leader
See full reviews on Thinkific.