Every year, millions of acres, throughout the United States are lost to destructive wildfires. Billions of dollars are spent annually and the loss of property and life is catastrophic. Smoke from American and Canadian wildfires can spread across the country affecting the public health of millions of people annually. Wildfire has become a national crisis in the United States.
As destructive as wildfire can be, managed wildland fire can also be beneficial. Fire plays a critical process in many ecosystems and can enhance habitats, reduce fuel loads and support forest regeneration.
Understanding and managing wildland fire is a complex undertaking. Striking a balance between preventing and supressing harmful human-caused wildfire while promoting beneficial fire in the landscape will be the challenge as we continue to live with fire in the United States.
As Scouts, we can learn and do our part to make our homes, our camps and our communities more resilient and resistant to wildfire and we can understand the natural role that fire plays in our nation’s wildlands. We can explore and consider careers in wildland fire management or even become wildland firefighters, The future of wildland fire management in the United States will require leaders who are conservation-minded.
Welcome to Wildland Fire Management Badge, where you will learn about these concepts and more! Watch these videos to get started:
Wildland Fire Management Requirements
Current Scouts BSA requirements as of November 13, 2025
This Test Lab offering is valid until June 30, 2026.
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1.
Explain the history of wildland fire, its suppression, prevention and
management in America.
Explain defensible space and define the term wildland-urban interface.
Discuss how homes and communities in the wildland-urban interface can be
protected from wildfire.
Explain how the fire environment affects wildland fire behavior. Give
examples of the influences of weather, topography and fuel. Draw a
diagram to illustrate the parts of a wildfire.
Explain the following wildland fire suppression tactics and under which
conditions they would be used to achieve objectives. Use your own
diagrams if necessary.
Describe the following and explain why each is an important consideration
for maintaining personal safety and situational awareness during wildland
fire suppression activities.
Learn about three career opportunities in wildland fire. Select one and
research the education, training, and experience required for this
position. Discuss this position with your counselor, and explain why a
career in wildland fire might interest you.
Develop a fire readiness plan for a wildland area with which you
are familiar. The plan should include a map showing available
resources, water supplies, natural and manmade barriers, and
access. The plan should discuss fuel loads, available fire
apparatus, structure protection needs, values at risk, medical and
evacuation considerations and potential fire suppression tactics.
B.
Visit with a state or federal forestry official or your local fire
warden. Discuss the causes of and types of wildland fire that occur
in your area. Discuss the prime fire season(s) in your area.
Identify the agency responsible for wildland fire suppression in
your area. Write a brief report about what you learned during your
visit.
C.
Conduct a fire wise assessment of a home or a building in the
wildland-urban interface, which could include a Scout camp building
or facility. Identify potential risks and fire hazards. With your
counselor’s approval, complete a project to reduce the wildfire
risk and increase the preparedness of the building. Write a brief
report about what you did and learned from the assessment and
project.
Participate in a fire prevention campaign with your local fire
department or forestry agency. Write a brief report about what you
did and what you learned from it.
16.
Research an historic catastrophic wildland fire incident that has
occurred in the United States. Write a report of no less than 500 words
describing the incident, the conditions that led to the incident, how the
incident was managed, and how the incident could have been prevented.
Explain what lessons were learned and how this incident affected future
fire suppression policy or suppression tactics. There are many historic
fires that can be researched online, here are four examples.
