The highlight of the season was our Learn & Burn at the Red Barn in Winthrop. Thirteen participants, from first-timers to experienced firefighters, got hands-on experience with all phases of a prescribed burn: walking the unit, reviewing the burn plan and weather, prepping lines, lighting, holding, and mop-up.     

  We heard directly from landowners who have used prescribed fire on their properties, what they hoped to accomplish, how the PBA helped, and what happened afterward. Plus, we heard from the volunteers who have become the backbone of this community effort and why they keep on coming back! It takes all kinds of neighbors to build a thriving community-supported prescribed fire network!

  The Hoot and Holler neighborhood near Winthrop had burned in the 2014 Rising Eagle Fire. Over the past year, many landowners in that neighborhood were contacted and their properties evaluated for implementing cross-boundary prescribed burns. A 1.5 acre unit was selected as a demonstration to residents to increase their comfort levels with prescribed burning. Thus, in this special hands-on meeting of the PBA, the core PBA group performed the burn while the residents witnessed the briefing and preparations, and observed the early stages of implementation, their questions being answered by a PBA leader. When the fire had progressed to the center of the unit, participants were given the opportunity to gain some experience handling a drip torch and hoses. The residents were then involved in mop up and patrolling duties over the following days. During the debriefing, participants expressed their gratitude for what had been done, reflected on what they had learned, and were looking forw...

    The workshop was a 2-hour in-person/Zoom hybrid, bringing both locals and people from as far as OR together. A few people belonged to the Mt Adams PBA and a couple of people in OR were in the process of forming a PBA. We followed the WA Burn Plan template, giving participants insight into how to write effective burn plans, explaining the process of interacting with regulators and obtaining permits, and the need to balance careful mitigation and contingency planning with enough flexibility to adapt to changing conditions during implementation. Several people expressed their thanks for a great and useful presentation at the end.       

  After the successful Learn to Burn event near Tonasket in April, it was decided to provide an additional prescribed fire experience for that community to reinforce skills learned and increase people’s comfort with a full-size burn on 2.5 acres. Participants helped set up a progressive hose lay around the unit, were exposed to a full briefing explaining the challenges of burning in dry conditions, and gained experience handling drip torches and hoses during the burn. Mop up was then conducted and a debrief at the end of the day validated the participants’ experiences as they expressed their gratitude for everything they’d learn.

  Community members, about half of whom hadn’t been involved in any of NCPBA’s previous events, were introduced to the PBA and its benefits to private landowners. The films were then introduced, the longer one (54 min) was an overview of fire in the West, indigenous burning, the fire suppression era, and the current need for prescribed burning. The other short films highlighted how citizens can come together to reintroduce fire to their own private land, and the PBA model was featured in the last 2 films. After the showing, questions from the audience were answered and a thoughtful discussion ensued regarding the community’s involvement in prescribed fire efforts and how to talk to people who may be resistant to the idea.