


Cultural Fire & Land Revitalization
• RESTORING GOOD FIRE TO THE LAND • LAND REVITALIZATION THROUGH CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE • WILDFIRE MITIGATION • INTER-TRIBAL RELATIONS • RECONNECTION TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR ELDERS • BUILDING RESILIENCE • PRESERVING OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS • REDUCING FIRE FUELS • SAVING COMMUNITIES • REGAINING OUR VOICE • NATIVE PLANTRESTORATION

Our Mission

We are dedicated to the restoration of the sacred relationship between First Nations and the land. Our mission is to preserve and share ancestral fire knowledge, ensuring that controlled burns are used safely to mitigate wildfires and enhance the health of our shared ecosystems.Â
For thousands of years, Native American people have lived in relationship with fire—not as something to fear, but as a sacred responsibility. Fire has always been an essential part of Indigenous life, used with knowledge, respect, and purpose to care for the land, sustain ecosystems, protect communities, and preserve culture. Cultural burning was never simply a land management practice; it was, and remains, inseparable from Native identity, ceremony, food, medicine, basketry, hunting, storytelling, and the stewardship of all living things.
As modern wildfires continue to grow in size and intensity, destroying communities, ecosystems, and billions of dollars in property each year, it has become increasingly clear that the solutions of the future must include the wisdom of the past. Native American (TEK) fire knowledge represents thousands of years of successful land management and offers an essential approach to reducing catastrophic wildfire while restoring ecological balance.

PBA training Announcement
COMING EARLY 2027
FIRST NATIONS PBA
CULTURAL BURN & WILDLAND FIRE
FFT2 TRAINING
 • CULTURAL FIRE • WILDLAND FIRE • CAREER PATHWAYS
The First Nations Prescribed Burn Association (First Nations PBA) is proud to announce an upcoming Cultural Burn & NWCG Wildland Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2) Training Course coming in early 2027. With gratitude, for the CalFire grant, we are able to offer this training free of charge.
This free intensive training will bring together Native American Cultural Burn Practitioners, experienced Wildland Firefighters, and Wildland Fire Burn Bosses to provide trainees with a unique learning experience that connects Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Cultural Fire with today’s wildland fire training and career pathways.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
- • Indigenous fire stewardship and the deep customs of cultural burning
• Using Traditional Ecological Knowledge to heal ancestral territories
• Analysis of wildland fire patterns and critical safety protocols
• Mastery of fireline tools, specialized equipment, and protective gear
• Fundamental skills needed for contemporary wildland fire suppression
• Expert guidance for managing prescribed and restorative fire projects
• Effective transition into professional wildland firefighting agencies
• Professional pathways in forestry, ecology, and land conservation
• Full completion of NWCG FFT2 national certification standards
• Hands-on field exercises and rigorous physical fitness assessments
Participants who successfully complete the required coursework and training will leave with the knowledge, training and applicable certifications needed to begin working toward a career in wildland fire and forestry services.
LEARN FROM THOSE WHO CARRY THE KNOWLEDGE
This program recognizes that preparing the next generation of fire practitioners requires both modern wildland fire training and the generations of Indigenous knowledge that have cared for California’s landscapes through fire since time immemorial.Â
Trainees will have the opportunity to learn directly from Cultural Burn Practitioners and experienced Wildland Fire Burn Bosses while developing the skills, confidence and certifications necessary to continue their education and pursue careers caring for our lands.Â
Trainees will have the opportunity to learn directly from Cultural Burn Practitioners and experienced Wildland Fire Burn Bosses while developing the skills, confidence and certifications necessary to continue their education and pursue careers caring for our lands.
TRAINING PARTNERSÂ
This First Nations PBA training event is funded through a CAL FIRE Grant and is being developed in collaboration with:Â
Barbareño-Ventureño Chumash Tribe ~Ventura County Prescribed Burn Association (VCPBA)~ Los Angeles Prescribed Burn Association (LAPBA)Â

Together, we are working to strengthen the next generation of Cultural Fire Practitioners, Wildland Firefighters and Land Stewards.
INTERESTED IN JOINING US?
Training dates, location, eligibility requirements and registration information will be announced soon. Space will be limited.
EMAIL US FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BE PLACED ON THE EARLY 2027 WAITLIST
Firstnationspba@gmail.com
FIRST NATIONS PBA
Bringing Good Fire Back to the Land.
Restoring Knowledge. Training the Next Generation. Building Careers.