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Lane Students Train on Wildland Fire Tools

Students pursuing a Wildland Fire Management certificate at Lane Community College now practice with rakes, shovels, and helmets.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Financial Aid

Wide landscape photograph of a cleared fire break through dry golden grass with rakes and a shovel in the foreground and conifer ridge beyond.
Students in Lane Community College's Fire 200 course are now practicing wildland firefighting with rakes, shovels, and helmets in Eugene, backed by a $10,000 Weyerhaeuser grant. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Lane Community College in Eugene is training students in wildland firefighting techniques through its Fire 200: Wildland Fuels Management and Prescribed Burning course. The class now uses rakes, shovels, and helmets for hands-on demonstrations and practice, supported by a $10,000 grant from Weyerhaeuser.

Why it matters

Students in Eugene and across Oregon who want fire-related careers can now gain hands-on experience with the tools used in the field. The training is tied to a certificate pathway that reflects growing demand for workers prepared for wildfire seasons.

Weyerhaeuser provided a $10,000 grant for tools and safety gear used in the course. The Wildland Fire Management Program started in 2022, and graduates earn a Wildland Fire Management certificate.

The players

Lane Community College

A public community college in Eugene, Oregon, offering two-year certificate and transfer pathways at relatively low tuition compared with four-year universities.

Weyerhaeuser

A large timber and forest products company that funded the $10,000 grant supporting tools and safety gear for the wildland fire course.

The details

In Fire 200, students learn fire behavior, fuel management, and prescribed burning, with this school year's class shifting toward a more hands-on approach using rakes, shovels, and helmets. Students practice creating breaks in fuel continuity, which are gaps that stop fire from spreading. After completing the course, students can work with an outside program to earn a red card, a credential commonly required for wildland fire work.

Timeline

  1. This school year, the class shifted to a more hands-on approach with tools.

  2. In 2022, Lane Community College's Wildland Fire Management Program started.

Education Landscape

Community colleges have increasingly built short certificate programs tied to regional employment needs, and Lane's wildland fire pathway reflects that pattern in Oregon. The program's roughly four-year history places it among newer career-training options designed around wildfire-season demand.

If you are considering a wildland fire certificate, ask Lane Community College's financial-aid office which grants, scholarships, or aid programs apply to Fire 200 and the Wildland Fire Management certificate. Confirm with the school whether tools and safety gear costs are covered before you enroll.

The takeaway

Hands-on, employer-supported training can lower barriers to wildfire careers, so check whether a certificate program's equipment or gear costs are covered. Ask the school's financial-aid office what grants and scholarships apply before committing.

Further reading

For more on how students pay for certificate programs like this one, explore Financial Aid coverage.

Source note: This article includes information reported by KVAL.

Live Poll

Do you think your community is doing enough to prepare for wildfire season?