2023 ARA Training Class Pre-Work

The Air Resource Advisor training course requires substantial pre-work to be completed in advance of the classroom session.  

Required pre-work will be announced to accepted students before classroom session.  To give a sense of the scope of the pre-work required, the following list is from Training Classes from previous years.  This list is continually being revised; individual items may be added, eliminated, or revamped for the 2023 course. 

FOR EXAMPLE ONLY:  PREWORK LIST

For those with limited fire experience:

• • • Watched "Introduction to Fuels" video (6 min)

    • IS-100: (Incident Command System)

    • IS-700: (National Incident Management System)

    • S-110: (Wildland Fire Intro) - account required

    • S-130: (Basic Firefighter Training) - account required

    • S-190: (Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior) - account required

For those with a limited meteorology background: 

• • • Four S-290 (Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior) course segments: 

      • Unit 4: Basic Weather Processes (< 1 hour)

      • Unit 5: Temperature and Relative Humidly Relationships (< 1 hour)

      • Unit 6: Atmospheric Stability (3-4 hours)

      • Unit 7: Wind Systems (2-3 hours)

For those without recent active air quality professional experience: 

• • • Smoke Management and Air Quality for Land Managers course: 

For ALL students (subject to revision): 

• • • Watched “About the Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program” video (15 min) 

    • Watched “Smoke: Knowing the Risks” video (14 min)

    • Familiarized myself with Wildfire Smoke A Guide for Public Health Officials 

    • Watched "Overview of Emerging Air Quality Monitoring Technologies and the Data" (35 min)

    • Watched Monitor Setup Videos: E-BAM | E-SAMPLER

    • Completed "Planetary Boundary Layer in Complex Terrain" course

    • Watched "Smoke Modeling Basics" video

    • Watched "BlueSky Smoke Modeling System" video

    • Watched satellite data training videos

    • Obtain AirNow Tech account (more info here) 

    • Obtain account on Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS) (more info here) 

    • Completed WFDSS exercises and watched video (more info here) 

    • Attended Smoke Modeling Introduction webinar or watched recording

    • Reviewed WFAQRP Links page and sites linked from there 

    • Reviewed Wildland Smoke Guiding Principles Pocket Card

    • Reviewed Smoke, Roadways and Safety Guide

    • Watched "Smoke, Roads and Safety; Check before they Wreck"

    • Familiarized myself with PB-Piedmont tool and reviewed User Guide

    • Reviewed the following chapters of the NWCG Smoke Management Guide for Prescribed Fire, 2020 edition 

      • 2.1 Public Health and Exposure to Smoke 

      • 4.1 Fuel Consumption and Smoke Production

      • 5.1 Smoke Management Meteorology 

      • 5.2 Practical Tools: Meteorology and Simple Models for Predicting Smoke Movement and Potential Smoke Effects 

      • 5.3. Smoke Prediction Models

    • Complete meteorology pre-work quiz *after* reviewing the S-290 units and chapter 5.1 of the NWCG Smoke Management Guide for Prescribed Fire