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WorkSafeBC requires anyone who actions a forest fire to be S100 certified.
Instructor: Endorsed by BCWFS
Prerequisites: Gov't issued ID
Valid: 5 years (updated yearly with S100a)
The most common fire training course in B.C. is the S-100, which is considered as basic fire suppression training for contract crews. The S-100 and S-100A are required to meet the training requirements under Section 26.3.1 Forestry Operation Fire Fighting of B.C.’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The intended audience for this course is forest industry workers and contract fire fighters.
The S-100 is a two-day, 16-hour course with both a classroom and a field component. The annual refresher is a one-day, four-hour course and does not include a field component. Both the S-100 and S-100A are good for one year from date of delivery. If a person has taken either course within the last five years, they would only need to take the S-100A to be considered trained for the following year. If more than five years have passed since a person has taken either course, they would need to re-take the two-day, S-100 course again.
There is currently no “theory only” S-100 course recognized by the BC Wildfire Service.
S-100 and S-100A instructors must be officially recognized/endorsed by the BC Wildfire Service. Anyone not endorsed cannot teach the material in BC. S-100 endorsement is only provided to those who meet minimum requirements of wildfire and training experience. A list of S-100 instructors recognized by the BC Wildfire Service is available here. Any student that does not have a course completion card signed by an endorsed instructor will not be considered as having taken the S-100.
S-185
The S-185 is intended as a general knowledge course on wildfire safety and entrapment avoidance for local governments, contract crews, and First Nations. Endorsement to instruct this course is provided by the BCWS with the S-100 endorsement. Endorsement letters should reference this endorsement. Evidence of completion (e.g. a card or certificate) of this course can be provided in a manner of the instructor’s choice. This is usually done with a certification card with the trainer’s name or company information, date completed, and student name.