How PBAs work
PBAs include volunteers with considerable professional experience using fire: wildland firefighters, Certified Burn Managers (CBM) and federally qualified burn bosses, and contractors. PBAs also partner with fire departments and agencies such as the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon State University Extension Service, who provide added expertise and equipment. During a burn, participants fill roles appropriate to their interests, abilities, and experience. Those with greater experience are placed in leadership positions on the burn, typically under the supervision of a CBM.
The way PBAs work varies because they reflect the needs and values of their community. Ideally, a landowner interested in hosting a burn would attend another PBA burn first. Then if they want to host a burn, a PBA member will meet with them to discuss the objectives of the burn and gather information about the site. If the property is suitable and ready to accept fire, the PBA can assist with planning the burn, or suggest steps needed to make the area ready for a prescribed burn. For example, thinning may be required before burning, or control lines may need to be created.
PBA members help to monitor the weather, coordinate volunteers, and assemble the necessary equipment. The landowner’s responsibilities depend on their knowledge and abilities, but can include participating in burn planning, preparing the area to be burned, welcoming volunteers on the burn day, leading the burn, and monitoring the area after the burn is completed. A briefing and training before the burn ensures that everyone is aware of the plan and their role in it. Prescribed burning may seem highly technical, but every burn is a chance to show that with training and cooperation, it is an accessible, safe, and beneficial practice.
