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Building a Prescribed Burn Culture in the Modern Era is a webinar from the the Wildland Fire and Fuel Community of Practice.

Large-scale mitigation efforts are needed to address the escalation of severe wildfires across BC’s landscape. The use of controlled burning at the landscape level is one way to protect communities, cultural values, and resource values.

The webinar Building a Prescribed Burn Culture in the Modern Era discusses the operational considerations of applying and expanding the use of controlled fire, and address current barriers to implementation.

Presenter(s):

  • Andre Chalabi, BE, planning officer, cultural and prescribed fire;
  • Fons Raedschelders, senior wildfire officer–prevention, Southeast Fire Centre; and
  • Colleen Ross, RPF, wildland fire ecologist.

Chalabi has worked for the BC Wildfire Service for 18 years, and as its cultural and prescribed fire planning officer since April 2023. As a certified Type 1 burn boss, ignition specialist and operations section chief, Chalabi is proficient in how and when to use fire as a tool for both wildfire response and hazard mitigation.

Raedschelders has been involved in wildfire and forestry operations for 20 years and has been working as the senior wildfire officer managing the prevention program in the Southeast Fire Centre for the past six years. His prevention program oversees the legal and legislative aspects of wildfire, the prescribed fire and fuels management programs, FireSmart program, hazard abatement, as well as the operational aspects of fire management plans and forest landscape planning.

Ross is a wildland fire Ecologist with a master’s degree in fire ecology.