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Our mission is to provide coordination, education and implementation of the Incident Command System in Minnesota and support fire and all-risk incidents in the nation.

2025 Minnesota Wildfire Academy Highlights

Many thanks to the interagency academy coordinators, instructors, students and incident management team members for making the 2025 Minnesota Wildfire Academy another memorable learning experience. Between June 2 – 6, 2025, the academy hosted 429 students who attended 18 courses taught by 76 instructors. Participants joined us from:

4 states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan)
14 Minnesota fire departments
16 organizations, including non-profit, private, state, and federal agencies, and multiple Tribal Nations

The Minnesota Wildfire Academy was created in 2001 and has been running for 24 years! The Academy provides education that meets national standards which allows students to support fires not only in Minnesota, but throughout the U.S. It gives the next generation of wildland firefighters the tools and knowledge to set them up for success, while allowing intermediate and advanced wildland firefighters to gain new skills and leadership training to move into higher positions. These are just some of the aspects that make the Academy such an important tool in ensuring Minnesota’s readiness and wildland fire response.

Followership to Leadership students completing a problem solving scenario
Students receiving a brief before heading out to do field activities
Students using a fire hose in the Basic Wildland Firefighter class
Fire Academy students practice deploying fire shelters
Basic Wildland Firefighter students walking to do field activities
Students learn how to make face cuts in the Wildland Fire Chainsaws class
Wildfire Academy students practice making face cuts in the Wildland Fire Chainsaws course
Wildfire Academy student learning to use a Terra Torch
Wildfire Academy students learn about the different parts of a fire engine