Florida Interagency Coordination Center
Expansive pine flatwoods landscape under a hazy sky, with scattered saw palmetto in the understory and a distant line of trees

Prescribed Fire

Information and resources related to prescribed fire operations and planning for federal and state lands in Florida.

Prescribed fire is one of the most important tools used by land management agencies across Florida, including the Florida Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service. These carefully planned and controlled burns help reduce hazardous fuel loads, restore native plant communities, and maintain the health of fire-dependent ecosystems found throughout the state. From the Everglades National Park to the Withlacoochee and Myakka River districts, trained wildland fire specialists work together through the interagency coordination center to plan and execute burns that mimic the natural fire regimes that shaped Florida's landscapes for centuries.

The Florida Interagency Coordination Center serves as a central hub for sharing prescribed fire information, daily burn authorizations, and wildland fire resource coordination among federal, state, and local agencies. On any given day, dispatchers and fire managers track active burns, weather conditions, and available crews across the state's forest districts, wildlife refuges, and national parks. This collaborative approach ensures that prescribed fire operations are conducted safely and efficiently, while also keeping the public informed about smoke impacts, road closures, and fire restrictions when they become necessary during the dry season.

Understanding the difference between prescribed fire and wildfire is essential for anyone living in or visiting Florida. Prescribed burns are intentional, carefully managed fires conducted under specific weather and fuel conditions to achieve ecological and safety objectives. Wildfires, by contrast, are unplanned and can threaten homes, infrastructure, and natural resources. The interagency team works year-round to educate communities about fire prevention, the benefits of good fire, and the steps homeowners can take to protect their properties. Public awareness campaigns and outreach efforts help build support for responsible fire management programs.

Fire management in Florida requires year-round planning and coordination across a wide range of partners. Land managers assess burn units, prepare ignition plans, and monitor weather patterns to identify suitable burn windows throughout the year. The interagency coordination center maintains situational awareness of all active incidents and planned operations, supporting everything from small refuge burns to large-scale landscape restoration projects. By sharing expertise, equipment, and personnel across agency boundaries, Florida's fire management community ensures that prescribed fire remains a safe, effective, and widely supported practice for sustaining the state's forests, prairies, and wetlands.

Prescribed Fire Resources

Prescribed fire is a critical land management tool used across Florida's federal and state lands to reduce hazardous fuels, restore native ecosystems, and maintain wildlife habitat. The Florida Interagency Coordination Center supports interagency prescribed fire operations through coordination, training, and resource sharing among the US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Florida Forest Service.

Prescribed fire planning involves careful assessment of weather conditions, fuel loads, smoke management, and resource availability. Cooperating agencies work together to ensure burns are conducted safely and effectively across diverse Florida landscapes — from the pine flatwoods of the Panhandle to the sawgrass marshes of the Everglades.

Training & Qualifications

The interagency fire community offers specialized training for prescribed fire practitioners. Key offerings include:

  • Prescribed Fire Burn Boss Refresher (RT-300) — a course designed for qualified burn bosses to maintain currency and review operational best practices.

Additional training opportunities are posted on the Events calendar and through the Training section. Personnel seeking prescribed fire qualifications should consult their agency's training officer for current requirements.

Interagency Coordination

Prescribed fire operations on federal lands in Florida are coordinated through FL-FICC's dispatch center in Tallahassee. The center helps track resource availability, facilitates communication between agencies, and supports planning for multi-jurisdictional burns.

The National Interagency Prescribed Fire Training Center, located on the second floor of the same building at 3250 Capital Circle SW, Tallahassee, FL 32310, provides additional training capacity — though it operates as a separate entity from FL-FICC.