All worksheets / Wildland Fire Management
Edition 2026Active Merit Badge
Wildland Fire Management
Official Requirements & Fillable Workbook · 2026 Edition
Wildland Fire Management examines how wildfire behaves in forests, grasslands, and suburban borders — both as a natural ecological tool and a destructive threat. You will learn weather influences, fuel types, and fireline safety. Requirement 9 asks you to evaluate defensible space around a real building and plan mitigation measures.
Key Requirements Covered:
- Fire Behavior: Fuels, Weather & Topography
- Wildland Fire Suppression & Hand Tools
- Incident Command & Wildfire Safety Protocols
- Wildland-Urban Interface Home Protection
9Printable Pages
11Requirements
2026Reqs Revised
What is on the worksheet: Wildland Fire Management Requirements
Every requirement for the Wildland Fire Management merit badge, word for word as published, with room to write under each one on the printed worksheet.
1History of Wildland Fire
History of Wildland Fire. Research and discuss with your counselor the history of wildland fire, its suppression, prevention, and management in the United States.
2Harms of Wildfire
Harms of Wildfire. Research the harm caused by wildfire in the United States, including annual acres burned for the past three years. Discuss with your counselor. Include the negative impacts that wildfire has on the following:
- a Commercial forest products
- b Fish and wildlife habitat
- c Soil and water
- d Recreation and public use
- e Homes, communities, and human resources
- f Air quality and public health
3Fire as a Management Tool
Fire as a Management Tool. Discuss with your counselor how prescribed fire is used to accomplish the following:
- a Fuel reduction
- b Fish and wildlife habitat enhancement
- c Ecosystem restoration
- d Forest regeneration
- e Insect and disease control
4Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation
Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation. Discuss the following with your counselor:
- a Wildfire Prevention:
- b Wildfire Mitigation:
5Fire Behavior
Fire Behavior. Do the following:
- a Discuss with your counselor how the fire environment affects wildland fire behavior. Include examples of the influences of weather, topography, and fuel.
- b Explain how a wildfire can be suppressed by removing heat, fuel, or oxygen.
- c Draw a diagram to illustrate the parts of a wildfire.
6Wildland Firefighter Safety
Wildland Firefighter Safety. Do the following:
- a Discuss with your counselor the personal protective equipment used by wildland firefighters and its use.
- b Discuss the following with your counselor, including why each is an important consideration for maintaining personal safety and situational awareness during wildland fire suppression activities:
7Wildfire Suppression Tactics
Wildfire Suppression Tactics. Do the following:
- a Alone or with a small team, using the diagram you created in Requirement 5(c) or a map of a wildfire, and tokens to represent firefighting resources, demonstrate the following wildland fire suppression tactics. Explain under which conditions each tactic would be used:
- b Draw a diagram of the Incident Command System. Alone or with your team, explain the responsibilities of the Command and General Staff positions on a wildfire incident.
8Wildfire Suppression Tools
Wildfire Suppression Tools. Do the following:
- a Demonstrate the use of three hand tools unique to wildland fire suppression. Use one of these tools to demonstrate how to construct a fireline.
- b Discuss seven other tools, equipment, or apparatus that are unique to wildland fire suppression and explain how these resources are used.
9Taking Action
Taking Action. Do ONE of the following:
- a Develop a fire readiness plan for a wildland area with which you are familiar. The plan should include a map showing available resources, water supplies, natural and manmade barriers, and access. The plan should discuss fuel loads, available fire apparatus, structure protection needs, values at risk, medical and evacuation considerations and potential fire suppression tactics.
- b Visit with a state or federal forestry official or your local fire warden. Discuss the causes of and types of wildland fire that occur in your area. Discuss the prime fire season(s) in your area. Identify the agency responsible for wildland fire suppression in your area. Discuss what you learned with your counselor.
- c Conduct a Firewise assessment of a home or a building in the wildland-urban interface, which could include a Scout camp building or facility. Identify potential risks and fire hazards. With your counselor's approval, complete a project to reduce the wildfire risk and increase the preparedness of the building. Write a brief report about what you did and learned from the assessment and project.
- d Meet with a Fire Prevention Specialist or a local fire official to learn about fire prevention efforts in your community. From what you learned, prepare a fire prevention message (skit, video, or billboard concept) and share with your counselor and troop (or other group approved by your counselor).
- e Meet with a meteorologist or someone familiar with fire weather and discuss the fire weather concerns and typical fire seasons that exist in your area. Discuss the conditions that lead to a Fire Weather Watch or a Red Flag Warning. Discuss what you learned with your counselor.
10Apply Your Learning to a Real Event
Apply Your Learning to a Real Event. Research an historic catastrophic wildland fire incident that occurred in the United States. Discuss with your counselor and/or your troop or a group approved by your counselor the conditions that led to the incident, how the incident was managed, and how the incident could have been prevented. Explain what lessons were learned and how this incident affected future fire suppression policy or suppression tactics.
11Careers in Wildland Fire Management
Careers in Wildland Fire Management. Explore careers related to this merit badge. Research one career to learn about the training and education needed, costs, job prospects, salary, job duties, and career advancement. Your research methods may include-with your parent or guardian's permission-an internet or library search, an interview with a professional in the field, or a visit to a location where people in this career work. Discuss with your counselor both your findings and what about this profession might make it an interesting career.
Two dates, two different things
Requirements Revision vs. Worksheet Date
Scouting America last revised the Wildland Fire Management requirements in 2026. That is the badge, not this sheet — an older year does not mean the worksheet is out of date.
Verbatim Fidelity & Verification
This worksheet was checked against https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/wildland-fire-management/ in Aug 2026 and reproduces the requirements word for word. Both dates are printed on the sheet, so a copy in a binder can always be placed in time.
Requirement text is © Scouting America, reproduced verbatim. The worksheet layout and design are original to this project.
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