Training Brush and grass fires often mean long hours. Many Boone County firefighters choose to become qualified as federal wildland firefighters by obtaining their U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Incident Qualification Card or ARed Card.@ This qualification then allows them to participate in the Fire District federal wildland fire program and deploy to major forest fires throughout the United States. To obtain the qualification, firefighters must complete federal classes in Basic Wildland Firefighting (S-130), Introductory Wildland Fire Behavior (S-190), Basic Incident Command Systems (I-100), and Standards for Survival, which focuses on firefighter safety. Firefighters must also complete fire shelter training utilizing a small aluminized Apup tent@ deployed as a last-ditch emergency measure. Wildland firefighting demands a high level of fitness to safely perform in steep terrain, hot temperatures and, potentially, dangerous conditions. Annually, each firefighter must complete a fitness test called the APack Test.@ The Pack Test is a three-mile hike over level terrain carrying a 45 pound pack in 45 minutes or less.   ®2010 Boone County Fire Protection District, Columbia, Missouri