Last updated: July 30, 2020
Article
NPS Prescribed Fire Program Goes Global
![Spanish Fire Practitioner conducting ignitions on the Alcóntar Burn Unit in Andalucía Spain. A wildland firefighter walks in short shrub vegetation lighting it from a drip torch. Burned vegetation is in the background and flames run behind the firefighter.](/articles/000/images/Andalucia_Ignitions.jpg?maxwidth=1300&autorotate=false)
The Nature Conservancy
Francisco Senra Rivero
![Operational briefing before prescribed burn in Andalucía, Spain. Wildland firefighters from the United States and Spain stand outside by trees in a semi-circle around a white board with a map and words drawn on it.](/articles/000/images/78910468_2521178224874771_7663769570867412992_o.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
The Nature Conservancy
Richard Sinkovitz/NPS
![La Alhambra view of town through balcony door View of Spanish town outside of an ornate window with decorative walls. The town has houses with orange roofs and white stucco and trees are interspersed. Mountains are present in the horizon.](/articles/000/images/La_Alhambrawindow.jpg?maxwidth=1300&autorotate=false)
Richard Sinkovitz/NPS
![Wildland firefighters in Andalucía, Spain put away equipment. Wildland firefighters in Spain surround a fire engine putting away fire gear. Fire hose is rolled up on the ground and tools are scattered around the fire engine.](/articles/000/images/76747422_2521178478208079_8589754774604218368_o.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
The Nature Conservancy
![Meeting at the Andalucia headquarters. Several people sit around a conference table in an office setting. Flags are on post against a wall in the center.](/articles/000/images/77009288_2514848258841101_4889247983578644480_n.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
Jeremy Bailey/The Nature Conservancy
Communication was challenging, but multi-lingual participants like Sinkovitz benefitted from speaking Spanish to communicate operations and plans. There were other translators as part of the cadre, so it was not a requirement for participants to be bilingual. The program gave all members an opportunity to practice their English or Spanish speaking skills. “Working directly for the incident commander and participating in planning meetings and briefings as one of the primary translators was a unique and challenging opportunity for me,” said Sinkovitz.
This was not his first time to work with Spanish speaking fire crews. Sinkovitz managed Los Diablos Fire Crew at Big Bend National Park, which had participants who only spoke Spanish.