Equipment
Forestry Suppliers: good for safety equipment, drip torches, swatters, goggles, sunglasses, clothing, and instruments.
The Supply Cache: Good for PPE clothing.
Northern Tool Company: Good tools, pumps, and engines if you want to make your own or buy a gasoline engine driven pump for a pickup truck or utility vehicle.
Gempler’s: General farm supplies and equipment. Pressure sprayers, safety glasses, hats and caps, gloves, respirators.
Tractor Supply Company: Usually have local stores. Good for ATV pressure sprayer units. Have some fire-resistant (FR) clothing.
Amazon.com: Electronics, such as radios or weather monitoring equipment, FR clothing, or books.
Feld Fire: Firefighting equipment, including vests, pulleys, helmets, gloves, gear bags, and more.
Insurance
Check with your current Farm and Ranch or Homeowner’s policy agent first to see if you are covered. Some will cover you for prescribed burning on your property, but will not cover you for an escaped fire, which is called a hostile fire in the insurance vernacular. If you want to have that coverage there are currently only a few companies providing it.
Outdoor Underwriters, Inc: South Carolina has a policy specifically for prescribed burning.
Texas Farm Bureau’s Ag Advantage Farm and Ranch policy will meet the requirement. Check with the Texas Farm Bureau agent in your area.
Burn Plan
Other PBAs
The Prescribed Burn Alliance of Texas (PBAT) is a statewide alliance of all PBAs. This is a good source for finding other PBAs and any information on prescribed burning.
Prescribed Burn Training Schools
Visit the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Prescribed Burn Program for upcoming training opportunities.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension online CIPBM Course.
Red Buffalo: Located in Lubbock, TX
Resources
TCEQ’s Rules Outdoor Burning in Texas.
Conducting Prescribed Fires: A Comprehensive Manual by John R. Weir: a really good book for anyone wanting to better understand the process and who wants to write plans. The book is available through Amazon.
The Great Plains Fire Science Exchange and Southern Fire Exchange exist to assist land managers and the fire community to make sound decisions based on the best possible information.
National Live Fuel Moisture Database
Texas Interagency Coordination Center: Daily fire danger, drought indices, and fuel dryness.
Probability of Spot Fires During a Prescribed Burn
Smoke Management Guidebook for Prescribed Burning in the Southern Region
Fireguards for Small Acreage Landowners
Weather
NOAA National Weather Service: Get a 7-day forecast and 5-day spot forecast by the hour. Enter your city and state in the search box at the upper left to get to your local forecast.