Go to work as a wildland firefighter for your local fire department or for a state or national service — that’s the primary goal of this certificate. You’re prepared to work with these aspects of fire service: Sizing up fire and emergency situations Fire detection & suppression equipment Emergency medical calls Calculating flow requirements Fire apparatus operation and maintenance Staying safe when responding to structure fires The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the U.S. Forest Service need trained firefighters to respond to wildfires and protect communities in their path.