They were originally developed by the military, and have been effectively used by the wildland firefighting community. The intent of a staff ride is to put participants in the shoes of the decision-makers on a historical incident in order to learn for the future.

Staff rides push past the basic question of “What happened?” to deeper questions of leadership and decision-making. Each year, firefighters and managers participate in a staff ride for the South Canyon Fire. The materials for this staff ride are presented online here, and provide a great deal of information about the South Canyon Fire.

Staff Ride to the South Canyon Fire