Another incredible edition of Forest Camp, organized by SNEP, has drawn to a close, and with it, a powerful reminder of what the wildland firefighting community is capable of when it comes together with a shared purpose.
A Global Gathering of Wildfire Professionals
Over several days, more than 150 professionals from countries including Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and many others converged to train, exchange knowledge and challenge one another in realistic field scenarios.
The event brought together a diverse mix of firefighters, foresters, researchers and incident managers — each bringing their own experience, perspective and expertise to the table.
Hands-On Training Across a Wide Range of Disciplines
Participants rotated through a series of practical stations covering the full spectrum of wildland firefighting skills:
- Manual line construction using hand tools.
- Fire suppression with backpack pumps and fire beaters.
- Crew leadership and tactical decision-making.
- Prescribed burning with drip torches.
- Portable pump operations and water relay systems.
- Hose lays.
- ATV, UTV and trailer driving.
- Drone operations.
- Historical firefighting techniques, offering valuable context on how technology, equipment and wildfire strategies have evolved over time.
This breadth of content reflects the increasingly complex and multidisciplinary nature of modern wildfire management, where operational skill must be matched by strategic thinking and adaptability.
More Than Training — A Meeting of Wildfire Cultures
What makes Forest Camp truly distinctive is not only the quality of its training programme, but the spirit in which it takes place. It is a genuine melting pot of wildfire cultures — a space where professionals from vastly different backgrounds can learn from one another, challenge long-held assumptions and build the kind of lasting relationships that strengthen the global firefighting community.
In an era where wildfires are growing in frequency, scale and complexity, events like Forest Camp are more important than ever. The exchange of knowledge and best practices across borders is not a luxury — it is a necessity.
Vallfirest: Proud Sponsor of Forest Camp
At Vallfirest, we are honoured to have supported Forest Camp once again as a sponsor. Our commitment to the wildland firefighting community goes beyond the products we develop and manufacture — it extends to the initiatives, events and people that drive the sector forward.
Forest Camp embodies the values we stand for: international cooperation, continuous innovation and the relentless pursuit of better, safer and more effective wildfire management.
Looking Ahead
A sincere thank you to the organisers, instructors, volunteers and every participant who contributed to making this edition such a success. The future of wildfire management depends on collaboration — and Forest Camp is one of the finest expressions of that belief.
We look forward to the next edition. See you there.
Vallfirest designs and manufactures professional wildland firefighting equipment used by firefighters and forest management professionals across the globe.
