On 16 December 2025, The Small Earth Nepal (SEN) was delighted to host two international firefighters, Vince Cafari from Australia and Brian Okarski from the United States for a knowledge-sharing session on forest fire management practices in Nepal and explore opportunities for future collaboration.
Vince Cafari is an Australian fire expert who has worked closely with Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic). Through collaboration with the Australian Himalayan Foundation (AHF) and Nepali organizations such as Forest Action Nepal, he has been involved in training Nepali fire managers on forest fire prevention, preparedness, and response, with a focus on capacity building in the context of climate change. During the session, he presented a training module he developed for firefighters in Nepal and shared his experiences working as an Australian Volunteer.
Brian Okarski, a firefighter from the United States, then shared his professional experience offering perspectives on firefighting practices and community engagement.
The session concluded with an open discussion on shared interests and the potential of future collaborations and projects, emphasizing SEN’s interest in learning from diverse expertise and fostering cross-sector collaboration.
