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What They Do
About This Career
Enforces fire regulations, inspects forest for fire hazards, and recommends forest fire prevention or control measures. May report forest fires and weather conditions.
This career is part of the Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security cluster Emergency and Fire Management Services pathway.
A person in this career:
- Relays messages about emergencies, accidents, locations of crew and personnel, and fire hazard conditions.
- Estimates sizes and characteristics of fires, and reports findings to base camps by radio or telephone.
- Conducts wildland firefighting training.
- Locates forest fires on area maps, using azimuth sighters and known landmarks.
- Directs crews working on firelines during forest fires.
- Extinguishes smaller fires with portable extinguishers, shovels, and axes.
- Patrols assigned areas, looking for forest fires, hazardous conditions, and weather phenomena.
- Compiles and reports meteorological data, such as temperature, relative humidity, wind direction and velocity, and types of cloud formations.
- Examines and inventories firefighting equipment, such as axes, fire hoses, shovels, pumps, buckets, and fire extinguishers, to determine amount and condition.
- Educates the public about fire safety and prevention.
Working Conditions and Physical Demands
People who do this job report that:
- You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
- Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
- Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
- Lighting is either extremely bright or inadequate
- Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
- Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
- Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time
Working in this career involves (physical activities):
- Judging how far away an object is, or which of several objects is closer or farther away
- Seeing clearly at a distance
- Seeing clearly up close
- Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
- Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
Work Hours and Travel
- Irregular hours
- Weekend work
Specialty and Similar Careers
Careers that are more detailed or close to this career:
- Fire Operations Forester
- Forest Officer
- Forest Patrolman
- Fire Prevention Technician
- Wildfire Mitigation Specialist
- Wildfire Prevention Specialist
- Fire Prevention Officer
- Fire Management Officer
- Fire Technician
- Forestry Patrolman
Every year the U.S. Department of Labor conducts national surveys of wage data by occupation in every state and in all industry divisions. These surveys are conducted through the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program.
The statistics collected for one year are published the next fall. For example, 2013 wage information was published in the fall of 2014.
There are over 800 occupations in the surveys, and these occupations cover the entire U.S. labor market. The surveys ask for reports in a scale of ranges for both hourly wages and annual wages.
In many cases, these occupations are broad enough to cover many more detailed specialties of an occupation. A specific occupation may be included in a broader occupational category for which labor market data is available. When you look at the statistics for a broad category, be aware that the salary data for a specific career may differ.
For more details about how wage information is collected and calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor, visit their website at http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm.
Every year the U.S. Department of Labor conducts a national survey of over 400,000
employers in every state and in all industry divisions. This survey is conducted
through the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program. Every other year the
department publishes outlook information based on these surveys.
Each outlook period covers 10 years. For example, in 2003 the outlook information
was published for 2004-2014. Employers are asked to report the number of employees
in about 770 different occupations that cover the entire U.S. labor market.
From this information, staffing patterns for different industries are established.
Industry growth is projected into the future based on past trends and current economic
conditions. Industry staffing patterns are then applied to the industry projections
to obtain occupational projections.
In many cases, these occupations are broad enough to cover many more detailed specialties
of an occupation. A specific occupation may be included in a broader occupational
category for which labor market data is available. When you look at the statistics
for a broad category, be aware that the employment data for a specific field may
differ.
For more details about how employment information is collected and calculated by
the U.S. Department of Labor, visit their website at http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.
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