Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists

33-2022.00 Zone 3 — Medium Preparation Needed

Enforce fire regulations, inspect forest for fire hazards, and recommend forest fire prevention or control measures. May report forest fires and weather conditions.

Also known as: District Ranger, Environmental Protection Fire Control Officer, Fire Management Officer, Fire Management Technician, Fire Observer, Fire Operations Forester, Fire Prevention Officer, Fire Prevention Technician, ...

Annual Salary

$52,380

Median annual wage (May 2024)

$41,000 25th – 75th percentile $77,780
10th percentile $33,590
90th percentile $100,450
U.S. Employment: 2,780

Job Outlook

+14.6%

Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Much faster than average)

Annual Job Openings 300 per year (avg. 2024–2034)
Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent
Experience: Less than 5 years
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

What You'd Do

  • Relay messages about emergencies, accidents, locations of crew and personnel, and fire hazard conditions.
  • Direct crews working on firelines during forest fires.
  • Estimate sizes and characteristics of fires, and report findings to base camps by radio or telephone.
  • Administer regulations regarding sanitation, fire prevention, violation corrections, and related forest regulations.
  • Extinguish smaller fires with portable extinguishers, shovels, and axes.
  • Locate forest fires on area maps, using azimuth sighters and known landmarks.
  • Maintain records and logbooks.
  • Examine and inventory firefighting equipment, such as axes, fire hoses, shovels, pumps, buckets, and fire extinguishers, to determine amount and condition.
  • Direct maintenance and repair of firefighting equipment, or requisition new equipment.
  • Restrict public access and recreational use of forest lands during critical fire seasons.

Top Skills

Critical Thinking 4.0
Speaking 3.8
Coordination 3.8
Active Listening 3.6
Judgment and Decision Making 3.6
Complex Problem Solving 3.5
Monitoring 3.4
Instructing 3.3

Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)

Knowledge Areas

Administration and Management 4.1
Customer and Personal Service 3.8
Education and Training 3.7
Personnel and Human Resources 3.7
Public Safety and Security 3.7
Law and Government 3.6
Computers and Electronics 3.5
English Language 3.5

Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level

High School
31.6%
Bachelor's
24%
Associate's
17.9%
Some College
17.5%
Certificate
8.9%

Technology & Tools

Software and tools commonly used in this role

In-Demand Technologies

Amazon Web Services AWS CloudFormation Amazon Web Services AWS software Ansible software Docker Facebook Git Kubernetes Linux Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP Microsoft Azure software Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft PowerShell Microsoft SharePoint Microsoft SQL Server Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows Server Microsoft Word Puppet Salesforce software

Other Tools

Enterprise resource planning ERP software Fire incident reporting systems Mapping software Object oriented development environment software Perforce software Relational database software

Work Styles

Personality traits and work styles important for this career

2.7
Dependability
2.6
Stress Tolerance
2.6
Self-Control
2.4
Cautiousness
2.3
Integrity
2.3
Leadership Orientation
2.3
Attention to Detail

Key Abilities

Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role

Oral Expression 4.0
Problem Sensitivity 4.0
Oral Comprehension 3.9
Near Vision 3.6
Deductive Reasoning 3.6
Written Comprehension 3.5
Inductive Reasoning 3.5
Far Vision 3.5

Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)

Work Activities

General types of job behaviors occurring on this job

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates 4.5
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings 4.5
Performing General Physical Activities 4.4
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment 4.4
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public 4.2
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events 4.2
Getting Information 4.2
Making Decisions and Solving Problems 4.2

Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)

Work Environment

Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
4.9
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
4.9
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
4.9
Contact With Others
4.8
Telephone Conversations
4.8
E-Mail
4.7
In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment
4.7
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
4.6
Freedom to Make Decisions
4.6
Health and Safety of Other Workers
4.5
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled
4.5
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities
4.4

Related Careers

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$44K
Transit and Railroad Police
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Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
$80K
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers
$34K
Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation
$86K
Public Safety Telecommunicators
$51K
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health
$49K
Security Guards
$38K
Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
$58K
Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
$110K

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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.