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Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists
Enforce fire regulations, inspect forest for fire hazards, and recommend forest fire prevention or control measures. May report forest fires and weather conditions.
Other titles employers use
Fire Management Officer · Fire Operations Forester · Fire Prevention Officer · Fire Prevention Technician · Fire Technician · Forest Officer · Forest Patrolman · Forestry Patrolman
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Relay messages about emergencies, accidents, locations of crew and personnel, and fire hazard conditions.
- Conduct wildland firefighting training.
- Estimate sizes and characteristics of fires, and report findings to base camps by radio or telephone.
- Direct crews working on firelines during forest fires.
- Locate forest fires on area maps, using azimuth sighters and known landmarks.
- Extinguish smaller fires with portable extinguishers, shovels, and axes.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical, organizing and analytical work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Analytical
- Investigating questions, testing ideas, and solving problems
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Coordination
- Active Listening
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Complex Problem Solving
Subjects to know
- Administration and Management
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Public Safety and Security
Useful strengths
- Oral Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Oral Comprehension
- Deductive Reasoning
- Near Vision
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.1 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 3.5 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 4.9 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 3.5 | Some of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 32%
- A certificate or some college 26%
- A four-year degree 24%
- A two-year degree 18%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Application server software
- Operating system software
- Development environment software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Cloud-based management software
- Expert system software
- Web page creation and editing software
- File versioning software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 410
- Job openings each year
- 40
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 13.9%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 410 | 40 | 13.9% |
| Mississippi | 210 | 20 | 10.5% |
| Oregon | 170 | 20 | 13.3% |
| Colorado | 120 | 10 | 20.0% |
| Arizona | 110 | 10 | 22.2% |
| Louisiana | 110 | 10 | 22.2% |
| New Jersey | 110 | 10 | 10.0% |
| Maine | 70 | 10 | 16.7% |
| Utah | 50 | 10 | 25.0% |
| Florida | 20 | 0 | — |
| North Carolina | 20 | 0 | — |
| Ohio | 20 | 0 | — |
| Virgin Islands | 10 | 0 | — |
| Wisconsin | 10 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Oregon State University
- Degrees each year
- 155
- Admit rate
- 79%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
Eastern Kentucky University
- Degrees each year
- 68
- Admit rate
- 78%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
- Degrees each year
- 129
- Admit rate
- 30%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
California State University-Los Angeles
- Degrees each year
- 39
- Admit rate
- 92%
- Annual cost after aid
- $5,000
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
- Degrees each year
- 75
- Admit rate
- 90%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
Fayetteville State University
- Degrees each year
- 37
- Admit rate
- 80%
- Annual cost after aid
- $9,000
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
- Degrees each year
- 62
- Admit rate
- 90%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
- Degrees each year
- 36
- Admit rate
- 90%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000