Careers > Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists

Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists

$48.11K Median Salary 400 Job Openings (Annual Projection) 23.3% Job Growth

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About This Career

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

Reported Job Titles

Fire Management Officer, Fire Operations Forester, Fire Prevention Officer, Fire Prevention Technician, Fire Technician, Forest Officer, Forest Patrolman, Forestry Patrolman, Wildfire Mitigation Specialist, Wildfire Prevention Specialist

Career data shown for:

Skills You'll Need

Click on skills to find related courses.

Abilities

Oral Expression

Problem Sensitivity

Oral Comprehension

Deductive Reasoning

Near Vision

Far Vision

Flexibility of Closure

Inductive Reasoning

Written Comprehension

Speech Clarity

Perceptual Speed

Written Expression

Information Ordering

Speech Recognition

Speed of Closure

Category Flexibility

Depth Perception

Multilimb Coordination

Originality

Selective Attention

Knowledge

Administration and Management

Customer and Personal Service

Education and Training

Personnel and Human Resources

Public Safety and Security

Computers and Electronics

Law and Government

English Language

Transportation

Administrative

Mechanical

Communications and Media

Geography

Skills

Critical Thinking

Coordination

Speaking

Active Listening

Judgment and Decision Making

Complex Problem Solving

Monitoring

Instructing

Learning Strategies

Management of Personnel Resources

Reading Comprehension

Time Management

Writing

Active Learning

Persuasion

Social Perceptiveness

Technology Skills

Application server software

Presentation software

Data base user interface and query software

Development environment software

Operating system software

Spreadsheet software

Metadata management software

Configuration management software

Electronic mail software

Expert system software

File versioning software

Customer relationship management CRM software

Office suite software

Cloud-based data access and sharing software

Word processing software

Data base management system software

Object or component oriented development software

Map creation software

Cloud-based management software

Web page creation and editing software

Web platform development software

Enterprise resource planning ERP software

Tools

Two way radios

Direction finding compasses

Remote reading thermometers

Weather stations

All terrain vehicles tracked or wheeled

Hygrometers

Anemometers

Fire extinguishers

Hard hats

Binoculars

Safety glasses

Acoustic ear muffs or defenders

Notebook computers

Radio frequency transmitters or receivers

Fire pump sets

Lawnmowers

Axes

Minivans or vans

Mobile medical services first aid kits

Telescopes

Busses

Wind vane

Brush cutter

Global positioning system GPS receiver

Claw hammer

Garden chainsaw

Signal mirror

Machetes

Tablet computers

Abilities

Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

Knowledge

Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Education and Training: Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Personnel and Human Resources: Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Public Safety and Security: Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Computers and Electronics: Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Law and Government: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Transportation: Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Administrative: Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Mechanical: Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Communications and Media: Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Geography: Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

Skills

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Technology Skills

Application server software: Oracle WebLogic Server
Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
Data base user interface and query software: Blackboard software; Database software; Microsoft Access; Yardi software
Development environment software: Adobe Systems Adobe Creative Suite
Operating system software: Microsoft Windows
Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
Metadata management software: CA Erwin Data Modeler
Configuration management software: Chef; IBM Software Configuration and Library Manager SCLM; Perforce Helix software; Puppet
Electronic mail software: IBM Notes; Microsoft Exchange; Microsoft Outlook
Expert system software: MASterMind
File versioning software: Apache Subversion SVN; Continuous integration software; Git; Version control software
Customer relationship management CRM software: Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge; Microsoft Dynamics; Salesforce.com Salesforce CRM
Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
Cloud-based data access and sharing software: Dropbox; Google Drive; Microsoft SharePoint
Word processing software: 3M Post-it App; Evernote; Google Docs; Microsoft Word
Data base management system software: Apache Solr; Elasticsearch; MySQL
Object or component oriented development software: Oracle Java
Map creation software: ESRI Site Scan for ArcGIS; OpenDroneMap
Cloud-based management software: Splunk Enterprise
Web page creation and editing software: Facebook; Google Sites; LinkedIn; Social media sites
Web platform development software: Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
Enterprise resource planning ERP software: Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne; Oracle PeopleSoft; Oracle PeopleSoft Financials; SAP software

Tools

Two way radios:
Direction finding compasses: Magnetic compasses
Remote reading thermometers: Non-contact thermometers
Weather stations: Portable meteorological stations
All terrain vehicles tracked or wheeled: All terrain vehicles ATV
Hygrometers: Humidity sticks
Anemometers: Thermoanemometers
Fire extinguishers:
Hard hats:
Binoculars:
Safety glasses: Protective safety glasses
Acoustic ear muffs or defenders: Protective ear muffs
Notebook computers: Laptop computers
Radio frequency transmitters or receivers: Animal transmitters; Radio telemetry equipment
Fire pump sets: Emergency fire pumps; Fire pumps
Lawnmowers: Push mowers
Axes:
Minivans or vans: Work vans
Mobile medical services first aid kits: Emergency first aid kits
Telescopes: Spotting scopes
Busses: Motor coaches; Shuttle buses
Wind vane: Wind vanes
Brush cutter: Brush hooks
Global positioning system GPS receiver: Global positioning system GPS receivers
Claw hammer: Claw hammers
Garden chainsaw: Tree trimming chainsaws
Signal mirror: Signaling mirrors
Machetes:
Tablet computers: