None of the miraculous advancements in the firefighting industry would be possible without the work of thousands of administrators and fire science workers.

This includes fire plans that have helped map out the best course of action for healthy forest eco-systems by the use of prescribed burning and other fire maintenance methods. Few people consider the incredible work fire management teams do to maintain balance in forests and healthy eco systems. Prescribed burning is one of the main focuses of fire management teams and is well planned and executed across all fifty states. This helps to prevent large-scale fires that could possibly endanger homes, people and wildlife.

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service has a Fire Management program which takes great care to manage land units in the United States. Within this program there are numerous employment opportunities in Fire Management and planning. These positions exist at national, local and refuge levels and include permanent, seasonal and temporary employment. Employees in this program are considered government workers. Interested applicants can search job openings by using the USA Jobs website.

Jobs in Fire Planning and Management are not exclusively found here however, and there are other Fire Management and planning services working toward the same end.

Wildland Fire Jobs
Fish and Wildlife Service Positions

Types of Fire Planning and Management Jobs

Fire Management and Advisory Team

Members of this team develop and implement changes in fire plans and distribute those changes as needed to specific fire regions. It is a small team of fire conservatory experts, state directors and advisors. It is commonly comprised of ex-firefighters, researchers and fire science experts. These people probably have a formal education in Parks and Recreation Services.

Fire Manager

The fire manager oversees and supervises the fire efforts in his/her geographic region. They work closely with Burn Bosses, other Fire Managers, Coordinators and Administrators.

A person in this role typically has extensive field training and education. Excellent organizational skills and communication skills are a must. This person must be familiar with fuel types and sites for their geographical region and demonstrate ability to problem solve and react quickly.

Burn Boss

A Burn Boss oversees the prescribed fires for their region, aids workers in their team and implements fire plans. A Burn Boss is a seasoned wild land firefighter and is required to have experience in a minimum of 20 prescribed burns not used for training purposes. They must also have been a squad leader at some point for a burn unit.

Incident Commander (Type 4)

The Incident Commander is similar to a Burn Boss but directs and implements fires that are less complicated. Extensive field experience is required as well as exceptional leadership skills.

For more Fire Management and Planning Jobs, Qualifications and Requirements see the Nature Conservancy Personnel webpage and informational links.

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