Description
Patrol wildlands to detect and prevent fires, enforce fire regulations, lead initial attack and fireline operations, and educate the public. Inspect forests and recreation areas for hazards, recommend prevention or control measures, and report fires and weather conditions.
- • Relay emergency, location, and hazard information to dispatch and crews.
- • Lead and support crews on firelines during wildland incidents.
- • Size up fires and report spread, fuels, and behavior to incident command.
- • Enforce sanitation, campfire, and fire-prevention regulations; document violations and corrections.
- • Perform initial attack and suppress small fires with hand tools and portable extinguishers.
- • Locate fires using maps, GPS, azimuth tools, and known landmarks.
- • Maintain logs, reports, and incident documentation.
- • Inspect and inventory engines, hand tools, hoses, pumps, and extinguishers for readiness.
- • Coordinate maintenance and repair of firefighting equipment or request replacements.
- • Implement area closures and restrict public access during high fire danger.
- • Patrol assigned districts to detect fires, hazards, and weather changes.
- • Monitor and report weather and fuel conditions, including temperature, humidity, wind, and cloud types.
- • Inspect campsites and recreation areas for compliance with fire-use rules.
- • Inspect forest and logging sites for hazards such as slash or mishandled combustibles and recommend mitigations.
- • Conduct and attend wildland fire and safety training.
- • Educate visitors and local communities on fire safety and prevention.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
