Wilderness firefighter jobs require physical fitness, outdoor skills, and can be dangerous. Teams have specific responsibilities during a fire, and there are various types of crews, including remote and helicopter teams. Safety training and up-to-date technology are important. Temporary and permanent positions are available, with experience increasing chances of a permanent job.
Wilderness firefighter jobs are usually divided into separate teams, each with specific responsibilities during a fire. This is a very physical profession and can be dangerous. Job seekers must display excellent aptitude and outdoor skills. Local and national emergency services typically hire seasonal and permanent staff.
Many wilderness teams are comprised of three to ten firefighters, although larger teams can have as many as twenty. Fuel and labor teams work together on mechanical fire mitigation, thinning wood to reduce fuel cutting and burning prescribed fires. These are controlled burns that help maintain the health of forest areas and reduce the possibility of a large forest fire. They also work with engine crews and patrol areas, controlling access points. Forest fire personnel may also be assigned to a team that maintains equipment and prepares for prescribed fires.
Remote work crews, sometimes referred to as professional crews, spend a lot of time doing the same type of work as hand crews during fire suppression, creating fire lines and clearing burned areas. His specialty is extremely rough terrain; they are usually self-sufficient and adequate. Engines are not always able to get into these remote areas; therefore, keeping them helps prevent a fire from getting out of control. Mobile crews can also be deployed to larger fires away from their home base, where they will remain at fire camps for the duration of the event.
The most coveted firefighter jobs belong to the helicopter and smoker crews. These firefighters specialize in helicopter operations, which deliver rappelling teams to fires inaccessible by other means. The aircraft can also dump fire retardant or water on the fire itself, storing it in a tank and releasing it as it flies overhead. Tobacco smokers usually have experience on other teams and are specially trained to parachute into fixed wing aircraft burn areas.
All of the different jobs of wildland firefighters must be coordinated for a successful suppression effort. The main focus is the protection of life and then property; due to the risks of fighting forest fires, accidents and tragedies sometimes occur. Ongoing safety training and up-to-date technology to fight and detect fires before they spread help protect firefighters as they work.
Wilderness firefighter jobs are classified as strenuous, meaning that physical fitness levels must be high; they often lift heavy objects such as hoses and large tools. They will need competent outside skills such as reading a compass or topographical map, tying knots and felling trees, and pitching tents. Most of this work is done with heavy boots and protective equipment such as coats, gloves and oxygen bottles. First aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills are highly desirable, especially for remote teams.
Those interested in looking for wildland firefighter jobs should prepare for outdoor work in less-than-ideal conditions. Most national forestry organizations hire temporary and permanent crew members in the summer, often looking for candidates who have already established skills. Those with experience are more likely to get a permanent position.
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