Forestry Technician III - District Ranger

State of North Carolina•Jackson, NC

17h•$41,206 - $72,113•Onsite

About The Position

The North Carolina Forest Service is a division of the Dept of Agriculture that provides forest protection, resource management, and environmental education to North Carolina residents and landowners. The District Ranger (DR) is an administrative position responsible for overseeing fire/all-risk training, equipment readiness, facility maintenance/improvement, and purchasing within a district. This role provides technical expertise in fire control, develops fire strategies, and offers law enforcement support. The DR conducts necessary fire control and safety training, trains cooperating agency personnel, and assists with statewide training, implementing ICS at district and state levels. They may serve as an initial attack Incident Commander (IC) & Operations Chief on district fire teams and fill OPS roles on regional & state Type 3 & Type 2 Incident Management Teams (IMTs). The DR assists county personnel with fire suppression duties, advises the District Forester, and ensures the quality and accuracy of fire reports. They act as a liaison with fire suppression cooperators, serve as the district coordinator for western fire detail, and provide technical assistance in determining fire cause and responsible parties, preparing court cases, and issuing citations. The DR chairs the district safety committee and serves on regional and state safety committees. Responsibilities include maintaining the IQS system, managing District Operations, leading the RAWS system and NFDRS, and holding burning plan approval authority. The DR directs and oversees cooperative programs like FEPP/GSA, manages Repair and Renovation projects, requisitions supplies and equipment according to state guidelines, coordinates uniforms, and maintains district uniform caches and state & federal inventory systems. This position requires successful completion of Ranger Training to maintain employment. Residency requirements are discussed at the interview. The duty station is located at 133 Glenn Cabe Road, Sylva, NC 28779. A telephone is required. This position involves wildland firefighter duties including detection, suppression, and prevention, responding to wildfires in-state and out-of-state, and other natural and human-caused emergencies. Participation on incident management teams is expected. The role may involve leading or assisting in criminal law enforcement investigations related to wildfires. Typical work hours are 8-5, Monday-Friday, but evening, holiday, and/or weekend work is sometimes required. Wildfire and emergency response demands year-round readiness 24/7. Overnight travel up to 18 continuous days may be necessary. The position requires on-call availability 24/7 during high fire danger periods and natural disasters. Occasional heavy lifting is required.

Requirements

Skilled in wildland fire suppression strategy and tactics.
Experience in wildland firefighter instructing.
Skilled in forest law enforcement program (this includes origin and cause investigations, issuing citations, and court preparation).
Ability to develop good working relationships, be self-motivated, and service-oriented.
Associate’s degree in forest management or an environmental or natural science curriculum from an appropriate accredited institution and five years of related experience in providing forestry services; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
Possession of a valid North Carolina driver's license required within 90 days of hire.
Must be able to be on-call 24 hours/day, 7 days per week during high fire danger periods and during times of natural disasters.
Occasional heavy lifting required.

Nice To Haves

Successful completion of Ranger Training to maintain employment.

Responsibilities

Oversees fire/all-risk training, equipment readiness, facility maintenance/improvement, and purchasing throughout the district.
Provides technical expertise in fire control, develops fire strategies and tactics, and provides law enforcement support.
Conducts fire control & safety training for the district and cooperating agency personnel, and assists with statewide training.
Implements ICS at the district and state level.
May serve as initial attack IC & OPS Chief on district fire team.
Fills OPS roles on regional & state Type 3 & Type 2 IMTs.
Assists county personnel with fire suppression duties and advises District Forester of inconsistencies.
Ensures the quality and accuracy of all fire reports.
Functions as liaison with fire suppression cooperators.
Serves as the district coordinator for western fire detail.
Provides technical assistance in determining fire cause & responsible parties, preparing court cases, and issuing citations.
Serves as the district safety committee chairman & serves on the regional and state safety committees.
Responsible for maintaining IQS system.
Responsible for management of District OPS.
District Lead responsibility for the RAWS system and NFDRS.
Has or can obtain burning plan approval authority.
Provides direction & oversight of cooperative programs such as FEPP/GSA.
Responsible for Repair and Renovation project oversight.
Responsible for requisitioning supplies & equipment following all state guidelines.
Serves as the uniform coordinator and maintains a district uniform cache.
Responsible for state & federal inventory systems.
Detects, suppresses, and prevents wildfires.
Responds to wildfires both in-state and out-of-state.
Responds to other natural and human-caused emergencies and disasters.
Participates on incident management teams as assigned.
May lead or assist in basic criminal law enforcement investigations related to wildfires.