Forest Ranger

FOREST RANGER
(WILDLAND FIREFIGHTER)

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES

FLORIDA FOREST SERVICE

***OPEN COMPETITIVE OPPORTUNITY***

CONTACT:

Tammy Fitchett – (904) 266-8360

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

In accordance with Florida Statute 633, any person employed in this class must:

• Be a high school graduate or the equivalent, as the term may be determined by the Division of State Fire Marshal of the Department of Financial Services, and at least 18 years of age.
• Not have been convicted of a misdemeanor relating to the certification or to perjury or false statements, or a felony or a crime punishable by imprisonment of 1 year or more under the law of the United States or any state thereof or under the law of any other country, or dishonorably discharged from any of the Armed Forces of the United States. “Convicted” means a finding of guilt or the acceptance of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, in any federal or state court or a court in any other country, without regard to whether a judgment of conviction has been entered by the court having jurisdiction of the case.
• Submit a fingerprint card to the division with a current processing fee. The fingerprint card will be forwarded to the Department of Law Enforcement and/or the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
• Have a good moral character as determined by investigation under procedure established by the division.
• Be in good physical condition as determined by a medical examination as prescribed by the division. Such examination may include, but need not be limited to, provisions of the National Fire Protection Association Pamphlet 1582.
• Be a non-user of tobacco or tobacco products for at least one (1) year immediately preceding application, as evidenced by the sworn affidavit of the applicant.

NOTE: ALL POSITIONS WITHIN THIS CLASS REQUIRE POSSESSION OF A VALID DRIVER LICENSE.

***ATTENTION CANDIDATES***

To be considered for a position with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services:

• All fields in the Candidate Profile must be completed (an attached resume is not a substitution for the information required on the candidate profile).
• Work history, duties and responsibilities, hours worked, supervisor, and formal education fields, etc. must be filled out to determine qualifications for this position.
• Responses to Qualifying Questions must be verifiable in the Candidate Profile.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services values
and supports employment of individuals with disabilities. Qualified
individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

The incumbent must obtain a Class A Commercial Driver License (CDL) within six (6) months of appointment. The Florida Forest Service will cover the majority of the cost associated with attaining the required CDL training and the initial CDL test when administered at an agency authorized CDL training center.

Occasional to moderate travel required.

Position may respond to emergencies, including natural disasters or other type incidents requiring travel, as needed.

The incumbent must live within 30 miles of the headquarters, which is located at 16311 N Main Street, Jacksonville, Florida, throughout employment in this position.

Florida Statute 633 requires that any person employed in this class obtain a Certificate of Compliance which includes, in addition to the above requirements, satisfactory completion of a fire fighter training program approved by the Division. No employee shall obtain permanent status unless the Certificate is received.

Applicants who receive a job offer must pass:

Post employment – incumbents must pass:

NOTES:

Successful applicant must pass a background screening, including fingerprinting, as a condition of employment.

Successful applicant with a current Commercial Driver’s License must pass a query of the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.

Days off on a rotation basis.

JOB DUTIES:

This work is in forest fire prevention, detection, suppression and pre-suppression, providing technical forestry services and information to landowners and wood-using industry representatives, assisting with state lands management, and presenting forestry educational programs.

This individual operates and maintains various kinds of equipment in the suppression of wildfires, including operating truck-tractor/semi-trailer or truck and trailer combinations, engines, bulldozers, transports, and other fire suppression equipment. Investigates wildfire causes, gathers evidence, interviews witnesses, makes recommendations to supervisors, and issues Notification of Violations where appropriate. Performs fire detection through ground patrol or tower staffing. Investigates smoke complaints, conducts on site inspections of burn authorizations. Intensifies public awareness of wildfires and wildfire damage through fire prevention programs presented in a variety of public forums. Performs wildfire hazard mitigation work. Performs in various capacities, as qualified, within the Incident Command System. Completes appropriate reports associated with wildfire management. Responds to all-risk emergency incidents, as required.

Provides pre-suppression plowing and burning assistance to private landowners. Provides technical forestry assistance under the supervision of a Forest Area Supervisor or professional Forester which may include: timber inventory assistance on private nonindustrial land; participation in tree seed collection, lifting and planting tree seedlings; forestry education and environmental education program information for the public and private forest landowners. Assists in public lands management activities such as tree planting, timber marking and inventory, prescribed burning, boundary maintenance, protecting threatened and endangered species, and wildfire protection. Monitors public use and assists the public in utilizing various services and recreation opportunities on state lands. Maintains public facilities such as trails, roads, campgrounds, boat ramps, restrooms and other facilities for user groups on state lands. Operates and maintains other equipment for state lands management purposes such as road graders, dump trucks, loaders, etc.

Performs maintenance and construction activities on fixed facilities and equipment. Makes purchases of materials as needed.

Performs other related work as assigned.

The Following Special Benefits for this Position Include

• State of Florida Special Risk Retirement package
• Annual Uniform Allotment
• Annual Boot Allotment

The Benefits of Working for the State of Florida

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• Annual and Sick Leave benefits;
• Nine paid holidays and one Personal holiday each year;
• State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision and other supplemental insurance options;
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions (For more information, please visit www.myfrs.com;)
• Flexible Spending Accounts;
• Tuition waivers;
• And more!

For a complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.

For an estimate of the total compensation package for this position, please visit the “Total Compensation Estimator Tool” located above under the “Posting Closing Date.”

SPECIAL NOTES: