As the Prescribed Fire Team Leader within the Wildlife Program this position assists in providing statewide fire management implementation services on wildlife areas including fire dependent fish and wildlife habitat restoration and maintenance using prescribed (Rx) fire. Additionally this position will lead a prescribed (Rx) burn team to help implement projects for fire-dependent dry forest ecosystems with an initial focus in North Central Washington but may include any region in Washington State. This position supports/contributes to the mission of WDFW of preserving, protecting and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats by restoring fire as a disturbance agent at the appropriate frequency to fire dependent ecosystems/habitats sustaining and perpetuating the plants and animals dependent thereon.
Under the supervision of the Fire Management Specialist, this position (Prescribed Fire Team Leader) supports the Department’s mission and goals by implementing sound fire dependent fish and wildlife habitat restoration and maintenance projects within the constraints of policy, applicable legal requirements, and applicable collective bargaining agreements.
This position assists the Fire Management Specialist in implementing plans to restore and maintain fire dependent fish and wildlife on wildlife areas primarily in Okanogan County but may include any region statewide which include more 200,000 acres of forest including numerous fire dependent, e.g., dry forest and fire maintained prairies and steppe.
General duties include: Coordinating with the Fire Management Specialist, Wildlife Area Managers, Wildlife Biologists and Foresters to implement plans for restoration and maintenance of fire dependent fish and wildlife habitat; Conducting burn unit layout, fuels inventory, assisting with writing burn plans, and implementing restoration projects while supervising the Prescribed Burn Team.Duties
Job knowledge (to perform the essential activities of this position, the employee must know or understand the following): Fire ecology; fire effects and by-products and their ecosystem actions; fire weather; fuel types; fuel conditions; fuels assessment; smoke management; NWCG standards; knowledge of tools and techniques used to prepare for and implement Rx burns; Working knowledge of management and supervision of fire line hand crews and/or prescribed fire hand crews.