Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists

Median salary

$56,870

Average salary

$66,640

Employment

2,780

Projected growth

14.6% growth

Annual openings

300

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists Do

Enforce fire regulations, inspect forest for fire hazards, and recommend forest fire prevention or control measures. May report forest fires and weather conditions.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: Less than 5 years
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Administration and Managementimportance 4.0/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.8/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.7/5
Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 3.7/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.7/5
Law and Governmentimportance 3.5/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.5/5
English Languageimportance 3.5/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results4.9/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.9/5
Contact With Others4.8/5
Telephone Conversations4.8/5
E-Mail4.7/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers97% skill match
Surveyors96% skill match
Forest and Conservation Technicians95% skill match
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors95% skill match
Baggage Porters and Bellhops95% skill match
Correctional Officers and Jailers94% skill match
Log Graders and Scalers94% skill match
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians94% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Coordinationimportance 3.8/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.6/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.5/5
Instructingimportance 3.3/5
Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
Management of Personnel Resourcesimportance 3.1/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
Persuasionimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Fire incident reporting systems
Mapping software
Object oriented development environment software
Perforce software
Relational database software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Stress Tolerance
Self-Control
Cautiousness
Integrity
Leadership Orientation
Attention to Detail

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeMedium
EnterprisingMedium
SocialMedium
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).