According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Relay messages about emergencies, accidents, locations of crew and personnel, and fire hazard conditions. | 91% |
| Conduct wildland firefighting training. | 86% |
| Estimate sizes and characteristics of fires, and report findings to base camps by radio or telephone. | 86% |
| Direct crews working on firelines during forest fires. | 86% |
| Locate forest fires on area maps, using azimuth sighters and known landmarks. | 86% |
| Extinguish smaller fires with portable extinguishers, shovels, and axes. | 84% |
| Patrol assigned areas, looking for forest fires, hazardous conditions, and weather phenomena. | 81% |
| Compile and report meteorological data, such as temperature, relative humidity, wind direction and velocity, and types of cloud formations. | 81% |
| Examine and inventory firefighting equipment, such as axes, fire hoses, shovels, pumps, buckets, and fire extinguishers, to determine amount and condition. | 79% |
| Educate the public about fire safety and prevention. | 79% |
| Direct maintenance and repair of firefighting equipment, or requisition new equipment. | 78% |
| Maintain records and logbooks. | 76% |
| Administer regulations regarding sanitation, fire prevention, violation corrections, and related forest regulations. | 71% |
| Restrict public access and recreational use of forest lands during critical fire seasons. | 71% |
| Inspect camp sites to ensure that campers are in compliance with forest use regulations. | 68% |
| Inspect forest tracts and logging areas for fire hazards such as accumulated wastes or mishandling of combustibles, and recommend appropriate fire prevention measures. | 64% |
