Also called: Burn Boss, Prescribed Fire Specialist
Plans and leads controlled burns that clear dead brush and restore ecosystems, preventing worse wildfires later.
You wait for exactly the right humidity and wind, then lead a crew lighting fire with drip torches in a carefully planned pattern while engines guard the edges. Many ecosystems, like longleaf pine and prairie, need fire to stay healthy.
Estimate; works for agencies, nonprofits like The Nature Conservancy, or private contractors.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 2 years after high school. Years of fire experience plus burn boss qualifications (NWCG or state certified burner programs).
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification, 4-year college. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Fire Ecology, Forestry, Wildlife Management.
Growing much faster than average. Federal plans call for far more prescribed burning.
Low risk for 10 years. Weather and fire models help pick burn days; lighting, holding and judging live fire stay human, and demand is rising.
Classes: Earth science, Biology, PE or fitness.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.