Also called: Dozer Boss, Heavy Equipment Boss (Fire)
Drives bulldozers to carve firebreaks that stop wildfires from spreading.
Dozer operators clear wide strips of brush down to bare dirt in front of a fire, often at night and on steep slopes, guided by a dozer boss on foot. Many are contractors with their own equipment.
Fire season overtime and contract rates can be high. Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. Heavy equipment experience plus wildland fire training and qualifications.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Heavy Equipment Operation (trade school).
Growing about average. Grows with fire seasons.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Remote-controlled and robot dozers are being tested for fire lines; operators still run most at night on slopes.
Classes: Heavy equipment / construction CTE, Physics, Small engines CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 47-2073.
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.