Wilderness Fuels Module Crew Member/Medic
Sierra Institute for Community and Environment
Taylorsville, California
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Sierra Institute for Community and Environment (Sierra Institute), in cooperation with the Lassen Volcanic National Park (LAVO) is hiring one Wilderness Fuels Module crew member to serve as a medic for an eight person crew performing fuels management in LAVO to promote future prescribed and/or managed fire activities in wilderness areas of the park. In addition to sawyer responsibilities, the Medic will be responsible for being the lead medical staff in the field.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Act as primary responder in the event of a medical emergency.
- Work as a team in safely bucking and limbing live and dead trees and constructing fireline
using predominantly non-mechanized equipment (crosscut saws, axes, etc.) in undeveloped wilderness areas. - Fall low-complexity, small diameter trees using non-mechanized equipment.
- Re-arrange fuels, either by piling or lopping and scattering, to facilitate future prescribed fire
- The WFM Crew will also be responsible for mentoring the Sierra Institute’s youth corps, “P-CREW”, for a portion of the season while they assist with the project
- The crew member will be expected to recognize tree species, defects, and environmental hazards in executing the prescription and cut tree mark, calling attention to unnecessary risks and flagging hazard trees for future removal using mechanized equipment.
- Work with project partners at Lassen Volcanic National Park to implement silvicultural prescriptions.
QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS
Required Qualifications:
- Minimum of one years’ combined field experience in forest or other natural resource management, this may include but is not limited to biological research, survey work, land conservation, or wildland fire.
- Current wilderness medical training certification of WFR, EMT, or WEMT.
- Minimum two years experience being responsible for responding to medical situations in a field setting
- Formalized training and/or experience bucking trees by mechanized and/or non-mechanized means, and ability to produce relevant certification(s).
- Experience with and interest in utilizing non-mechanized equipment (crosscut saws, axes, etc.) to
perform fuels reduction. - Experience with maintenance of non-mechanized tools.
- Ability to perform physically taxing work in all weather conditions in rugged mountainous environments.
- Interest in, or familiarity with, principles of Wilderness land management.
- Possess a valid, clean, state-issued driver’s license, with an ability to safely operate a 4WD vehicle.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Formalized training and/or experience falling trees by mechanized and/or non-mechanized means, and ability to produce relevant certifications. Faller 1 or equivalent, Class A preferred.
- Familiarity with the use and maintenance of crosscut saw. Field based experience in bucking or felling;
- Familiarity with mixed conifer forests and the ability to identify common tree species in the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades or willingness to learn necessary skills;
- Ability to use compasses, topographic maps, and handheld GPS units or tablets in the field;
- Leave No Trace or other backcountry ethics training;
- Certification in S-212 (Federal Wildland Chainsaws).
WORKING CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
This full-time field position will be based in Lassen Volcanic National Park. The crew will implement prescriptions developed by a team of natural resource professionals dedicated to field reduction and reintroduction of fire in the novel landscape of LAVO.
The incumbent will be expected to walk 4-8 miles per day with a field pack, ample water, and tools over rough terrain and in variable weather conditions, which will likely include high temperatures in the summer months and can quickly drop to dramatically colder temperatures in the fall months.
Strenuous and repetitive physical effort will be associated with fuels reduction activities, including the use of a crosscut saw and rearrangement of fuels. Occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds may be required for piling and rearranging large downed wood.
While working, the incumbent will be provided a base camp within Lassen Volcanic National Park.
| Category | Forestry, General / Stewardship |