LTBMU Rx Burn Crew Member

The LTBMU Prescribed Burn Crew is dedicated to hazardous fuel reduction in the Lake Tahoe basin. The program involves using chainsaws for thinning of timber, woodlands, or shrubs; utilizing prescribed fire to reduce fuels, piling and chipping of slash, monitoring pre-and post-fire effects, and fire suppression. The crew will be skilled in the use of a variety of hand tools and chainsaws. Projects require the use of safety equipment such as gloves, goggles, and hardhats. Crew members will be expected to conduct duties in a safe and orderly manner so as not to endanger self, fellow workers, or property with which entrusted. Common hazards of field work include exposure to smoke, fire, wind, extreme weather. Prescribed Burn Crews are not expected to operate prescribed fire operations independently. They will be used as a resource, and be under the direction of a qualified Forest Service prescribed Fire Burn Boss.  

Primary (Essential) Responsibilities

• Utilize chainsaw, handsaws, and loppers to perform hazardous fuels reduction & habitat restoration;
• Prepping sites for prescribed burns, including but not limited to chipping and piling slash, clearing escape routes, constructing fire lines, preparing equipment, and removing obstacles to the burn pile i.e. snow
• Ignition operations i.e. igniting burn piles under direct supervision of LTBMU staff
• Monitoring burn piles for the duration of the burn, such as ensuring the fire has remained within designated boundaries, changing wind direction, and safety concerns
• Holding and mop up functions during prescribed fire operations
• Adhering to safety plans
• Adhere to all AmeriCorps, NCC, and agency sponsor policies while on project sites or at camp locations;
• Maintaining a positive and professional attitude at all times while providing service;
• Communicating effectively with crew members, crew leaders, NCC staff and agency project staff;
• Engage in cooperative efforts; work jointly and or alongside others crews from various agencies
• Complying with both production and quality work standards established by NCC administration, crew supervisors and project partners;
• Contributing to basic duties at the campsite including cooking, cleaning and organizing crew equipment;
• Show respect when interacting with other members, leaders, staff, project sponsors and community members;
• Participating in in-field education sessions.

Secondary and Related Responsibilities

• Engage in supplementary professional development and training opportunities as necessary and available, such as enhancing field leadership competencies
• Ensure all safety protocols followed;
• Maintain a positive and professional attitude at all times;
• Assist with the maintenance, repair, and organization of tools and equipment in the NCC shop and while in the field;
• Uphold NCC and AmeriCorps standards of work production and quality.

Evaluation & Reporting:
Members will receive an end of term performance evaluation, and mid-term evaluation if serving for 6 months or more. Members must submit a weekly member service log (timesheet) in OnCorps for review by their Host Site Supervisor. Members are also expected to provide or contribute to a weekly or quarterly report of work accomplishments and service provided. The frequency of these reports will depend on the members’ service activities and the report contents will be discussed in the member’s orientation to the program.

Training and Field Experience Provided:

• First Aid and CPR certification

• Leave No Trace (LNT) training

• Trail construction and maintenance training for trail crews

• USFS A-Feller certification

• Crews will receive USFS training modules for the following certifications: I-100, S-130, S-190, L-180 S-212CREW
• MEMBERS MUST PASS WORK CAPACITY TEST AT THE ARDUOUS LEVEL & MAINTAIN RED CARD CURRENCY

Fire Mitigation. 

To help reduce fuels and fire hazards and to create defensible space in the wildland-urban interface, regional land managers have conducted thinning-piling-burning treatments that have effectively demonstrated the value and need of addressing forest conditions through varied fuels reduction strategies. In efforts to reduce high surface fuel loads and potential wildfire severity, a variety of fuel treatments have been applied, evaluated, and assessed for viability and positive conservation outcomes. Studies of common fuels reduction management practices have offered researchers opportunities to quantitatively measure their efficacy in wildfires. Using the availability of data on pre-wildfire conditions, data collected after a fire offers necessary information to assess the effects of different types of fuel treatments. Such research considers tree mortality and tree damage in the context of wildfire severity and is evaluated in randomized controlled trial (RTC) study units, with thin-only treatments, thinning followed by prescribed burning treatments, and no treatment (Chambers et al. 2014). Such comparative field trials have provided resource managers with definitive evidence to determine which fuel treatment methods will be the most successful at reducing fuels and mitigating wildfire severity. Research also indicates fuel treatments favorably impact fire behavior, vegetation, water, and overall diversity within the riparian areas. Corps members will reduce fuels through varied prescriptions, thereby improving forest health and lessening fire risk.

Fire Restoration. 

As the number, size, and severity of wildfires escalate across the western U.S., so does the need for post-fire rehabilitative efforts. With the increase in post-fire restoration, researchers examined and quantified the effectiveness and ecological effects of these treatments. Studies included an evidence-based review of post-fire seeding literature and an assessment of Forest Service Burned Area Reports to examine seeding trends and the probability of successful restoration actions. Forty papers and sixty-seven Burned Area Reports dated between 1970 and 2006 reflect an increased use of native species during seeding treatments over time and reveal marked improvements to rangeland recovery (Chambers et al. 2014). Results from related studies also suggest that fall herbicide application can extend the restoration interval even further through reduction in cheatgrass density. Corps members will arrest exotic plant species succession and re-vegetate burned landscapes using treatment methods that include broadcast seeding, weed abatement, and re-vegetation with bare-root plant stock, resulting in healthy ecosystem resilience and improved watershed functionality.

Fire Trail Access.  

The increasing pressure resulting from housing development at the wildland urban interface (WUI) requires a more aggressive implementation of trail maintenance plans. The National Wildfire Hazard/Risk Model rates 74% of Nevada communities as “extreme,” “very high” or ”high” fire risk. Approximately 14,000 homes are located in vegetation types capable of supporting fire behavior that will destroy homes and threaten lives in the WUI. Home construction in the WUI is increasing, while the size and intensity of wildfires is also increasing, resulting in record numbers of homes being threatened and destroyed annually. Ongoing human-environmental conflicts, such as the destruction of homes by wildfire, habitat fragmentation, and the introduction of exotic species, all can be related, in part, to the growing presence of humans along Nevada’s wildland boundaries.  To reduce human-caused fire risk, trail systems used for both motorized and non-motorized recreation will be restored to proper width and grade.  The NCC will also mitigate fire threat by reducing vegetation encroachment along trail corridors.  Trail systems targeted for intervention include those that serve as fire-fighting trails and roads, offering improved access for fire management.  New trail may also serve as fire containment lines and support back-burning operations.  As such, Corps members will support agency trail programs for increased protection of forest lands.

Contract Timeline:Members will begin service in March of 2024. Members will serve Full Time (1700-hour) terms of service.

Location:Member will report to USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit for departure to and return from project sites. Member may serve in the field on 4-day tours, 8-day tours, 5-day tours, or a mixture of the three, in an outdoor setting. Project site locations may include remote, backcountry locations requiring hiking over in steep or otherwise rough terrain for several miles carrying tools and equipment. Typical work days are 10 hours long from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Schedules will be dictated by project site, and distance from the field station. All schedules are subject to change due to unpredictable circumstances.

Compensation and Benefits:The Living Allowance will be $704.00/week. Upon successful completion of service, members will earn an Education Award of $6,895.00.Members will be provided a living allowance in an amount determined by the number of hours served and the level of responsibility required for the position. Members are also eligible to receive the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion of their service term and required hours. Health insurance and child care are available for eligible members, and opportunities for professional development are available.

Job Qualifications:

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Physical ability to work long days, in adverse conditions, on labor intensive projects;
• Effective communication skills;
• Ability to adapt to changing project and schedule expectations.

Required Academic and Experience Qualifications

• Meet AmeriCorps eligibility requirements: (1) U.S. citizenship, or U.S. national or legal resident alien status, (2) at least 18 years of age (3) High School Diploma or GED certificate (4) eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award (limit of four in a lifetime, or equivalent of two full-time terms of service), and (5) pass National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) and federal criminal background checks.

Training and Field Experience Provided:

• First Aid and CPR certification

• Leave No Trace (LNT) training

• Trail construction and maintenance training for trail crews

• USFS A-Feller certification

• Crews will receive USFS training modules for the following certifications: I-100, S-130, S-190, L-180 S-212CREW
• MEMBERS MUST PASS WORK CAPACITY TEST AT THE ARDUOUS LEVEL & MAINTAIN RED CARD CURRENCY