SCA Team Leader- Alaska Female Fire Corps

Primary Responsibilities: The SCA Alaska Female Fire Corps team is open to any female-identifying or non-binary person interested in a career in wildland fire, fire ecology, or fire management. The mission of this affinity team is to increase gender diversity and representation in Wildland Fire and to provide a safe and challenging learning environment. Leaders are expected to work with the National Park Service to provide oversight and professional mentorship to young adults. This team will be employed by the National Park Service on Administratively Determined status during their training to obtain their Red Card, and during one fire assignment consisting of 14-16 days of work. In the event that there are no fires in the state during the term this assignment may not happen. The team will consist of eight (8) members and two leaders. This team will travel to multiple National Parks to complete training, fuels reduction work, and a fire assignment. 2024 locations will likely include Denali National Park, Wrangell-St Elias National Park, and Katmai National Park (final projects TBD). Each team will camp for the duration of the program and eat meals together. During training leaders will hone their outdoor living skills, conservation work skills, and teamwork skills, which they will be expected to pass on to their members during the season. The team will work with each other to resolve conflict and build relationship in remote areas, where they may go hours or days with minimal contact with people outside of the crew, depending on the project and work location. Leaders are responsible for overseeing the team’s workday, making sure camp tasks are completed, providing leadership in conflict resolution, and mentoring young adults in outdoor living and fire management skills. They are also responsible for administrative tasks such as incident reporting, approving timecards, preparing Emergency Response Plans and Job Hazard Analysis, and end-of-season reporting. The ability to operate a chainsaw safely and skillfully is a must for Fire Corps leaders as they will act as mentors and supervisors for chainsaw work on a daily basis. During days off, leaders are expected to ensure that members are, minimally, in a safe location with access to communications and transportation services. Depending on how remote the location is, this may mean the team spends days off together, or are at least in the same location. To be safe while recreating in bear country, members and leaders will always travel in the backcountry with at least 4 people, meaning recreation will often take place as a team. Teams work in small, tight-knit communities, and positive representation of SCA is expected during days off as well as during the work week. While working with the National Park Service, members and leaders will be able to network with professionals in natural resources, fire, and recreation management. Most members and leaders of past teams have gone on to be employed by the NPS and other agencies in Wildland Fire and other natural resource fields. Leaders will travel to the Project Leader Training (location TBD) in April, then to Anchorage for further training and preparation before Member Training in Indian, AK. Each leader receives $1,300 for this travel. Leaders will have about two weeks before members arrive to prepare for their season by coordinating with their project partners, buying food and supplies for their members, and coordinating travel and project details with their SCA Program Coordinator. The team will then complete ten more days of training with the National Park Service to receive their Red Card.

Crew Leaders will:

Act as a Crew Supervisor, by facilitating teamwork, managing work and camp maintenance tasks, and ensuring the team operates in a timely and efficient manner

Serve as an Advisor, by training members in technical fuels reduction skills, mentoring personal and professional development, facilitating conflict resolution, and teaching environmental stewardship

Act as a Project Manager, by communicating with agency partners and SCA staff, ensuring successful and timely completion of work projects, and upholding a positive representation of SCA

Perform tasks as a Program Administrator, such as organizing logistics; completing documentation such as incident reports, Emergency Response Plans, and health checks; managing a budget; and communicating regularly with SCA staff

Working with SCA Alaska Program Coordinators and Program Manager to successfully implement the position program

Leader Qualifications:

Experience working with young adults (especially 18-25 years old); teaching or environmental education a plus

Proficiency with a chainsaw without supervision (bucking, felling, and basic maintenance skills are required). Formal training and some form of certification strongly preferred.

Experience with conservation work skills or related skills preferred– i.e., trail maintenance/ construction, habitat restoration, carpentry, landscaping, and gardening

Ability to perform manual, physical labor for up to 16 hours per day, hiking up to 15 miles per day, exposed to the elements, and occasionally lift and/or move 40 pounds or more

During the fire assignment, the team will work with fire modules from other agencies for 12-16 hours per day for 14-16 days straight with minimal breaks

Wilderness First Responder certification or ability to obtain one before 4/15/24

Must be able to attend the entire Crew Leader training and entire duration of the season. Travel outside of Alaska will not be possible during the season for leaders or members due to remote locations of crews

Experience working and/ or living in Alaska preferred

Must be a minimum of 21 years of age

Must have the ability to legally work in the US

Must have a valid driver’s license for 3+ years and MVR that meets SCA standards

Must be able to meet SCA’s criminal background check standards

Leader Benefits and Compensation:

$800 weekly salary

$1300 travel stipend (taxed)

Food, lodging, and work-related transportation are provided during the season (not including personal trips or optional stays outside of the work location)

Paid training in: Conservation Work Skills, leadership and risk management, National Park Service Red Card (first aid, S-212, S-130, S-190, L-180, I-100, and IS-700), and continued mentorship throughout the season

Visit the following website for more information on SCA Covid policy and procedures: www.thesca.org/covid. SCA is an EOE dedicated to workforce diversity.

For more information about SCA, visit us at www.theSCA.org