Forest Service Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Requisition No: 874774 

Agency: Agriculture and Consumer Services

Working Title: FOREST RANGER - 42002377

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 42002377 

Salary:  $45,990.62 - $52,889.46 

Posting Closing Date: 08/28/2026 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

FOREST RANGER
(WILDLAND FIREFIGHTER)

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES

FLORIDA FOREST SERVICE

***OPEN COMPETITIVE OPPORTUNITY***

CONTACT:

Karen Everett, (850) 223-0758

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

In accordance with Florida Statute 633, any person employed in this class must:

• • Be a high school graduate or the equivalent, as the term may be determined by the Division of State Fire Marshal of the Department of Financial Services, and at least 18 years of age.
  • Not have been convicted of a misdemeanor relating to the certification or to perjury or false statements, or a felony or a crime punishable by imprisonment of 1 year or more under the law of the United States or any state thereof or under the law of any other country, or dishonorably discharged from any of the Armed Forces of the United States.  “Convicted” means a finding of guilt or the acceptance of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, in any federal or state court or a court in any other country, without regard to whether a judgment of conviction has been entered by the court having jurisdiction of the case.
  • Submit a fingerprint card to the division with a current processing fee.  The fingerprint card will be forwarded to the Department of Law Enforcement and/or the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
  • Have a good moral character as determined by investigation under procedure established by the division.
  • Be in good physical condition as determined by a medical examination as prescribed by the division.  Such examination may include, but need not be limited to, provisions of the National Fire Protection Association Pamphlet 1582.
  • Be a non-user of tobacco or tobacco products for at least one (1) year immediately preceding application, as evidenced by the sworn affidavit of the applicant. 

NOTE: ALL POSITIONS WITHIN THIS CLASS REQUIRE POSSESSION OF A VALID DRIVER LICENSE.

***ATTENTION CANDIDATES***

To be considered for a position with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services:

• All fields in the Candidate Profile must be completed (an attached resume is not a substitution for the information required on the candidate profile).
• Work history, duties and responsibilities, hours worked, supervisor, and formal education fields, etc. must be filled out to determine qualifications for this position.
• Responses to Qualifying Questions must be verifiable in the Candidate Profile.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services values
and supports employment of individuals with disabilities. Qualified
individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

The incumbent must obtain a Class A Commercial Driver License with tanker endorsement (CDL) within six (6) months of appointment.  The Florida Forest Service will cover the majority of the cost associated with attaining the required CDL training and the initial CDL test when administered at an agency authorized CDL training center.

Occasional to moderate travel required. 

Position may respond to emergencies, including natural disasters or other type incidents requiring travel, as needed.

The incumbent must live within thirty (30) miles of the assigned headquarters, which is located at 2229 S SR 53, Madison, Florida, throughout employment in this position. 

Certificate of Compliance as Firefighter.

Florida Statute 633 requires that any person employed in this class obtain a Certificate of Compliance which includes, in addition to the above requirements, satisfactory completion of a fire fighter training program approved by the Division.  No employee shall obtain permanent status unless the Certificate is received.

Applicants who receive a job offer must pass:

1. Pre-employment drug test in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S.
2. Pre-employment comprehensive medical examination
3. Pre-employment physical fitness test

Post employment – incumbents must pass:

1. Reasonable suspicion, post-accident, and random drug and alcohol testing provisions and the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse query requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Regulation, Title 49, Part 382, CFR
2. Annual medical examination (pulmonary function and blood pressure)
3. Annual physical fitness test

Successful completion of a drug test is a condition of employment in the position in accordance with Section 112.0455 F.S. “Drug Test” means any chemical, biological or physical instrumental analysis administered for the purpose of determining the presence or absence of a drug or its metabolites. 

NOTES: 

To maintain fairness and integrity, applicants are required to provide honest and authentic responses during all stages of the evaluation and selection process. Applicants must rely on their own personal knowledge, thoughts, and impressions. A candidate’s use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to answer qualifying questions or participate in interviews will be taken into consideration when determining qualification for the position.

Successful applicant must pass a background screening, including fingerprinting, as a condition of employment.

Successful applicant with a current Commercial Driver’s License must pass a query of the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.

ON CALL

Days off on a rotation basis.

JOB DUTIES:

This work is in forest fire prevention, detection, suppression and presuppression, providing technical forestry services and information to landowners and wood-using industry representatives, assisting with state lands management and presenting forestry educational programs.

This individual operates and maintains various kinds of equipment in the suppression of wildfires, including operating truck-tractor/semi-trailer or truck and trailer combinations, engines, bulldozers, transports and other fire suppression equipment. Investigates wildfire causes, gathers evidence, interviews witnesses, makes recommendations to supervisors and issues Notification of Violations where appropriate. Performs fire detection through ground patrol or tower staffing. Investigates smoke complaints and conducts on site inspections of burn authorizations. Intensifies public awareness of wildfires and wildfire damage through fire prevention programs presented in a variety of public forums. Performs wildfire hazard mitigation work. Performs in various capacities, as qualified, within the Incident Command System. Completes appropriate reports associated with wildfire management. Responds to all-risk emergency incidents, as required. 

Provides presuppression plowing and burning assistance to private landowners. Provides technical forestry assistance under the supervision of a Forest Area Supervisor or professional Forester which may include: timber inventory assistance on private nonindustrial land; participation in tree seed collection, lifting and planting tree seedlings; forestry education and environmental education program information for the public and private forest landowners. Assists in public lands management activities such as tree planting, timber marking and inventory, prescribed burning, boundary maintenance, protecting threatened and endangered species, and wildfire protection. Monitors public use and assists the public in utilizing various services and recreation opportunities on state lands. Maintains public facilities such as trails, roads, campgrounds, boat ramps, restrooms and other facilities for user groups on state lands. Operates and maintains other equipment for state lands management purposes such as road graders, dump trucks, loaders, etc.

Performs maintenance and construction activities on fixed facilities and equipment. Makes purchases of materials as needed.

Performs other related work as assigned.

The Following Special Benefits for this Position Include

• State of Florida Special Risk Retirement package
• Annual Uniform Allotment
• Annual Boot Allotment

The Benefits of Working for the State of Florida

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck.  The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• Annual and Sick Leave benefits;
• Nine paid holidays and one Personal holiday each year;
• State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision and other supplemental insurance options;
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions (For more information, please visit www.myfrs.com;)
• Flexible Spending Accounts;
• Tuition waivers;
• And more!

For a complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.

For an estimate of the total compensation package for this position, please visit the “Total Compensation Estimator Tool” located above under the “Posting Closing Date.”

SPECIAL NOTES:

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE.  Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply.  Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements.  Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code.  Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here.  All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.