Fire & Aviation Virtual Student Federal Service Volunteer Internship

Introduction

Join the US Forest Service Region 8 Fire and Aviation Management team to help gather, interview, and compile information about how Southern Area wildland firefighters respond to over 31,000 fires and implement over 4.8 million acres of prescribed fire projects every year.

What you'll do

The State Forestry Agencies and the Federal land management agencies are each tasked with responding to all-hazard incidents including wildland fires and implementing fire prevention, wildland fire hazard mitigation, and hazardous fuels reduction projects within their jurisdictional areas. However, these agencies all work together to meet the goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. The Cohesive Strategy is a strategic push to work collaboratively among all stakeholders and across all landscapes, using the best science, to make meaningful progress towards the three goals of; creating Resilient Landscapes, creating Fire Adapted Communities, and having Safe and Effective Wildfire Response. The work would involve gathering data on fire and fuels projects, interviewing agency representatives, and creating innovative products to tell the story of these interagency and interdependent relationships. The project may also include some data entry or data compilation.

The Southern Region is one of nine geographical regions within the USDA Forest Service. It encompasses 13 states—from Virginia and Kentucky south to Florida and west to Oklahoma and Texas, as well as Puerto Rico. This project would introduce an intern to the science behind wildland fire behavior, the science and data utilized to help agencies prepare for wildland fires, the authorities allowing for interagency cooperation, and the importance of interagency relationships. This project would include some online wildland fire training and the intern would gain knowledge of how to pursue a career in wildland fire. Volunteers will be signed up under Individual Volunteer Agreements (OF-301a). All Volunteers are asked to record their hours worked on this project and will be reported in the Volunteer & Service Programs Accomplishments Database (VSReports), the official reporting database.

What you'll learn

You will develop knowledge of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy as well as develop written communication skills and the requirements for various government publications and social media posts.

Who we are

To learn more about the U.S. Forest Service, visit our US Forest Service website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/.