Fire lookout vs wildland fire operations specialist

The differences between fire lookouts and wildland fire operations specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a fire lookout and a wildland fire operations specialist. Additionally, a wildland fire operations specialist has an average salary of $44,628, which is higher than the $44,100 average annual salary of a fire lookout.

Fire lookout vs wildland fire operations specialist overview

	Fire Lookout	Wildland Fire Operations Specialist
Yearly salary	$44,100	$44,628
Hourly rate	$21.20	$21.46
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	3,373	62,722
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	-
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	4	4

Fire lookout vs wildland fire operations specialist salary

Fire lookouts and wildland fire operations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fire Lookout	Wildland Fire Operations Specialist
Average salary	$44,100	$44,628
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $68,000	Between $29,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between fire lookout and wildland fire operations specialist education

There are a few differences between a fire lookout and a wildland fire operations specialist in terms of educational background:

	Fire Lookout	Wildland Fire Operations Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	-
Most common major	Business	Computer Systems Security
Most common college	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	Northwestern University

Fire lookout vs wildland fire operations specialist demographics

Here are the differences between fire lookouts' and wildland fire operations specialists' demographics:

	Fire Lookout	Wildland Fire Operations Specialist
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3%	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 7.3% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 1.0% White, 77.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9%	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 7.3% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 1.0% White, 77.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9%
LGBT Percentage	18%	18%

Differences between fire lookout and wildland fire operations specialist duties and responsibilities

Fire lookout example responsibilities.

Lead infantry teams in combat operations, providing tactical and technical guidance to subordinates and professional support to superiors.
Lead infantry teams in combat operations, providing tactical and technical guidance to subordinates and professional support to superiors.
Lead infantry teams in combat operations, providing tactical and technical guidance to subordinates and professional support to superiors.

Wildland fire operations specialist example responsibilities.

Review and evaluate fuels management and fire use plans and prescriptions to achieve specific ecosystem and resource management objectives.
Record and report unit movements, enemy units and ammunition data.
Improve and upgrade security functions through installation of master key systems and DVR networks.

Fire lookout vs wildland fire operations specialist skills

Common fire lookout skills

Weather Data, 100%

Common wildland fire operations specialist skills

Fire Lookout vs. similar jobs

Fire Lookout related careers

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What similar roles do

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Fire Lookout
Fire Lookout vs Wildland Fire Operations Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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