Job Type: Full-time, on-site
Location: Gunnison County, Colorado
Salary: $60,000-$83,296/year
Job Description:
The West Region Wildfire Council (WRWC or the Council) is a nonprofit based in Ridgway, CO. Since 2007, WRWC has worked to increase wildfire resilience in our communities and forest ecosystems. The organization’s staff is dedicated to wildfire mitigation, community resilience, and collaboration with landowners, agencies, and stakeholders across Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel counties. WRWC is governed by a Board of Directors and is also advised by U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) liaisons.
The Wildfire Mitigation Specialist is responsible for delivering wildfire risk mitigation information, resources and recommendations to property owners, community members and partners in Gunnison County. The position integrates and coordinates with other WRWC staff to deliver WRWC programs and resources within Gunnison County. The position also provides wildfire mitigation related technical assistance related to the Gunnison County Wildland Urban Interface Code in partnership with the Gunnison County Community & Economic Development Department and Gunnison County Office of Emergency Management.
Responsibilities:
Site visits and wildfire ready home program delivery (30%)
WRWC offers a Site Visit Program to provide education to landowners about their wildfire risks as well as to provide information about programs and resources available to mitigate those risks. This position will deliver the site visit program for WRWC in Gunnison County. WRWCs Wildfire Ready Home Program provides recommendations intended to mitigate these identified risks and a certification program for those homeowners who meet the standard after completing necessary mitigation actions.
Technical assistance for WUI code permittees and Gunnison County staff (30%)
Gunnison County adopted a Wildland Urban Interface Code in 2022. This position helps Gunnison County residents, building contractors and County staff with education and technical assistance related to Gunnison’s WUI code requirements.
Vegetation management program delivery and CWPP implementation (25%)
WRWC directly supports fuels reduction/ mitigation projects, in high wildfire risk areas via our Vegetation Management Program. The program provides technical and financial assistance for home and landowners to implement strategic fuelbreaks, defensible space projects and other priority fuels reduction projects on private property. The position will provide vegetation management focused technical assistance to support the implementation of the 2025 Community Wildfire Protection Plan across high wildfire risk communities in Gunnison County. Work will focus on protecting homes, critical infrastructure, and ingress/egress routes in CWPP communities, as well as help protect High Value Resources and Assets (HVRAs)
Education, outreach, and collaboration (10%)
WRWC convenes, facilitates, and fosters collaborative communication and coordination services for numerous partners and stakeholders to achieve mutually desired outcomes. This 2 includes individuals, community organizations, industry representatives, NGO’s, local governments, special districts, state and federal agencies, institutes of higher education, elected officials and others. In Gunnison County, WRWC facilitates and convenes the Upper Gunnison Shared Stewardship Council This position will play a role in representing WRWC in this space, with support from the WRWC CEO.
Other duties as assigned (5%)
Preferred Qualifications:
4 years of combined education and experience in land planning, wildfire mitigation, forestry, building code review, or a related field.
A bachelor’s degree in forestry, community development, fire science or a related natural resource management field is strongly preferred.
Ideal Attributes:
Enthusiasm for working in a small nonprofit, team-oriented environment
Personable and professional. Successful candidates will be enthusiastic about working closely with private landowners and other professionals from a variety of backgrounds
Detail oriented and organized, with the ability to manage multiple projects and work objectives simultaneously. Has strong time-management skills.
Self-starter and self-motivated, independent and committed to being helpful.
Enthusiastic about a combination of working outside in all conditions (rain, snow, cold and hot temperatures) and working in an office environment balancing field and administrative duties.
Excellent customer service ethics- strives to “meet people where they’re at” when communicating.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Willingness to work some evenings, weekends and holidays (flexibility).
Ideal Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Knowledge of and experience with forestry, ecosystem functions, wildfire, and/or watershed management.
Knowledge of wildfire mitigation best practices including home hardening, defensible space, community mitigation best practices.
Willingness to learn and provide recommendations related to the wildland urban interface code.
Ability to develop and sustain professional relationships with the general public, private landowners, and organizational partnerships.
Public speaking
Strong GIS skills including proficiency with ESRI platforms/ products, Field Maps, Survey123, etc.
Strong proficiency with word processing, presentation platforms, spreadsheets and database management
Proficiency with Google suite of applications (Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms, etc.)
A clean driving record as well as Colorado issued driver’s license (required)
See the “Learn More” link below for more information.
