Service Position Title:

Alabama Conservation Corps (ALCC) Prescribed Fire AmeriCorps Member

Days and Hours of Service:

Monday through Thursday (8:00 AM – 5:00 PM) and Friday (8:00 AM – 2:30 PM)
Some nights and weekends may be required.

Start Date:

January 9, 2023

End Date:

April 28, 2023

Host Site Address:

The Student Conservation Association, 853 Dauphin St., Suite C, Mobile, AL 36602

Host Site - Staff Contact

Amber Rooney, AL Program Coordinator, 251-301-8115, ARooney@thesca.org

Primary Service Site Address:

The Nature Conservancy, 2100 1st Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203

Primary Service Site Supervisor/Coordinator Contact:

Keith Tassin, Deputy State Director, 205-613-2901, ktassin@tnc.org

Program Overview:

As part of The Student Conservation Association (SCA) Alabama Conservation Corps (ALCC), the Prescribed Fire AmeriCorps members will work as teams under a leader from The Nature Conservancy and assist with prescribed fire activities in Alabama and Florida. Members will travel extensively throughout Alabama to conduct burns on TNC preserves, state parks, national forests, and wildlife refuges. Members will participate in wildland fire operations including ignition, control, mop-up, suppression, and weather monitoring, as well as preparing fire lines, maintaining equipment, and post-burn monitoring. Members will perform other preserve management duties when conditions are not conducive to prescribed fire. Red cards are not required to apply for this position.

Members will be based in two locations – one at The Nature Conservancy’s Splinter Hill Bog Preserve (Perdido, AL) and the other at Talladega National Forest (Brent, AL). Housing is provided and each team member must live on the preserve with other team members to maximize the team’s effectiveness and provide a general security presence.

Service will mostly be outdoors and will sometimes require heavy lifting (~50 lb) and using equipment such as mowers and trimmers. All team members are expected to be respectful, on-time, hardworking, and aware of conditions to ensure a safe service environment.

Essential Function(s):

• Interest and investment in leadership development and teamwork is required.
• Commitment to serving as a productive team member; interpersonal and professional skills are pluses.
• Commitment to service in environmental conditions that will include extreme heat, extreme cold, high winds, and precipitation.
• Must be willing to learn how to use hand tools and power tools to accomplish service activities.
• Ability to communicate the presence of safety hazards through visual and auditory means.
• Must be eligible to serve as an AmeriCorps Member. This includes:
  • Being a citizen, permanent resident, or national of the United States;
  • Being at least 18 years or older;
  • Having a high school diploma or equivalent;
  • Being willing to undergo National Service Criminal History Check, including criminal background, sex offender and FBI checks.
• Ability to lift 50 lbs, and walk/hike on uneven terrain, uphill or downhill, for 1 mile.
• Ability to pass SCA’s background check.

Marginal Function(s):

N/A

Academic Requirements:

High school diploma or equivalent.

Experience:

• No previous experience is required for this position.

• Must be eligible to serve as an AmeriCorps Member. This includes:
  • Being a citizen, permanent resident, or national of the United States;
  • Being at least 18 years or older;
  • Having a high school diploma or equivalent;
  • Being willing to undergo National Service Criminal History Check, including criminal background, sex offender and FBI checks.
• Conditions of Service
  • All members are required to be fully vaccinated. Full vaccination is defined as having received a booster shot six months after the Pfizer and Moderna primary series and two months after the Johnson & Johnson primary series.
  • All members to train for and pass the arduous pack test, which is a requirement of the program. This includes walking 3 miles with a 45-pound weighted vest in under 45 minutes. Members that do not pass the pack test will be dismissed from the program.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Interest in hands-on, outdoor service activities is preferred.
• Interest in pursuing a career in conservation or a related field is preferred.
  

Physical, Emotional, and Intellectual Demands:

Emotional and Intellectual Requirements:

• Develop and maintain professional relationships with staff, crew leaders, and members;
• Function as part of a team;
• Understand verbal and/or written communication;

• Must be dependable, flexible, and cooperative;
• Ability to take initiative to complete the task at hand without prompting;
• Accepting of leadership and supervisory authority; and
• Completes tasks appropriately and in a timely manner.

Physical Requirements:

• Hike up to 5 miles, often while carrying a backpack, tools, and equipment
• Lift heavy objects up to 50 pounds
• Ability to perform duties in all weather conditions including extreme heat, cold, rain
• Ability to communicate the presence of safety hazards through visual and auditory means.

Member Benefits:

• Compensation: $480/week living allowance.
• AmeriCorps Education Award (450 hours = $1,718.25) upon successful completion of program.

Member Trainings:

• SCA AmeriCorps training (TBD)
• NWCG wildland fire (Red Card, S-130, S-190)
• Chainsaw safety (S-212)
• ATV/UTV safety

Service Conditions:

Service is performed primarily outdoors. Some classroom time will be required when weather conditions are not ideal for outdoor service or when required professional development activities are due.

Equipment Used:

Hand tools, prescribed fire tools, power tools, ATV/UTV.

Commitment Required:

The SCA ALCC Program’s term of service is a 4-month (450 hours) commitment that will last (January 9 – April 28, 2023).