Position Title: AmeriCorps Individual Placement – Fire Management Technician
Conservation Legacy Program: Southeast Conservation Corps
Site Location: TNC of GA, Rome Station
Address:
3086 Martha Berry Highway
Rome, GA 30165
Term of Service: 17 weeks
- Start Date: 12/28/2026
- End Date: 04/23/2027
- AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 450 hr
Status: This is a full-time, seasonal, 17-week, 450-hour AmeriCorps National Service Program.
Benefits:
- Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,956.35 upon successful completion of the program
- Living allowance of $550.00 per week, paid bi-weekly
Other Benefits: On-site housing, uniform shirts, personal protective equipment, Wilderness First Aid certification, Wildland Fire Fighter Type 2 (FFT2) certification, member assistance program, and other professional development opportunities available.
Housing: Communal Housing Provided
Positions Available: 6
Purpose
Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC):
Empowering youth and adults to cultivate compassion, responsibility and life skills through community service, hard work and land stewardship.
Southeast Conservation Corps, a program of Conservation Legacy, is a non-profit AmeriCorps program. We engage youth (age 15-17) and young adults (ages 18-30, up to 35 for veterans) in service projects on public lands throughout the Southeast. SECC collaborates with land management agencies (United States Forest Service, National Park Service, State Parks, local municipalities, and non-profits) to host day or overnight camping crews and individual placements.
Our AmeriCorps positions provide impactful educational and service opportunities that benefit both communities and landscapes. SECC’s participants reflect the population of the Southeast region, including youth, graduates, veterans, and individuals from various backgrounds.
The Nature Conservancy
Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are conserving lands, water, and oceans at an unprecedented scale. We are providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Serving in 72 countries, including all 50 United States, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities. For more information about The Nature Conservancy, visit The Nature Conservancy: A World Where People & Nature Thrive (nature.org).
Position Overview:
Northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama are home to hundreds of thousands of acres of forests that have been suppressed from fire for decades. Most of these forests need fire to benefit wildlife, reduce fuels to prevent catastrophic wildfires and be productive timber forests overall. TNC serves closely in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama with private landowners, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, and the Talladega National Forest on timber management, trail maintenance, and prescribed burning. This Individual Placement will have opportunities to burn with local counties, the Georgia Forestry Commission, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, and the Talladega National Forest, all of whom embrace the return of fire to Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama for community and environmental benefits.
In addition to returning fire to the landscape, this Individual Placement (IP) will allow the IP to maintain several preserves and easements that TNC owns to protect biodiversity and provide recreational access for the public. The IP will also assist with the upkeep of established and well-used trail systems found on the preserves.
Description of Duties:
Seasonal Prescribed Burns.
- Involves conducting prescribed burns for the benefit of rare and endangered species. Individual Placement will participate in prescribed burn operations throughout Northwest Georgia on key preserves owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The Individual Placement will also be assisting TNC partners such as private landowners, state agencies, federal agencies, and potentially the Alabama TNC Chapter.
Assistance with ignition, control, mop-up, suppression, and monitoring.
- Participate in preparing fire lines, maintaining equipment, post-burn monitoring, and other tasks.
- The Montane Longleaf Ecosystem is a rare ecosystem found only in Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama. A generous portion of this Individual Placement will focus on restoring or maintaining the montane longleaf ecosystem through planting and the use of fire. TNC expects this year’s projects will directly benefit at least 5,000 acres of land.
Preserve Management.
- When conditions are not conducive to prescribed burns, Individual Placement performs other duties, such as habitat restoration.
- Northwest Georgia is also home to one of the most biologically diverse river systems in the southeast, the Upper Coosa Watershed. There will be opportunities to assist with river restoration projects, with a focus specifically on expanding the Dub Denman Canoe Trail in the Tallapoosa River Watershed.
Potential environmental/human risk involved with this term of service: uneven terrain with dense vegetation; heat exposure; hiking off trail/unmarked paths; slippery/wet conditions; use of sharp tools and heavy equipment. Failure to comply with safety requirements may result in injury.
Qualifications:
- United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
- Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of elementary or secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant, and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent before using the education award
- Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check
- Must be willing to complete online and in-person training to become a Fire Fighter Type 2 (FFT2)
- Able to pass the arduous level pack test (3-mile walk with 45-pound pack within 45 minutes)
- Wildland firefighting demands a high level of fitness to perform in difficult environmental conditions, including steep terrain, slippery and/or wet conditions, extreme temperatures, altitude, and smoke.
- Capacity to safely use sharp tools and carry heavy equipment
- You must possess a valid driver's license and pass Conservation Legacy’s Driver Insurability requirements.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience operating various types of on and off-road equipment (Type 6 Engine and UTVS).
- Ability to pull long bumper pull trailers.
Transportation:
A personal vehicle is required to get to the service site and/or office. Individual Placements will also operate TNC vehicles for this position. The driver must pass a background check, review, then sign The Nature Conservancy’s Vehicle Safety Agreement. The Individual Placement will need to pass Conservation Legacy’s driver background screening to drive.
Physical Requirements:
Conservation Legacy is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions. This position will require periodic overnight and weekend travel, non-traditional hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.
Time Requirements:
- Typically, this position is expected to serve Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week – but exact service schedules may vary and will include evening and weekend service depending on field conditions and TNC partner-organization needs.
- A half hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service.
- Members may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.
Orientation and Training:
AmeriCorps
- Members will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
Preparing Fire Lines
The Individual Placement will learn to use fire tools and establish knowledge of fire lines prior to prescribed burns. This individual will also learn to fell snags close to fire lines using chainsaws. Trainings will include:
- Fire Fighter Type II Certification (FFT2)
- Introduction to ICS (I-100)
- Human Factors on the Fire Line (L-180)
- Wildland Fire Chainsaws (S-212)
- Wilderness First Aid (WFA)
Wildland Fire Operations
The Individual Placement will learn the essential functions and responsibilities of ignition, control, mop-up, suppression, and post burn monitoring. Trainings will include:
- Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior (S-190)
- Firefighter Training (S-130)
- Burn Training
Stewardship Projects
The Individual Placement will learn to assist with overseeing shortleaf and longleaf tree plantings and gain knowledge on rare aquatic and terrestrial species and monitor them. This individual will also learn to perform the basics of invasive species removal and control.
Evaluation and Reporting:
As an AmeriCorps member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed the required number of hours, the member has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the member has met other performance criteria that were clearly communicated at the beginning of the term of service.
Reporting requirements include, but are not limited to:
- Monthly Accomplishment Report
- Narrative Monthly Report.
Substance Free:
In accordance with a drug-free environment, alcohol and drugs are prohibited while participating in AmeriCorps and program activities and while on organization property.
If you have questions about the position, please contact:
Jay Hosford
Program Manager
The Nature Conservancy – The Georgia Chapter
Jason.hosford@tnc.org
(813) 486-6292
Katie Owens
Upper Coosa River Program Director
The Nature Conservancy – The Georgia Chapter
kowens@tnc.org
(706) 767-0497
If you have questions about the application process, please contact:
Angela Gerstner
Individual Placement Member Support Coordinator
Southeast Conservation Corps
agerstner@conservationlegacy.org
Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.
