Best programs to become a forest fire inspector
You do not need a college degree to become a forest fire inspector. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. It also expects less than 5 years of related work experience. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Fire Science/Fire-fighting; Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services; and Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation (IPEDS completions).
3 college programs at 300 schools train forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists, graduating 10,755 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $56,870 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists
Enforce fire regulations, inspect forest for fire hazards, and recommend forest fire prevention or control measures. May report forest fires and weather conditions.
Best programs to study to become a forest fire inspector
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 43.0203 | 10,359 | 96.3% | 275 | $48,952 | $12,750 |
| 2 | CIP 03.0208 | 222 | 2.1% | 21 | $37,946 | $24,125 |
| 3 | CIP 43.0206 | 174 | 1.6% | 17 | $48,952 | $12,750 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia Southern University Orange Beach, AL Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 714 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 33% | $15,554 | — |
| 2 | East Los Angeles College Monterey Park, CA Public · 1 feeder program | 315 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 37% | — | — |
| 3 | Miami Dade College Miami, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 241 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 46% | — | — |
| 4 | Red Rocks Community College Lakewood, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 219 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 32% | — | — |
| 5 | Seminole State College of Florida Sanford, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 210 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 41% | — | — |
| 6 | Lone Star College System The Woodlands, TX Public · 1 feeder program | 200 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 21% | — | — |
| 7 | Tarrant County College District Fort Worth, TX Public · 1 feeder program | 178 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 34% | — | — |
| 8 | Austin Community College District Austin, TX Public · 1 feeder program | 167 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 20% | — | — |
| 9 | Shasta College Redding, CA Public · 1 feeder program | 154 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 23% | — | — |
| 10 | Valencia College Orlando, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 148 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 48% | — | — |
| 11 | Pueblo Community College Pueblo, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 144 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 31% | — | — |
| 12 | Florida State College at Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 137 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 37% | — | — |
| 13 | Hutchinson Community College Hutchinson, KS Public · 1 feeder program | 131 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 53% | — | — |
| 14 | First Coast Technical College Saint Augustine, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 124 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 77% | — | — |
| 15 | Houston City College Houston, TX Public · 1 feeder program | 123 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 17% | — | — |
| 16 | Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN Public · 1 feeder program | 120 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 40% | — | — |
| 17 | Apollo Career Center Lima, OH Public · 1 feeder program | 119 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 59% | — | — |
| 18 | Sinclair Community College Dayton, OH Public · 1 feeder program | 118 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 41% | — | — |
| 19 | Madisonville Community College Madisonville, KY Public · 1 feeder program | 114 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 49% | — | — |
| 20 | Moreno Valley College Moreno Valley, CA Public · 1 feeder program | 114 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 34% | — | — |
| 21 | William T McFatter Technical College Davie, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 114 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 66% | — | — |
| 22 | Clark State College Springfield, OH Public · 1 feeder program | 106 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 22% | — | — |
| 23 | North Central Texas College Gainesville, TX Public · 1 feeder program | 102 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 35% | — | — |
| 24 | Columbus State Community College Columbus, OH Public · 1 feeder program | 101 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 28% | — | — |
| 25 | Rio Hondo College Whittier, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 101 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 25% | — | — |
| 26 | Suncoast Technical College Sarasota, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 100 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 50% | — | — |
| 27 | Volunteer State Community College Gallatin, TN Public · 1 feeder program | 98 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 28% | — | — |
| 28 | San Jacinto Community College Pasadena, TX Public · 1 feeder program | 94 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 30% | — | — |
| 29 | Tyler Junior College Tyler, TX Public · 1 feeder program | 93 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 27% | — | — |
| 30 | Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 91 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 41% | — | — |
| 31 | Elgin Community College Elgin, IL Public · 1 feeder program | 86 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 41% | — | — |
| 32 | Florida SouthWestern State College Fort Myers, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 83 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 39% | — | — |
| 33 | St Petersburg College St. Petersburg, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 83 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 38% | — | — |
| 34 | Southwestern Illinois College Belleville, IL Public · 1 feeder program | 80 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 36% | — | — |
| 35 | Daytona State College Daytona Beach, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 79 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 43% | — | — |
| 36 | Florida Gateway College Lake City, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 78 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 54% | — | — |
| 37 | Hillsborough College Tampa, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 77 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 34% | — | — |
| 38 | Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa, CA Public · 1 feeder program | 77 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 37% | — | — |
| 39 | Eastern Florida State College Melbourne, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 76 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 52% | — | — |
| 40 | Marion Technical College Ocala, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 76 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 80% | — | — |
| 41 | Lake Technical College Eustis, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 72 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 47% | — | — |
| 42 | Madison Area Technical College Madison, WI Public · 1 feeder program | 72 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 29% | — | — |
| 43 | Palomar College San Marcos, CA Public · 1 feeder program | 72 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 38% | — | — |
| 44 | Del Mar College Corpus Christi, TX Public · 1 feeder program | 71 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 11% | — | — |
| 45 | Eastern Oklahoma County Technology Center Choctaw, OK Public · 1 feeder program | 71 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 92% | — | — |
| 46 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 70 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 91% | — | 24% |
| 47 | Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove, IL Public · 1 feeder program | 70 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 39% | — | — |
| 48 | McHenry County College Crystal Lake, IL Public · 1 feeder program | 66 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 37% | — | — |
| 49 | Knox County Career Center Mount Vernon, OH Public · 1 feeder program | 64 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 100% | — | — |
| 50 | Aims Community College Greeley, CO Public · 1 feeder program | 62 | Fire Science/Fire-fighting | 40% | — | — |
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $51,690 | 100 | 0.54× | 32 | 2,349 |
| California | $97,370 | 480 | 1.48× | 31 | 1,362 |
| Alabamalimited | $37,430 | 40 | 1.19× | 2 | 721 |
| Colorado | $50,170 | 210 | 4.03× | 10 | 568 |
| Arizona | $58,570 | 40 | 0.71× | 11 | 219 |
| Oklahoma | $61,700 | 310 | 10.21× | 8 | 197 |
| Utahmoderate | $90,020 | 50 | 1.60× | 4 | 94 |
| Georgia | $48,010 | 350 | 4.04× | 8 | 76 |
| Maine | $68,310 | 60 | 4.82× | 6 | 71 |
| Oregon | $73,530 | 140 | 3.87× | 8 | 53 |
| Arkansaslimited | $43,310 | 140 | 5.88× | 2 | 45 |
| Idahomoderate | $47,050 | 50 | 2.95× | 4 | 41 |
| Mississippilimited | $31,720 | 100 | 4.58× | 1 | 25 |
| New Jerseylimited | $57,380 | 140 | 1.82× | 1 | 25 |
| Louisianalimited | $75,480 | 90 | 2.66× | 2 | 13 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Relay messages about emergencies, accidents, locations of crew and personnel, and fire hazard conditions.
- Conduct wildland firefighting training.
- Estimate sizes and characteristics of fires, and report findings to base camps by radio or telephone.
- Direct crews working on firelines during forest fires.
- Locate forest fires on area maps, using azimuth sighters and known landmarks.
- Extinguish smaller fires with portable extinguishers, shovels, and axes.
- Patrol assigned areas, looking for forest fires, hazardous conditions, and weather phenomena.
- Compile and report meteorological data, such as temperature, relative humidity, wind direction and velocity, and types of cloud formations.
Skills
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Speaking3.8
- Active Listening3.6
- Monitoring3.4
- Writing3.1
- Learning Strategies3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Active Learning3.0
Knowledge areas
- Administration and Management4.0
- Customer and Personal Service3.8
- Education and Training3.7
- Personnel and Human Resources3.7
- Public Safety and Security3.7
- Law and Government3.5
Abilities
- Problem Sensitivity4.0
- Oral Expression4.0
- Oral Comprehension3.9
- Near Vision3.6
- Deductive Reasoning3.6
- Inductive Reasoning3.5
Core activities
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.5
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.5
- Performing General Physical Activities4.4
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment4.4
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public4.2
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.2
How to get in
How to become a forest fire inspector
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Work experience needed
- Less than 5 years
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 3 majors mapped to Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 03.0208Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services
- 43.0203Fire Science/Fire-fighting
- 43.0206Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a forest fire inspector?+
You do not need a college degree to become a forest fire inspector. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. It also expects less than 5 years of related work experience. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Fire Science/Fire-fighting; Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services; and Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a forest fire inspector?+
The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Fire Science/Fire-fighting; Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services; and Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this job, which together graduate about 10,755 people a year.
How much do forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists earn?+
The median is $56,870 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $35,420 at the 10th percentile to $105,460 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists growing?+
BLS projects a +14.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
300 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Forest Officer, Forest Patrolman, Fire Management Officer, Fire Prevention Technician among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 33-2022.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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