Fire inspectors visit and inspect businesses and other places of assembly each year to ensure that these places meet State and local fire codes. These inspectors may also work with developers and planners to check and approve plans for new buildings and to inspect buildings under construction. Fire investigators determine the causes of fires. They collect evidence, interview witnesses, and prepare reports on fires in cases in which the cause may be arson or criminal negligence. In national forests and parks, forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists spot fires from watchtowers and report the fires to headquarters by telephone or radio. They also patrol to ensure that travelers and campers comply with fire regulations.
| 1. | Relay messages about emergencies, accidents, locations of crew and personnel, and fire hazard conditions. |
| 2. | Direct crews working on firelines during forest fires. |
| 3. | Estimate sizes and characteristics of fires, and report findings to base camps by radio or telephone. |
| 4. | Administer regulations regarding sanitation, fire prevention, violation corrections, and related forest regulations. |
| 5. | Extinguish smaller fires with portable extinguishers, shovels, and axes. |
| 6. | Locate forest fires on area maps, using azimuth sighters and known landmarks. |
| 7. | Maintain records and logbooks. |
| 8. | Examine and inventory firefighting equipment such as axes, fire hoses, shovels, pumps, buckets, and fire extinguishers in order to determine amount and condition. |
| 9. | Direct maintenance and repair of firefighting equipment, or requisition new equipment. |
| 10. | Restrict public access and recreational use of forest lands during critical fire seasons. |
| 11. | Patrol assigned areas, looking for forest fires, hazardous conditions, and weather phenomena. |
| 12. | Compile and report meteorological data, such as temperature, relative humidity, wind direction and velocity, and types of cloud formations. |
| 13. | Inspect camp sites to ensure that campers are in compliance with forest use regulations. |
| 14. | Inspect forest tracts and logging areas for fire hazards such as accumulated wastes or mishandling of combustibles, and recommend appropriate fire prevention measures. |
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