The Bureau of Land Management is planning a series of prescribed burns in eastern Oregon.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management Vale District is accepting applications through Sept. 14 for Women in Wildland Fire Boot Camp trainees.

The district by Sept. 21 plans to select participants in the camp, scheduled for the Oct. 19-21 and Oct. 26-28 weekends near Juntura, Ore.

The paid training will combine classroom instruction and hands-on field exercises ranging from firefighting techniques, tools and equipment to communications and safety, the district said in a news release. Students will be paid $12.74 per hour. Training materials, personal protective equipment and meals will be provided.

Completing the boot camp fulfills several entry-level requirements to work as a wildland firefighter, and qualifies participants to apply for seasonal employment with federal agencies or private contractors, the district said. Twenty to 25 students are expected to participate, spokeswoman Larisa Bogardus said.

New wildland firefighters, according to minimum federal qualification requirements listed in application materials for the boot camp, must successfully complete basic training the camp provides; pass a work-capacity test at the “arduous” level, complete a three-mile walk in less than 45 minutes while wearing a 45-pound vest; and be at least 18 at the time of hire next June.

The BLM Vale District said wildland firefighters play a key role in using fire to strategically manage sustainable, working public lands, in addition to controlling and suppressing wildfires that threaten communities and natural resources.

For information, call Cassandra Fleckenstein at(541) 473-6295. For application materials call (541) 473-6297 or email candrews@blm.gov.

Online

https://www.blm.gov/office/vale-district-office