Blue Lake Rancheria Resilience Service Corps Fellow

Blue Lake Rancheria | Tribal Resilience Service Corps Fellow

Resilience service corps fellow

Job Description

Department Office of Emergency Services / Tribal Resilience Service Corps

Program Tribal Resilience Service Corps (TRSC)

Employment Status Full-Time, Grant-Funded

Reports To TRSC Program Manager and designated departmental supervisor(s)

Compensation To Be Determined

Position Term Grant-funded position subject to program requirements and available funding

Position Summary

The Tribal Resilience Service Corps (TRSC) Fellow is a workforce-development position designed to provide young adults with hands-on work experience, professional training, mentorship, and career-development opportunities in climate resilience, fuels reduction, defensible space and home hardening, forestry and wood utilization, environmental stewardship, emergency preparedness, public safety, and related public-service fields.

TRSC Fellows work collaboratively with Blue Lake Rancheria departments, including the Office of Emergency Services (OES), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Wildland Fire Department (WFD), Police Department (PD), Tribal Education Agency (TEA), and Resiliency Training and Innovation Center (RTIC). Fellows participate in supervised fieldwork, training, community engagement, and resilience projects while developing transferable occupational skills and professional credentials.

The position supports the TRSC goals of reducing wildfire risk, strengthening long-term emergency preparedness and climate resilience, protecting Tribal lands and infrastructure, and developing pathways for young adults to pursue careers in public service and related fields.

Responsibilities

Wildfire Risk Reduction, Fuels Reduction & Home Hardening

Perform supervised vegetation thinning, brush clearing, limbing, and other fuels-reduction activities designed to reduce wildfire risk.

Establish and maintain defensible space around homes, Tribal facilities, critical infrastructure, and other structures.

Assist with shaded fuel breaks, vegetation management, and fire-adapted landscaping projects.

Support home-hardening activities intended to improve the resistance of homes and other structures to wildfire impacts, consistent with assigned duties and training.

Assist with property and site assessments to identify vegetation, combustible materials, and other conditions that may contribute to wildfire risk.

Assist with projects that reduce hazardous fuels and improve the resilience of Tribal lands and developed areas.

Participate in forest-health, ecological-restoration, and vegetation-management projects.

Participate in community education and outreach regarding defensible space, home hardening, wildfire preparedness, vegetation management, and community resilience. Sawmill & Wood-Processing Activities

Assist with supervised sawmill and wood-processing activities that support Tribal forestry, fuels-management, environmental stewardship, and resilience projects.

Assist with receiving, sorting, measuring, staging, stacking, drying, storing, and inventorying logs, lumber, and other forest products.

Assist with preparation and handling of woody materials generated through vegetation management, fuels- reduction, forest-health, and ecological-restoration projects.

Participate in the processing and productive utilization of appropriate woody material consistent with assigned duties, training, and program safety requirements.

Maintain clean, organized, and safe sawmill, lumber-storage, and wood-processing work areas.

Assist with appropriate handling and management of sawdust, wood debris, and other processing byproducts.

Use hand tools and other approved equipment appropriate to assigned duties after receiving required instruction and authorization.

Immediately report unsafe conditions, damaged equipment, or other workplace hazards to the designated supervisor.

Perform only sawmill and wood-processing activities authorized by program leadership and consistent with the Fellow's training and applicable grant requirements.

Emergency Preparedness & All-Hazards Resilience

Participate in Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Tribal Emergency Response Team (TERT) training and appropriate preparedness activities.

Assist with community preparedness, disaster planning, and shelter-support activities.

Participate in training related to flood preparedness, evacuation logistics, emergency sheltering, Incident Command System, first aid, CPR/AED, and other all-hazards disciplines.

Assist with traffic-management planning and appropriate support activities during community events, exercises, shelter activations, or evacuations under designated supervision.

Participate in emergency exercises and other preparedness activities consistent with the Fellow's training.

During emergencies, perform authorized support functions as directed by OES and the appropriate responding department, within the Fellow's demonstrated level of training.

Community Engagement & Tribal Resilience

Participate in community outreach and public-education activities involving wildfire risk, emergency preparedness, climate resilience, and personal preparedness.

Assist with community risk assessments, mapping activities, preparedness projects, and Tribal resilience- planning activities.

Participate in planning workshops, exercises, community events, and resilience initiatives.

Support projects designed to strengthen the preparedness and resilience of Blue Lake Rancheria and surrounding communities. Represent the TRSC and Blue Lake Rancheria professionally during community events, training, and partner activities.

Participate in California Volunteers/Youth Service Corps activities and events as required by the program.

Training & Professional Development

TRSC Fellows are expected to participate actively in structured training and workforce-development activities. Depending upon assignment, availability, and program requirements, training opportunities may include:

Wildland fire behavior and firefighter training, including S-190 and S-130;

CERT/TERT;

First Aid, CPR and AED;

Incident Command System;

Flood preparedness and flood-fight training;

Shelter operations;

Traffic management/flagger training;

Wide-area search;

HAZWOPER;

Fuels-reduction and ecological-restoration techniques;

Fire ecology and cultural fire practices;

Sawmill, wood-processing, forestry, and related occupational skills appropriate to assigned duties; and

Additional training and professional-development opportunities provided through Blue Lake Rancheria and program partners.

Fellows will begin with supervised assignments and may receive progressively greater responsibility as they demonstrate competence. Fellows may also receive mentorship from participating Tribal departments and career-development support.

Minimum qualifications

Meet applicable Youth Service Corps and TRSC participant eligibility requirements.

Demonstrate an interest in climate resilience, environmental stewardship, forestry, fuels reduction, emergency preparedness, public safety, public service, or related career fields.

Ability and willingness to participate in required classroom, hands-on, and field training.

Ability to follow written and verbal instructions and established safety procedures.

Ability to work effectively as part of a team and under direct supervision.

Ability to communicate respectfully and effectively with fellow participants, Tribal employees, instructors, partner organizations, and community members.

Ability to maintain reliable participation in assigned work, training, meetings, and program activities. Willingness to learn new occupational skills and complete required training and professional-development activities.

Program Eligibility

Participants must meet applicable Youth Service Corps eligibility requirements. Under the governing NOFO, participants must be between 16 and 30 years of age on their first day of service. Recruitment and selection will follow applicable grant requirements, approved program priorities, and Blue Lake Rancheria hiring procedures.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Ability to work effectively in a structured workforce-development environment.

Ability to learn and safely apply new technical and occupational skills.

Ability to work cooperatively as part of a cohort and multidisciplinary Tribal team.

Ability to understand and follow safety procedures and supervisor instructions.

Ability to use assigned tools and equipment safely and responsibly within the individual's training and authorization.

Effective communication with coworkers, supervisors, instructors, partners, and members of the public.

Reliability, initiative, teamwork, professionalism, and accountability.

Ability to maintain awareness of workplace hazards and immediately communicate safety concerns.

Ability to apply skills learned through classroom instruction to supervised field and community-service activities.

Ability to accept constructive feedback and demonstrate continued professional growth.

Supervision & Safety

Fellows will work under the supervision of designated staff from OES, EPA, WFD, PD, or other participating Tribal departments depending upon the assignment. Fellows will receive appropriate orientation and safety instruction before performing assigned field or operational duties. Required personal protective equipment will be provided or identified for applicable assignments.

Fellows shall not independently perform work beyond their demonstrated level of training or authorization. Assigned activities must remain consistent with Youth Service Corps requirements, including restrictions on activities requiring high levels of safety precautions and requirements for specialized training. Program assignments will be structured so participants serve alongside at least one other program participant.

Working Conditions

The position includes a combination of indoor training, outdoor field assignments, community activities, and supervised operational work. Assignments may involve work outdoors in varying weather conditions and on uneven terrain, as well as exposure to vegetation, dust, noise, wood debris, machinery operating in the vicinity, and other conditions associated with forestry, fuels reduction, ecological restoration, emergency preparedness, and approved wood-processing activities. Fellows are required to follow established safety procedures and use appropriate personal protective equipment for assigned duties.

Workforce Development & Mentorship

Each Fellow will participate in structured workforce-development activities intended to prepare participants for future employment, education, or advanced occupational training. Career-development assistance may include mentorship, resume development, interview preparation, employment guidance, credential development, and exploration of education and career pathways in environmental services, emergency management, wildfire resilience, forestry, public safety, and other public-service fields.

Program Participation Requirements

Participate in required orientation and onboarding.

Complete assigned safety and technical training.

Participate in mentoring, team-building, reflection, and professional-development activities.

Maintain required service-hour and program documentation.

Participate in program surveys, evaluations, and performance reviews.

Work alongside other TRSC participants as required by the Youth Service Corps program.

Participate in applicable California Volunteers orientation, activities, training, and convenings.

Follow Blue Lake Rancheria policies, departmental procedures, program requirements, and supervisory direction.