Park Ranger

Job Title

Greets and welcomes patrons of Okaloosa County Parks. Engages in educational and enforcement activities to create positive impressions of the County while also promoting safe and equitable use of designated County park areas and facilities. Encourages compliance with County contracts, rules and regulations, city ordinances, and state statutes.

Examples Of Work

• Greets and welcomes County park patrons; engages residents, visitors, and vendors by providing general information; performs educational efforts regarding public safety and compliance with County rules and regulations, state statutes and other matters of importance as directed.

• Reviews and understands vendor agreements and permits; may assist in identifying/marking permit areas and resolving disputes.

• Assists with monitoring vendor activities on the beach and may create written reports/documentation of vendor activities related to fees owed.

• Investigates complaints and County rule violations (i.e., public safety concerns, rights-of-way and easements, contract compliance, encroachment, ordinance violations).

• Engages with the public to ensure compliance of County ordinances concerning leashed/unleashed pets on the beach.

• Issues notices, citations, warnings and orders, to include Notice of Violation, Correction Notice, Stop Work Order, Notice of Hearing, Notice of Compliance and Notice of Non-Compliance.

• Documents necessary incidents, contacts, warnings and enforcements actions.

• Prepares cases for judicial process and attends court proceedings as necessary.

• Works in conjunction with other departments who are engaged in tourism, parks/facility operations and maintenance, public safety and code compliance tasks (i.e., Beach Safety, law enforcement, medical emergencies, building and fire codes, County health and sanitation codes).

• Responds to emergency situations and may render first aid/CPR and/or assist in coordination and crowd control.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Education, Training, and Experience: High school diploma or GED supplemented by two (2) years' customer service experience in a problem-solving environment which required extensive face-to-face interaction. Requires experience in rule, policy or standards review and compliance process; a working knowledge of public safety, codes, ordinances and regulation enforcement functions preferred; or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities. Public Safety, Law Enforcement, Security and/or USLA Lifeguard experience preferred. Local knowledge of Okaloosa County, tourism, and the beach environment is also preferred.

Licenses and/or Certifications: Requires a valid driver license. CPR & First-Aid certification required, or must be obtained within three (3) months of hire.

Other Requirements

Physical Requirements: Must be able to exert 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally, or 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently, or greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Requires prolonged periods of standing and walking. Must be able to traverse irregular or uneven terrain frequently. Requires full range of body motion in manipulation of limbs and torso for operation of all terrain and/or 4x4 vehicles and inspection tasks. Must be able to work for sustained periods of exposure to outside atmospheric conditions. Requires normal or corrected-to-normal eyesight for driving in beach conditions which may include obscured people or animals partially-buried in sand. This position may encounter perilous animals during execution of their duties, such as typical wildlife consistent with public beaches and/or parks, leashed or unleashed pets, and various marine life. Physical demands are in excess of sedentary work.

Language Ability: Requires ability to read a variety of records, reports, policy and procedure manuals, codes, etc. Requires the ability to read and interpret rules, codes, ordinances, laws and regulations. Requires the ability to prepare forms and reports using prescribed formats, and adhering to all rules of grammar, spelling, diction, and punctuation. Requires the ability to communicate effectively in English, and in the various professional languages relevant to code and law. Must have strong interpersonal skills, good listening skills and the ability to carry on many conversations every workday while maintaining professional demeanor at all times.

Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret a variety of technical instructions in written, mathematical or diagrammatic form; to make independent judgments in absence of supervision; to acquire knowledge of topics related to primary occupation. Requires the application of customer service principals and the ability to gain compliance through professional verbal means.

Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to count, add and subtract totals, multiply and divide, use decimals and calculate percentages; compute ratio and proportion including spatial boundaries.

Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond receiving instructions. Must be able to perform under stress when confronted with non-compliance, emergencies and frequent deadlines. Requires the ability to exercise consistent tact and courtesy during frequent contact with various vendors, contractors, professionals, county staff, other agencies and the general public.