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Mechanical engineering... 
Forest Service mechanical engineers are assigned either as members of the 
general staff or to specialized work. On the staff they have significant areas 
of responsibility for the design, construction, and maintenance of National 
Forest improvements. These include heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and 
the other features which mechanical engineers normally handle. Engineers 
assigned to one of the two specialized fields, equipment management and 
equipment development, have unusually interesting career opportunities. 
Plans call for beginning mechanical engineer positions to be filled each year 
in both staff and specialized work. To provide broader training for recently 
employed mechanical engineers and enable them to develop a tull professional 
career, they may be offered opportunities for transfer from one type of assign- 
ment to another. 
EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT. The Forest Service uses an equipment fleet 
consisting of motor vehicles, firefighting equipment, and road construction 
and maintenance items, besides special automotive and mechanical equip- 
ment for other uses. Included in this fleet are over 600 passenger cars, 
8,000 light trucks, 1,000 medium and heavy trucks, 200 pieces of firefighting 
equipment, 700 tractors, 50 power shovels and loader units, 300 road main- 
tainers, and 700 miscellaneous items including fixed wing and rotor aircraft. 
The purchase, maintenance, repair, replacement, and general management 
of this fleet are planned and directed by Forest Service mechanical and auto- 
motive engineers. Each of the 10 regional headquarters offices has an 
equipment manager, normally classified as a mechanical engineer. He and 
his assistants are assigned general management responsibilities for the re- 
gional fleet, including the units assigned to forests, ranger districts, and other 
parts of the organization for field use. Equipment management engineers 
prepare purchase specifications, establish use rates, inspect newly acquired 
units, and prepare and publish servicing, lubrication, and other standards 
related to the use of equipment in the field. 
The equipment management engineers also have general supervision over 
equipment maintenance facilities and shopwork. Jn some instances they 
directly supervise centrally located depots and shops which are under the 
equipment manager's control. In others they have technical responsibility for 
maintenance work done in other Forest Service or privately owned shops. 
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