JC-529684 - Cook Specialist I- Fort Bragg
- California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
- Hybrid (Fort Bragg, CA, USA)
- Aug 25, 2026
Job Description
Cook Specialist I (2185)
California State Personnel Board Specification
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Schematic Code: DJ40
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Class Code: 2185
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Established: 10/23/1953
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Revised: 07/11/1979
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Title Changed: 05/02/2001
Definition
Under supervision, to assist in preparing, cooking, and dispensing food for the residents and employees of a State institution; to care for culinary equipment, supplies, and work areas; to work with employees and helpers from the resident population; may instruct, lead, or supervise inmates, wards, or resident workers; and do other related work.
Distinguishing Characteristics
This is the first working level in the Cook series. Employees in the class of Cook Specialist I normally work under the supervision of a Cook Specialist II performing the less responsible and less skilled duties required in the preparation, cooking, and dispensing of food. Employees in this class may be used in detached living units for short order food preparation and supervision of food serving by residents.
Employees in this class who perform responsible cooking duties either through a combination of duties or rotation may also supervise such activities as the cleaning of cooking pots and equipment in a central pot washing room, the preparation of fruits and vegetables in a central vegetable room, or the cleanup and other less responsible tasks in the kitchen, bake shop, or butcher shop, such as bread slicing, weighing ingredients, and the more routine meat cutting and grinding. However, if these duties are performed on a permanent full-time basis and not in combination with or rotated with more responsible cooking duties, such duties are allocated to the class Food Service Technician II.
Through training or on-the-job work experience employees are expected to develop skill in quantity cooking as preparation for advancement to Cook Specialist II.
Employees in the class of Food Service Technician I in the kitchen, bake shop, or meat unit perform the more routine tasks, and clean and maintain utensils, equipment, and work areas.
Typical Tasks
Performs the less responsible and less skilled tasks required in preparing, cooking, and dispensing various food items; relieves the cooks, bakers, or meat cutters of routine operations such as tending steam kettles, watching, turning, and stirring food; supervises clean-up operations and such other duties as slicing bread, weighing ingredients, and cutting and grinding meat; cleans and maintains culinary utensils, equipment, and work areas with the assistance of employees and helpers from the resident population; participates in on-the-job or classroom instruction for cooks; may supervise the work of helpers from the resident population; as required, acts for the Cook Specialist II, Baker I, or Butcher-Meat Cutter I in his/her absence.
Minimum Qualifications
Either I
One year of experience in the California state service performing the duties of a Food Service Technician I.
Or II
One year of experience in assisting a cook in the preparation and cooking of a varied menu. (Full-time training in a recognized trade school or training program for cooks may be substituted for the required experience on the basis of one month of school attendance being equal to two months of experience.)
Knowledge and Abilities
Knowledge of: Kitchen sanitation and safety measures; food handling sanitation; principles, procedures, and equipment used in the storage, care, preparation, cooking, and dispensing of food in large quantity; methods and procedures used in the operation, cleaning, and care of utensils, equipment, and work areas.
Ability to: Complete satisfactorily a training program in the preparation and cooking of all food groups; follow directions; keep records; analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action; communicate at a level appropriate to the classification.
Special Personal Characteristics
Sympathetic understanding of and willingness to work with the resident population of a State institution; personal cleanliness; good sense of smell and taste; and freedom from communicable diseases.
Chuck Callahan
State
Immediate Fill
The men and women of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) are dedicated to the fire protection and stewardship of over 31 million acres of California's privately-owned wildlands. In addition, the Department provides varied emergency services in 36 of the State's 58 counties via contracts with local governments.
Preventing wildfires in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) is a vital part of CAL FIRE's mission. While these efforts have occurred since the early days of the Department, CAL FIRE has adapted to the evolving destructive wildfires and succeeded in significantly increasing its efforts in fire prevention. The Department's Fire Prevention Program consists of multiple activities including wildland pre-fire engineering, vegetation management, fire planning, education and law enforcement. Typical fire prevention projects include brush clearance, prescribed fire, defensible space inspections, emergency evacuation planning, fire prevention education, fire hazard severity mapping, and fire-related law enforcement activities.
Beyond its wildland firefighting role, CAL FIRE is an "all-risk" department. It may very well be a CAL FIRE engine and crew that is dispatched to the scene of an auto accident, or to a home where a child has become the victim of a drowning incident. The Department is always ready to respond - medical aids; hazardous material spills; swift water rescues; search and rescue missions; civil disturbances; train wrecks; floods, earthquakes and more.
Because of the Department's size and major incident management experience, it is often asked to assist or take the lead in disasters, including the Northern and Central California floods of 1997, 1998, and 2006; the 1991 Cantara train derailment and toxic spill; 1994 Northridge earthquake; 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake; the 1991 Tunnel Fire in the Oakland/Berkeley Hills; and the 2003 Southern California Fire Siege.
As part of the CAL FIRE team since 1995, the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) supports the CAL FIRE mission to protect life and property through fire prevention engineering programs, law and code enforcement and education. The OSFM provides for fire prevention by enforcing fire-related laws in state-owned or operated buildings, investigating arson fires in California, licensing those who inspect and service fire protection systems, approving fireworks as safe and sane for use in California, regulating the use of chemical flame retardants, evaluating building materials against fire safety standards, regulating hazardous liquid pipelines, and tracking incident statistics for local and state government emergency response agencies.
The OSFM, State Fire Training, and CAL FIRE Academy programs provide training education and certification programs for the California Fire Service. Through practical training exercises and classroom courses, every California firefighter is exposed to training standards that have been approved by CAL FIRE and OSFM, each among the best institutions in the nation for fire training education.
CAL FIRE's mission emphasizes the management and protection of California's natural resources; a goal that is accomplished through ongoing assessment and study of the State's natural resources and an extensive CAL FIRE Resource Management Program. CAL FIRE oversees enforcement of California's forest practice regulations, which guide timber harvesting on private lands. Reviews and inspections ensure protection of watershed and wildlife, as well as renewal of timber resources. Department foresters and fire personnel work closely to encourage and implement fuels management projects to reduce the threat of uncontrolled wildfires. CAL FIRE Foresters promote conservation and the importance of our trees and forests to Californians of all ages.
CAL FIRE manages eight Demonstration State Forests that provide for commercial timber production, public recreation, and research and demonstration of good forest management practices. Additional forestry programs include urban forestry, archaeology, pest management, etc.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is California's fire department and resource management agency. The organization is comprised of nearly 8,000 permanent and seasonal employees. The mission of the Department is to serve and safeguard the people and protect the property and resources of California.
CAL FIRE is an equal opportunity employer, providing equal opportunity to all regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age or sexual orientation. CAL FIRE offers well-paying careers and opportunities for advancement.
When you join CAL FIRE, you join a family of employees that function as a team. You will build trust and friendship with your co-workers, as together you respond to emergencies and challenging situations. CAL FIRE provides employees with a variety of career choices and opportunities. We hope that you will consider a rewarding and challenging career with CAL FIRE!
http://calfire.ca.gov/about/about_careers_vacancies