(Seasonal) Winter Lights Fire Pit Attendant

The North Carolina Arboretum is seeking a responsible and safety-minded Fire Pit Attendant to support Winter Lights. This position helps maintain safe, welcoming outdoor gathering spaces where guests can pause, warm up, and enjoy the event. The Fire Pit Attendant's primary responsibility is to safely build, tend, monitor, and extinguish live fires in designated outdoor fire pits.

This position requires continuous attention to fire conditions, guest activity, changing weather, and the surrounding environment. Training and operating procedures are provided prior to the show's start. The Fire Pit Attendant will also monitor assigned outdoor gathering spaces, assist guests and volunteers, identify and address potential hazards, and promptly communicate safety concerns to the event producer.

The successful candidate will be dependable, observant, comfortable working independently, and able to exercise sound judgment in a busy public-event environment. This is an outdoor position, and staff must be prepared to work in cold, wet, or changing winter weather. Pay is $17 per hour.

Shifts generally run from 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., with up to 30 hours a week available through the run of show from November 12 (Preview) to January 3. Some holiday availability is required.

Primary Responsibilities - Build, tend, monitor, and safely extinguish fires in designated outdoor fire pits. - Maintain safe, controlled fire levels throughout the event. - Add and manage firewood according to established procedures. - Know the location and proper use of assigned fire safety equipment at each fire pit. - Continuously monitor guest activity around the fire pit and maintain appropriate distances between guests and open flames. - Keep fire pit areas and surrounding gathering spaces clean and orderly. - Monitor weather, wind, and site conditions that could affect fire or guest safety. - Circulate through assigned outdoor areas and remain alert to changing conditions. - Provide courteous assistance and basic event information to guests. - Check in with volunteers and other Winter Lights team members as needed. - Respond appropriately to unsafe behavior, spills, obstructions, and other potential hazards. - Promptly communicate concerns to event leadership, security, or emergency personnel. - Follow all established fire-safety, event-safety, and emergency-response procedures. - Perform other event-operations duties as assigned.

Still not sure?

Join us at The North Carolina Arboretum (100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, NC 28806) for a job fair on Tuesday, October 6 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and learn more about us and our seasonal openings. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. Preference will be given to those who apply by October 7th.