2024 Season Wildland Firefighter Job Postings/ FIREHIRE
Note: 2024 season hiring is over! If you’re clicking on this trying to get a job for summer 2025 check out this new blog post.
Hiring season has already started for 2024! Vacancies for many temporary seasonal positions in FireHire will be open in USAjobs October 26 through November 21, 2023! Vacancies for many permanent positions in FireHire were open in USAjobs August 31 through September 29, 2023 (there may be another round of last minute perm hiring in the spring). Get your resumes ready and make sure to set alerts for wildland fire job postings on USAJobs.gov so you can apply for next season’s jobs as they become available.
I go into depth about how to apply and what to look for on this page of the website. I have a very in-depth resume post here. information on this blog post is specific to 2024 while the info on the website page is more broad.
I recommend applying for both permanent and temporary positions at the GS-03 (and/or GS-04 if you qualify) level to maximize your potential job prospects.
GS LEVELS (PAY SCALE) AKA Grade/ Series
Entry level jobs are GS-03 pay level/ grade. If you have some college or a degree you may qualify for a GS-04. Currently all Forest Service wildland firefighter positions are series 0462- Forestry Technician. Jobs may say Wildland Firefighter (Forestry Technician/Aid) or Forestry Technician (Fire, Hotshot/ Handcrew, Engine, Apprentice, FFTR, WFFR etc) depending on what Federal agency the position is for.
TEMPORARY SEASONAL VS PERMANENT JOB POSITIONS
All entry level jobs are temporary seasonal except for federal apprenticeship positions and a new one labeled Forestry Technician (FFTR) or even (WFFR), which are permanent positions. Wildland Firefighter Apprenticeship Program (WFAP) positions are a set career path with classes and trainings to go from an entry level FFT2 to the next step in wildland fire as a FFT1/ squad boss. A huge bonus is that these are considered permanent seasonal positions and you will get retirement and health care benefits that you don’t get as a temporary seasonal.
Here’s more info: Forest Service WFAP Page
Important for 2024: DRUG TESTING
All temporary and permanent firefighter positions will be drug tested for 2024 as a preemployment requirement 90 days prior to first work day. This is new for seasonals. Previously only permanent employees were drug tested prior to hiring
Find job openings by visiting usajobs.gov; searching keyword: fire or use this link (filtered by fire/ open to the public/ GS-03/04)
I like to set saved searches with specific GS levels and states so I can be notified by email whenever a wildland fire job is posted that fits my parameters. You can get as specific as you like using the filters on the right side of the page (they show up once you’ve done a primary search for wildland fire jobs).
OUTREACH ANNOUNCEMENTS
Outreach announcements are put out by each individual forest/national park/BLM zone/ etc. They usually come out shortly before the jobs are posted in USAJobs. They have all the fire jobs broken down by job announcement, crew type, location, and how to contact hiring officials for each crew. As well as a timeframe for hiring and when to expect interest calls and when they are making hiring decisions. They are the best resource for finding fire positions in each region/ forest.
I linked to any I could find below next to each region. But they finally made all available outreaches searchable and include contact info for specific positions. Here it is: Outreach Search Page
Decoding a Forest Service job/ Vacancy announcement Number
These are the specific job postings you will be applying for. Towns are listed under a specific region, which will have its own job announcement. These can be found on outreach announcements or in job postings on social media or web pages.
LOCATIONS: You can select up to 10 duty locations.
If you want to be considered for additional locations, you need to mark location negotiable when you apply. If you do not mark it, you CANNOT be considered/hired for any locations other than the ones you select.
PERMANENT POSITION/ FIREHIRE EXAMPLE:
24-FIRE-P1R14-FFTR-34DH
24- Year
FIRE- Position
P1- Phase 1 (there’s usually multiple phases of hiring
R14- Regions 1 & 4
FFTR- Crew Type, WFAP/ HCREW/ ENG can also be seen here
34- GS 03 & 04 pay grade
DH- Direct Hire
TEMPORARY POSITION EXAMPLES:
23-TEMPF3-R4-3867-3DH
23- Year
TEMPF3- TEMP: Temporary F: Fire 3: Phase 3 overall of hiring
R4- Region 4
3867- This one denotes general Forestry Aid (Fire). Each position is assigned a random set of numbers that change year to year.
3- GS-03 pay grade
DH- Direct Hire
23-TEMPF3-R4-0003-4DH
23- Year
TEMPF3- TEMP: Temporary F: Fire 3: Phase 3 overall of hiring
R4- Region 4
0003- This one denotes general Forestry Technician (Fire). Each position is assigned a random set of numbers that change year to year. On another announcement 2036 was assigned to Forestry Technician (Hotshot/Handcrew).
4- GS-04 pay grade
DH- Direct Hire
US Forest Service (USFS) Jobs
The best link
Careers in Wildland Fire | US Forest Service (usda.gov) Explains the different types of positions (crew, engine, helitack, etc). Heaps of information on where/ how to apply/ who to contact in different regions. For more info on fire regions click here
Positions Available Nationwide
Click on each region for more information including location information, outreachs with job announcements, hiring contact info, and application dates. I will add outreaches next to the region when they become available.
Vacancies for many temporary seasonal positions in FireHire will be open in USAjobs October 26 through November 21, 2023!
Vacancies for many permanent positions in FireHire will be open in USAjobs August 31 through September 29, 2023!
From fs.usda.gov
TEMPORARY SEASONAL POSITIONS BY REGION
Northern Region (R1) Updated weekly. Current job postings for all of R1, including fire. Also resume help! Amazing resource
Rocky Mountain Region (R2) No temp info yet as of 10/4/23
Southwestern Region (R3) No temp info yet as of 10/4/23
Intermountain Region (R4) Click on individual forests for more info. It’s a mixed bag, not going to lie some have way more info than others, but heaps better than most regions
Pacific Southwest Region (R5) Basic info and application open/close dates. More overall R5 fire position info HERE
Pacific Northwest Region (R6) Not updated for 2024 at all as of 10/4/23. Overall R6 Fire position info HERE
Southern Region (R8) Linked to list of forests in R8. No real info on fire positions. All linked to USAJobs so best to contact each forest individually or save a search on USAJobs.com
Eastern Region (R9) No temp info yet as of 10/4/23
Alaska Region (R10) Very basic info on all temp jobs in R10. Best to set a saved search in USAJobs.com
PERMANENT POSITIONS BY REGION
Other helpful links
Hiring & Recruitment Events | US Forest Service (usda.gov)
Welcome to the Forest Service - New Hire Onboarding Guide | US Forest Service (usda.gov)
Permanent positions include Wildland Firefighter Apprenticeship Program (WFAP) positions.
Other Federal Agency Jobs
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Careers in Fire | Bureau of Land Management (blm.gov)
Careers in BLM | Bureau of Land Management Scroll down to the FIRE/ AVIATION Section
BLM Fire Contacts by State Super helpful page
National Park Service (NPS)
Wildland Fire Job Openings – US National Park Service
Working in Wildland Fire - Fire (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Jobs - Wildland Fire Program (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Current openings
Bureau of Indian Affiars (BIA)
Job Information | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)
Federal wildland firefighter jobs with BLM, NPS, and BIA will also be posted on USAJobs.
State Departments
CALFire Careers CALIFORNIA
Careers | Fire Prevention and Control (colorado.gov) COLORADO
Wildfire Seasonal Job Descriptions - Department of Lands (idaho.gov) IDAHO
Employment - SOUTHERN IDAHO TIMBER PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION (sitpa.org) SOUTHERN IDAHO
Wildland Firefighter Positions | Minnesota DNR (state.mn.us) MINNESOTA
Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Fire Job Search (montana.gov) MONTANA
Wildland Fire Management : Jobs: Nevada Division of Forestry NEVADA
Apply to be a Wildland Firefighter - Forestry (nm.gov) NEW MEXICO
Oregon Department of Forestry : Jobs : About ODF : State of Oregon OREGON
Employment | Utah DNR – FFSL (Forestry, Fire and State Lands) UTAH
Join our Seasonal Firefighting Team | WA - DNR WASHINGTON
Wildland Firefighter Employment | | Wisconsin DNR WISCONSIN
Other ways to find jobs postings:
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow@careersinwildlandfire (heaps of great info and specific crew’s job posting. Also grouped into fire job type postings: engine, crew, etc), @hotshotbrewery (tons of fire job postings in their stories and posts), @ushelitack (helitack specific), #fireseason2024, your local Forest, National Park, BLM, BIA, Fish and Wildlife, State Department, Department of Natural Resources, or specific crew you are trying to get on. Most crews have an Instagram account and they will post their job vacancies/ job announcements.