An Overview of the Wildland Firefighter Application Process
Completing a burn out in sagebrush
Wildland fire positions can be competitive.
When I first applied to become a wildland firefighter in 2012, I had no idea what I was doing. I had help from wildland firefighter friends and they guided me through the federal online application process.
After applying to every single entry-level position I could find, I only got two interest calls from the 50 or so applications I submitted. One promptly wrote me off and the other hired me.
I feel extremely lucky that I was hired when I didn’t have experience or a single basic wildland fire class (more on these shortly), but nowadays it’s common to hire people with no experience or classes and put first season firefighters through a Fire School their first few weeks of work.
A Red Card (or Incident Qualification Card) is an interagency certification that says you are qualified to do a certain job that is checked when your crew arrives on a fire. The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) sets minimum training, experience, and physical fitness standards for wildland fire positions.
The most basic wildland firefighter qualification/position is called a Firefighter 2 (FFT2) and you need the following core classes and a field day to obtain this qualification. As you move up in wildland fire you will acquire more positions, but FFT2 is what everyone starts out as.
National Wildland Coordination Group (NWCG) provides standards for wildland firefighter training. Their website explains a lot of process to acquire classes, training, and position taskbooks.
Required Classes
To get your FFT2 you will need these classes:
S-130 Firefighter Training
S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior
L-180 Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service
I-100 Introduction to Incident Command System
I-700 National Incident Management System (NIMS) An Introduction
All classes are offered around the country as instructor led classes. Your best luck will be finding them in the western US and even taking a week long Fire Camp that will get you lots of hands on experience and all your classes in one swoop.
Some S and L classes you can take online on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP). S-130 is the only one that you will need to do some field time and can’t do solely online.
I classes can be found below or at training.fema.gov (I know it says IS-100.C and IS-700.B when you click on each class, but they are the same thing).
Pro Tips for Applying
Creating a Profile on USAJobs.gov
You will need to make a login.gov account to make and access a USAJobs profile. You don’t need a log in to search and look at jobs, but you will need one to save searches or apply to jobs. It’s not a big deal to make an account, but make sure you have your account information and password written down as it can be annoying to retrieve them year to year if you lose your login information.
Finding Job Postings / USAJobs
Wildland firefighter positions are posted starting as early as August and the majority of jobs posted in September through January depending on the agency (USFS/BLM/NPS/BIA etc). Permanent positions are open first (usually early August/September and temporary seasonal jobs opening a month after).
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.
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).
This video is an overview of how to find and save entry level wildland fire jobs whether they are currently open to be applied to or if you just want to be notified as soon as they are open on the site. The filters I applied are wildland fire position specific, but can apply to any federal job you want to apply to.
Pay close attention to closing dates as most jobs are only open for a two week to 1 month window. Each Forest Service fire region has a different time period their applications are open for. Confusing, I know. Your application needs to be COMPLETE and SUBMITTED before the closing date to be accepted.
Federal wildland firefighter jobs with USFS, BLM, NPS, and BIA will ALL be posted on USAJobs.gov.
Forest Service (USFS) Regions and their current available wildland fire job info
Other Federal Agencies
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT (BLM)
Careers in BLM | Bureau of Land Management Scroll to the FIRE/ AVIATION Section
BLM Fire Contacts by State Super helpful page to get ahold of fire hiring officials
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE (NPS)
Working in Wildland Fire - Fire (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Jobs - Wildland Fire Program (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Current jobs
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS (BIA)
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
Video Overview of Application Process
This video is a comprehensive overview of the federal hiring platform, USAJobs.gov, including profile sections, job search filters and in depth detail on specific job postings and what to look for.
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