Employment

Employment

Numerous employment opportunities exist within the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Branch of Fire Management. National, regional and refuge level positions, of a permanent, seasonal or temporary status are continually announced as necessary. Federal jobs all are listed online, through a searchable database at USAJOBS.

Current Vacancies

To review current openings within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, please see our position vacancy listings.

Download - Recruitment Brochure (4MB, pdf)

Web Sites for Fire Jobs

• Conservation Applicant Referral Evaluation System (CARES)
• DOI Temporary Fire Jobs
• UASJOBS 0462, 0455 Series Current Job Listings

Seasonal/Temporary Applicants

Are you curious about what is expected of a seasonal wildland firefighter? A few questions to ask yourself BEFORE applying for a wildland firefighter position are:

• Do I enjoy the outdoors?
• Do I enjoy strenuous physical activities?
• Am I physically fit?
• Do I work well with others?
• Am I willing to travel?
• Am I willing to work long unusual hours?
• Am I willing to sleep in a tent for 14 days?

If you answered yes to the questions above, then a USFWS seasonal wildland firefighter position may be right for you!

Learn more by reading the Wildland Firefighter Job Description - Download PDF

Night burnout operation on the Biscuit Complex, 2002. (USFWS)

APPLYING

There are three primary web sites to explore when searching for seasonal or permanent employment. CARES, a Fish & Wildlife Service operated site, lists permanent, career-oriented jobs. Seasonal and temporary positions are best found by searching USAJobs and the Department of the Interior Temporary Fire Jobs site.

Tips for first time job searchers:

• Wildland firefighters are classified as Forestry Technicians/Aids or Range Technicians/Aids.
• When searching by job "series", use 0462 (Forestry Technician/Aid) and/or 0455 (Range Technician/Aid).
• Expand your search area to the state or national level; it will increase your chance of finding jobs.
• If this is your first time applying, search lower pay grade levels, as it will also increase the number of applicable jobs.
• Read jobs announcements CAREFULLY and ensure you submit ALL required documents in order to be considered for a job

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages public land in every U.S. state and territory, including 547 national wildlife refuges and 69 national fish hatcheries.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages 75 million burnable acres, including 24 million acres of forest/brushland and 4 million acres of grassland.

More than 50% of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands in the continental U.S. (and more than 90% in Alaska) include fire-adapted ecosystems with vegetation dependent on periodic fire.

An average of 500 wildfires burn 260,000 acres each year on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands. The Service also burns about 300,000 acres a year using prescribed fire.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service annual fire program budget is approximately $80 million.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employs more than 530 permanent fire professionals, along with 270 seasonal and temporary fire employees during fire season.

More than 3,000 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees are qualified to assist with wildland fire management on an interagency basis.

The U.S. Fish and Wildland Service Fire Management Program protects more than 700 communities and wildland-urban interface areas.

Historically, an acre was the amount of land tillable by one man behind an ox in one day. This measures 90% of a football field. There are 640 acres in a square mile.

More than 90% of the hazardous fuels reduction by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is completed using prescribed fire.