Education · 1 of 5
The path
You can be on a fire crew the summer after you turn 18. Getting hired is about the application window, not about school.
- 1
High school diploma and turn 18
Grade 12
Get in shape now. The fitness standard is the part that surprises people, not the fire.
- 2
Apply in the fall for next summer
Fall and winter
Federal wildland fire hiring runs on announcements posted months ahead on USAJOBS (the federal government's official hiring site). Miss the window and you wait a year.
- 3
Basic training and the fitness test
2 to 3 weeks
Introductory wildland fire behavior, firefighting, safety and fire shelter courses, plus the arduous pack test. All paid.
- 4
Your first season
About 6 months
On an engine, a hand crew or a helicopter crew. Digging line, holding line, mopping up, and a great deal of waiting.
- 5
Build your qualifications
3 to 10 years
Each season adds positions to your incident qualification card: sawyer, squad boss, engine boss and upward. That card is your career.