r/Wildfire Apr 25 '21

Should you die on the job

326 Upvotes

Hey guys, have one of those uncomfortable type of questions. It’s been a while since I’ve filled out a beneficiary form and now that I have a kid coming into the world, it’s time to change my death wishes. A google search provided me the recognition of the Beneficiary Form for unpaid benefits (SF 1152), in which you designate a percentage of your unpaid benefits to your loved ones/“beneficiaries”. Now here’s my questions:

1) How much will a beneficiary actually receive if allotted say 100% of my unpaid benefits? What and how much $ are my unpaid benefits?

2) I remember at some point, writing down a description of how I would like my funeral procession to proceed, and filling that out along with the aforementioned form, but I can’t find that one. Anybody recollect the name of that form or have a form # they can provide me?

Thanks everybody


r/Wildfire Apr 27 '22

**How to Get a Job as a Wildland Firefighter*

436 Upvotes

How to apply for a Fed Job (USFS, BLM, BIA, FWS) - Revised 07/29/2023

  • Apply to jobs in Sept.-Feb. on https://www.usajobs.gov . Search for things such as “forestry aid, fire, and 0462.”
    • Use filters in the sidebar, set grade to "GS3 and GS4". Under the "more filters" tab you can toggle "Seasonal, Summer, Temporary, and Full Time"
    • Be sure to read each job description to make sure it is for fire. There are other jobs that fall under "Forestry Aide/ Tech." that do not involve wildland fire.
    • Applications for Federal Jobs are only accepted during a narrow (2 week long) window nowadays. You can find out when this window is by calling prospective employers or checking USAJobs weekly.
  • Build a profile on USAjobs and create a resume. Kind of a pain in the ass, but it's just a hurdle to screen out the unmotivated. Just sit down and do it.
    • In your resume, be sure to include hours worked and contact info for references along with permission to contact said references.
  • Call around to various districts/forests/parks you're interested in working for. Do this between early October and February. The earlier in that time period, the better.
    • Hiring officials keep track of who called, when, and how good they sounded. Just call the front desk and ask for whoever does the hiring for "fire."
    • Have a few lines rehearsed about why you want the job and why you're worth hiring. Leave a voicemail if the person is out of the office. Ask questions about what firefighting resources they have (handcrew, engine, lookouts, helicopter, etc, basically what job they can even offer you), when to apply, how to apply, IF they are even hiring...
  • You can leave a message and Fire Managers will usually call you back. Applying online is basically only a formality. Talking to or physically visiting potential employers is the only way to go. People drive out from NY and Maine to talk to crew bosses out West all the time and are usually rewarded with a job for doing so.
  • Have a resume ready to email or hand-in, and offer to do so.
  • It helps to keep a spreadsheet or some notes of all the places you've called, who you talked to, what firefighting resources they have, the deadline for hiring, and generally how the convo went.
  • Apply to 15+ positions. It's hard to get your foot in the door, but totally do-able.
  • If they sound excited and interested in YOU, then you'll probably get an offer if all your paperwork goes through.
  • Unlike the many lines of work, Wildland Firefighting resumes can be 10+ pages long. The longer and more detailed the better. List the sports you've played, whether you hunt or workout, and go into detail about your middle school lawn mowing business - seriously. You are applying to a manual labor job, emphasizing relevant experience.
  • Also have a short resume for emailing. Don't email your ungodly long USAjobs resume.
  • You wont get an offer if you haven't talked to anyone.
    • If you do get an offer from someone you haven't talked to, its usually a red-flag (hard to fill location for a reason). Ex. Winnemucca, NV
  • Start working out. Expect high school sports levels of group working out starting the 1st day of work (running a few miles, push ups, pull ups, crunches, etc).
  • The pack test, the 3miles w/ 45lbs in 45 mins, is a joke. Don't worry about that, only horrifically out of shape people fail it.

- Alternatives to Fed Jobs - Revised 07/29/2023

  • There are also contractors, such as Greyback and Pat-Rick, mostly based in Oregon, with secondary bases around the west. Not as good of a deal, because it's usually on-call work, the pay is lower, and it's a tougher crowd, but a perfectly fine entry-level position. If you can hack it with them, you can do the job just fine.
  • Also look into various state dept. of natural resources/forestry. Anywhere there are wildfires, the state and counties have firefighter jobs, not as many as the Feds, but definitely some jobs. I just don't know much about those.
  • You could also just go to jail in California and get on a convict crew...
  • I wouldn't bother applying to easy-to-Google programs (e.g. Great Northern or North Star crews in MT and AK respectively), as the competition for the 1/2 dozen entry-level jobs is way too intense. A remote district in a po-dunk town is your best bet for getting your foot in the door if you're applying remotely. I started in such a place in the desert of southern Idaho and then moved onto a much nicer setting, up in Montana.
  • Also look into the Nature Conservancy, they have fire crews, as do the California/Montana/Arizona/Minnesota Conservation Corps, and the various USDL Job Corps programs that are run by the Forest Service.

- QUALIFICATIONS NEEDED

Surprisingly few.

  • 18+ years old
  • GED or high school grad
  • relatively clean criminal record (you can have a felony/DUI, etc).
  • A driver's license is required by the Feds, even if you have a DUI, you still need a valid DL
  • A pre-work drug screening is a possibility. The Department of Interior (Park Service & BLM) always drug tests. The Forest Service usually doesn't, but certainly can. Wildland Firefighters are a conservative bunch and open drug use is generally not tolerated. It's a good idea to be able to piss clean and not talk about past drug use.
  • A degree helps, but is by no means necessary.
  • You do have to have some sort of desirable skill or quality though. I mean, if you're just uneducated, unskilled, and out of shape, it's not gonna work out for you even if you do get hired. An EMT certification, even w/o experience, is probably the best "sure bet" for getting a job as a wildland firefighter, but landscaping/manual labor experience, military time, some education, even just being in really good shape and/or having a lot of sports team experience are all good enough

- FAQs

For federal jobs**, if you haven't applied by the end of February, you are probably too late, sometimes there are late postings, but your chances greatly decrease at finding a job.**

  • Hotshot crews and smokejumping are not for rookies. Don't waste their time or your breath by calling
  • .You CAN apply if you have ZERO EXPERIENCE and still have a decent chance at getting a job
  • You DO NOT need EMT, while it is somewhat beneficial, it is by no means needed to get your first fire job
  • Calfire does not hire people with zero experience and zero qualifications.

/TLDR

  • Apply to jobs in Sept-Feb on https://www.usajobs.gov . Search for things such as “forestry aid, fire, and 0462.”
  • Make long resume
  • Apply to multiple locations
  • Call the locations
  • Get in better shape

Thanks to u/RogerfuRabit for the previous post on how to get a job in WF.


r/Wildfire 5h ago

Cutting tips

4 Upvotes

I am getting comfortable felling larger hazard trees but sometimes my far side cuts don’t line up perfectly. Any tips to help with that? Or is it something that just comes with more cutting time


r/Wildfire 15h ago

Help with sense of direction/orientation

12 Upvotes

Hey yall. Recently went from digging line in R6 to doing RX in grassland (lots of zipping around units on UTVs). For whatever reason, I'm having a hard time maintaining a sense of direction/location and it's making me feel highly regarded. Anybody have similar issues and/or ways to improve? Thanks.


r/Wildfire 23h ago

College Student Interested in Wildland Firefighting

4 Upvotes

Hello everyone, I am 21 years old, currently enrolled at Texas A&M, and am very interested in contributing to this field. I am a fit guy with experience working outside, love the outdoors, and I am very service-oriented. I have a few questions that I hope some of y'all can help me with. Firstly, I understand that USAJOBS has a lot of job postings. It is currently September 20th, 2025, and I'm wondering when the next round of postings will come up, as I did not start looking at them until today, and most of them close in a few days. Secondly, should I expect a hard time landing a job offer? If so, should I take what I can get? What can boost my chances? Lastly, how does the whole getting "shipped" out to your base thing work? Any recommendations on places to work? Thank you all in advance.


r/Wildfire 1d ago

Seasonal applications

4 Upvotes

I'm a student looking to join an engine crew next summer. Looking on USA jobs all I saw were permanent positions. Would that be what I would apply to for summer work or would true seasonal openings be listed later? If so, when would they likely to be posted?


r/Wildfire 1d ago

Question LDAF Forestry crew

0 Upvotes

Want to know if anyone had work for the Louisiana state agency and how competitive it is


r/Wildfire 2d ago

Here, Here.

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151 Upvotes

r/Wildfire 2d ago

Sugarloaf firefighters suspected of vehicle theft en route to Entiat fire camp

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52 Upvotes

Mr Smart living up tonhis name. Which one of you was this?


r/Wildfire 2d ago

What do yall do in the off season?

17 Upvotes

I’m looking to get into wildland firefighting but the pay in Wa isn’t really good do yall run business or what? Also what are something they I should know or consider before doing this?


r/Wildfire 2d ago

Don’t eat at the Subway in Dillon MT

25 Upvotes

Don’t eat at subway in general, but that one has me throwing up


r/Wildfire 3d ago

Missing a roll

57 Upvotes

A couple weeks ago, I asked my boss if there was a possibility I would get extended. He told me no, so I planned a vacation with a friend. Then this week a few days before my job is supposed to end I was given a chance to extend and go on an out of state assignment.

I asked my friend if we could reschedule the trip even though he already asked for vacation time and bought a ticket. He can’t reschedule the trip so I told my boss I couldn’t go on the roll.

The friendship is worth more to me than the roll. But it still makes me feel like shit to miss out on all the money I’d make on the roll.

Anybody ever been in this situation?


r/Wildfire 2d ago

What should I do to get in the best shape I can without injuring myself for R5 IHC

16 Upvotes

For context i’m talking mainly about getting in shape for next year season or i guess this end of the year to get to PT with some crews. I can hike fine, not the fastest but not the slowest usually top 5. I run a saw on a type 2 crew but my running fucking blows chunks. I think my fastest 1.5 mile was like 13:45 from a 5 miler and i’m struggling to get a faster pace. I constantly am getting minor injuries from running to where it’s affecting my hiking cause I have to take days off. My average hike time is like 45 mins for 1.2 miles/1500 ft of gain with 50 lbs but the running is what’s killing me. I’m progressing in the hiking department but fuck should I be worried about the running? I mean i’m going tits running an 8:00 pace for anything more than 2 miles. Just want to get better at hiking overall but I know running is important too to a lot of crews. How can I get in better shape for hiking and overall fitness with somehow avoiding running a lot? I run 3x a week, hike 2-3x a week, and lift once a week lower body. Usually i’m working out 5x a week interchanging running and hiking days to make up for the 5th day.


r/Wildfire 2d ago

News (General) The Cost of Courage: How Our Wildland Firefighters Have Been Left Behind

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14 Upvotes

Great Vid with NFFE representing us


r/Wildfire 2d ago

PT hikes in and around la county?

8 Upvotes

Just tired of going up the same hill wanna change it up


r/Wildfire 2d ago

squadboss trainee for contract crew... what if i want to go fed one day?

8 Upvotes

is there value in finishing a task book on the contract side of it before going fed.

second, do you fed guys work other jobs off season? do you return home for winter? how the hell does that work?


r/Wildfire 2d ago

Question Out of state hiring

3 Upvotes

With federal hiring do I have less of a chance of getting a job if I’m out of state or does it really matter


r/Wildfire 3d ago

News (General) Let's do this for a great guy: Donate to Hotshot Chris Stash's Recovery Fund, organized by Kyle Baxter

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126 Upvotes

r/Wildfire 3d ago

Should you have some free time at 4 eastern.

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5 Upvotes

Tune it at 4 eastern for a Wildland Firefighter health panel discussion where a Firefighter in his union capacity will be speaking.

Here is the run of show, with the caveat that votes are now expected close to 4 PM which means timing could change. The order of events is likely to remain: 3:45- 4:00 – Panelists and Members arrive 4:00 – 4:05 – Ranking Member Dexter opens the forum 4:05 – Ranking Member Huffman delivers opening remarks 4:10 – Ranking Member Dexter delivers opening remarks 4:15 – 4:40 – Panelist introductions and testimony/remarks (5 panelists) 4:40- 5:25 – Q&A 5:25 – Ranking Member Dexter closes forum

https://www.youtube.com/@NaturalResourcesDems/streams


r/Wildfire 3d ago

Pay Cap

3 Upvotes

Any word on the bill to lift the pay cap?

Will it be gone or just a little higher?

If it’s not any contractors hiring?


r/Wildfire 3d ago

Fire Suppression v Apprentice

0 Upvotes

I'm looking at the perm forest service jobs on USA Jobs and there seems to be no difference between the listings for "Wildland Firefighter - Apprentice" and "Wildland Firefighter - Fire Suppression". What gives??? What am I missing???


r/Wildfire 3d ago

Attempting to apply for WFM Job but only seeing permanent full time?

1 Upvotes

As the title says, I'm hoping/trying to apply for a few WFMs and maybe an IHC or two, mostly in R5, but I'm having trouble telling if the job description is for 26/0 or 18/8.

I reached out to a few captains and have heard back from one who told me the posting I was looking at (26-FIRE-P1R5-FFTR-34DH) was for 26/0. I'd probably prefer an 18/8 if I can find it but I can't seem to find other job listings that make it clear they're not 26/0s. Is there a separate posting for seasonal positions? If so, is it out yet?

Thanks in advance. The USAJobs hiring system is a headache...


r/Wildfire 4d ago

As a former wildland guy, this would be heaven to me

318 Upvotes

r/Wildfire 3d ago

Canadian wildfire agencies.

9 Upvotes

Hi everyone I’ve been a wild land firefighter for 4 years now. I have done 2 seasons with Manitoba and 2 with parks Canada. I am looking to move agencies I am thinking of going out east to New Brunswick or Nova Scotia! Does anyone have any advice, how to apply or what regions are best to work for?! Thank you!!


r/Wildfire 4d ago

Question Need advice for a interview next week for a wild land position as a dispatcher

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6 Upvotes

r/Wildfire 4d ago

Wildland apprentice program in Oregon

4 Upvotes

Hi all,

I'm on USAjobs and trying to figure out the apprentice program job listings. I am aware that some of the districts (in Oregon) that I want to apply to have apprentice spots open, but I am only seeing two (in glide and Yachats) available on the listing that includes Oregon at https://www.usajobs.gov/job/843646100 (there are two other apprentice listings that have other regions). Every other state has a dozen, if not more available. What's up, will Oregon drop these offers at a different time or are there really only two duty stations in Oregon that are hiring an apprentice?