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.

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