Forest Service announces hiring of firefighters

The USDA Forest Service is hiring permanent wildland firefighters for the 2025 fire year across national forests and grasslands.

Positions include aviation officers, dispatchers, equipment operators, fire engine operators, fire management officers, fire planners, fire prevention specialists, forestry aids and technicians, handcrew members, helitack crew members, hotshot crew members, pilots, prescribed fire and fuels specialists, smokejumpers and more. Pay plans include Wage Grade, Wage Leader, and General Schedule levels 3–13.

Job information, including duty locations, pay plans, pay levels and application details, is available online on the Forest Service Careers webpage. Job seekers can apply through USAJobs.gov from April 14–24, 2025.

Application and resume preparation tips and guidelines, including step-by-step instructions and on-demand webinars, are available on the How to Apply webpage.

Any U.S. citizen or national who is at least 18 years of age can apply. Hiring managers will use a Direct Hire Authority to hire applicants, which means Veterans’ Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply.

The new GS-0456 Wildland Fire Management series will be used to fill several positions, with pay based on the 2025 Wildland Firefighters Locality Pay Tables.

New hires will increase the agency’s capacity to prepare for catastrophic wildfire, implement fire prevention and active forest management strategies, and respond effectively to wildfire emergencies to safeguard lives, property and natural resources.

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology-and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.