We typically hire around four to six new crewmembers each season. We look for people with at least a couple of seasons of fire experience, and we like to get people with special skills including chainsaw operation, EMT's and commercial drivers. We typically get several hundred applications per year from throughout the country. Recommendations from previous employers are very important to our selection process. Making personal contact with us is also important.
Persistence is also key, and sometimes it is a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
Applications generally become available in late December or early January. We start our selection process in February, and prefer to have our selections made by the first of March. Advantages of the STEP program include non-competitive hiring, and slightly different qualification requirements that can result in higher grade level. To qualify for the STEP program, you must be a student enrolled at least half-time in an accredited school, you must have an acceptance letter for the fall, and you must have a GPA of at least a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. As stated on the crew information page, our crew is unique to most hotshot crews because we are able to hire students.