The positions range from support type positions such as dispatcher and fire program clerk to front line positions such as engine crew and hand crew and helicopter support. There are some great reasons to look in to employment opportunities in wild land fire fighting according to Chris Niewold, recruitment specialist with the National Park Service. It s exciting and rewarding work , says Niewold, himself a veteran of several fire seasons. You get to see great places and work with people from all over the country. You work hard and have to be in great shape, but you are rewarded with a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.
Positions are available for applicants with a variety of skill levels.
These highly trained, skilled and experienced crews are made up of firefighters who have had at least one season of experience as a wild land firefighter. These firefighters are generally given assignments on the toughest part of a fire and use a variety of specialized hand tools, including chainsaws and fire line explosives. The crew members serve in all phases of wild land firefighting - building fire lines, burning out, setting backfires and mopping up. Hot shot crew members are employed for a minimum of 130 days. These crews consist of about 20 individuals who have been organized and trained and are supervised principally for operational assignments on an incident.