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A Wildland Firefighter is an expert at
preventing, tackling, and extinguishing angry flames that attack our great
outdoors.
“Taxing” does not even begin to describe the
mental and physical demands that men and women experience in this line of work.
However, at the end of all that hard work, there is great reward and
satisfaction.
If you see yourself in a career that involves
a love of nature, grueling labor, unparalleled comradery, and pushing yourself
to extremes, then this may be the job for you!
Here are the steps required to begin your
career as a Wildland Firefighter.
General Requirements
- U.S. Citizen
- 18 years of age
- High school diploma or equivalent
Knowledge Base
Basic Education
You will need to take a handful of courses as
a minimum qualification for many wildland firefighting positions. The following
courses (or course equivalents) are offered at community colleges, four-year
universities, and vocational institutes:
- Survival Training
- Fire Behavior
- Incident Command
Advanced Education
A college degree is not typically required
for an entry-level wildland firefighting position; however, it may help show
how serious you are about the profession, and help you advance in your career
down the road. Here are some of the most popular degrees among wildland
firefighters:
- Wildland Fire
- Fire Science
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Forestry
- Fire Ecology
- Fire Technology
Written Test
For a wildland firefighting job, you will
have to pass a written test issued by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group
(NWCG). This standardized test is about 100 questions long and gauges your:
- Spatial awareness
- Mechanical reasoning
- Logic
Physical Strength & Endurance
As a wildland firefighter, you’ll go through
countless strength and endurance tests, so it’s important to find out now if
you can withstand the required physical demands. The NWCG requires that you
complete the Work Capacity Test before you become a wildland firefighter.
Test highlight: a 3-mile hike carrying 45
pounds of weight that needs to be completed in less than 45 minutes (no jogging
or running)
- Your employer will issue this
test the first day you report to work and if you do not pass you have two weeks
to take it again – if you do not pass at that point, you may have to start over.
You should prepare for this test with lots of
cardio + added weight.
Vacancies & Applications
Now that you feel mentally and physically
prepared to take on a career as a wildland firefighter, it’s time to find an
opening. Government wildland firefighter vacancies are listed on
www.usajobs.gov. Here are the steps to apply:
- Create an account
- Build or upload your resume
- Search vacancies and select ones
that interest you
- Carefully review requirements
specific to that job to determine if you qualify
- Now Apply!
- oMake sure to provide all the necessary documents
- oSubmit your application
- oTrack its status
These sites offer great tools to help you
navigate the
www.usajobs.gov portal:
- U.S. Forest Service United States
Department of Agriculture
- Wildland Fire Jobs U.S.
Department of the Interior
Private Contractors also hire and train
wildland firefighters. Check with individual companies to see if they are
hiring and what their requirements are. A great place to start looking for
these employment opportunities is through the National Wildfire Suppress
Association (NWSA) at
http://nwsa.publishpath.com/current-members.