Wildland Fire and Resource Technician 4 – White Mountain Hand Crew Superintendent
Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Fire Protection
Fairbanks, AK
$37.10 per hour
Seasonal
Wildland Firefighter Jobs
11 open listings · updated Oct 29, 2026
Median posted pay $4,469/mo (4 listings) · Pay Report
Wildland firefighter jobs put you on engines, 20-person hand crews, helitack, hotshot or smokejumper crews that fight forest and range fires for federal and state agencies. The U.S. Forest Service hires every one of those crew types and posts its wildland fire jobs on USAJOBS. For beginners looking at forest fire jobs, the entry position, Firefighter Type 2, lists no required experience.
More About Wildland Firefighter Jobs
To qualify you complete ICS-100, IS-700, L-180, S-130 and S-190 and meet the arduous fitness level, which means passing the work capacity test: 3 miles with a 45-pound pack in 45 minutes or less. Agencies train new hires. Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation gives the pack test in the first or second week of May and runs a mandatory statewide fire academy.
Federal pay follows the 2026 wildland firefighter (GW) table. In the Rest of U.S. locality a GW-3 earns $21.14 an hour, a GW-4 $23.20 and a GW-5 $25.37 at step 1. Fireline work on forest and range fires adds a 25 percent hazard pay differential, and federal law adds incident response premium pay of 450 percent of your hourly rate for each qualifying day, capped at $9,000 a year. Montana DNRC listed 2026 seasonal firefighter pay at $20.05 to $20.74 an hour, with a $1 raise on July 1, 2026 and 10 percent more on incidents. See wildland firefighter pay.
Firefighter hiring runs far ahead of the season. The Forest Service’s permanent Fire Hire for Alaska, Washington and Oregon runs August 24 to September 22, 2026, with selections November 2 to December 11 and first start dates in March 2027. Montana DNRC takes applications from January. Read wildland firefighter jobs and Forest Service seasonal jobs before you apply.
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Wildland Firefighter Temporary Aide – Module, Engine and Fuels Crews (2027 Season)
Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and ControlMultiple Colorado locations, CO$22 – $25 per hour (anticipated hiring range)Seasonal -
Cle Elum Hand Crew Foreman (Wildland Fire Management Supervisor)
Washington State Department of Natural ResourcesCle Elum, WA$4,201 – $5,642 per monthFull-time -
Hand Crew Squad Boss (Wildland Fire Management Lead) – Pacific Cascade Region
Washington State Department of Natural ResourcesChehalis, WA$3,827 – $5,111 per monthFull-time -
Kulshan Module Squad Boss (Wildland Fire Management Lead)
Washington State Department of Natural ResourcesBellingham, WA$3,827 – $5,111 per monthFull-time -
Ahtanum Hand Crew Squad Boss (Wildland Fire Management Lead)
Washington State Department of Natural ResourcesYakima, WA$3,827 – $5,111 per monthFull-time -
Wildland Firefighter (Veteran Crew Squad Boss) – Placerville
U.S. Wildland Fire Service (Dept. of the Interior)Placerville, CA$63,926 to $90,168 per yearFull-time -
Wildland Firefighter (GW-3/4/5) – Engine, Hotshot, Helitack & Handcrew, Multiple Western States
U.S. Wildland Fire Service (Dept. of the Interior)Elko, NV$44,112 to $68,844 per yearSeasonal -
Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (WFM Lead)
U.S. Wildland Fire Service (Dept. of the Interior)Marblemount, WA$75,999 – $98,795 per yearFull-time -
Fire Operations Specialist – Aviation (Helitack)
Wyoming State Forestry DivisionGlenrock, WY$32.33 HourlyFull-time -
Dallesport Hand Crew Squad Boss (Wildland Fire Management Lead)
Washington State Department of Natural ResourcesDallesport, WA$45,924.00 – $61,332.00 AnnuallyFull-time
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Recently Filled (10) These employers hire. Watch for their next listing.
Wildland Firefighter (Suppression Module Squad Leader) – Miles City
U.S. Wildland Fire Service (Dept. of the Interior)Miles City, MT$52,957 to $81,343 per yearSeasonalClosedWildland Fire Supervisor – Pendleton Unit
Oregon Department of ForestryPendleton, OR$5,371 – $7,911 per monthFull-timeClosedWildland Firefighter (GW-4/5/6) – Senior Firefighter, Multiple States
U.S. Wildland Fire Service (Dept. of the Interior)Casper, WY$48,424 to $74,970 per yearSeasonalClosedForestry Crew Specialist (Wildland Firefighter) – Webster Parish
Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Office of ForestryMinden, LA$3,501 – $4,819 per monthFull-timeClosedBattalion Chief (Underfill) – Nevada Division of Forestry
Nevada Division of ForestryLas Vegas, NV$65,709 – $97,551 per yearFull-timeClosedEast Wenatchee Hand Crew Squad Boss (Wildland Fire Management Lead)
Washington State Department of Natural ResourcesEast Wenatchee, WA$45,924.00 – $61,332.00 AnnuallyFull-timeClosedSmokebusters Crew Supervisor
Wyoming State Forestry DivisionNewcastle, WY$29.76 – $33.06 HourlyFull-timeClosedFire Crew Captain – Inmate Type 2 Hand Crew
Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire ManagementFlagstaff, AZ$24.71–$27.37/hr (Grade 19)Full-timeClosedFire Engine Captain
Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire ManagementFlagstaff, AZ$24.7086 – $26.4170 per hourFull-timeClosedWildland Firefighter (Wildland Fire Module or Veteran Crew Squad Boss)
U.S. Wildland Fire Service (Dept. of the Interior)Grand Canyon, AZ$52,957 – $81,343 per yearSeasonalClosed
Questions About Wildland Firefighter Jobs
How many wildland firefighter jobs are open right now?
12 listings are live on WildWork as of October 29, 2026. 11 state their pay and 0 include housing.
What do wildland firefighter jobs pay?
The median posted rate is $4,469/mo across 4 current listings that state pay in that unit, with posted rates from $4,469/mo to $4,922/mo. These are advertised rates; tips, overtime and room and board are extra where the listing says so.
Do wildland firefighter jobs come with housing?
0% of current listings say the employer provides housing, free or at a charge, and 0% include meals. Each listing shows whether housing is included and what it costs when the employer says.
Do you need experience to become a wildland firefighter?
No. The NWCG standard for Firefighter Type 2, the entry crewmember position, lists no required experience. You need ICS-100, IS-700, L-180, S-130 and S-190 and must meet the arduous fitness level. Agencies train new hires; Montana DNRC runs a mandatory statewide wildland fire academy each spring for its seasonal firefighters.
What is the wildland fire pack test?
It is the arduous work capacity test: walk 3 miles carrying a 45-pound pack in 45 minutes or less. Firefighter Type 2 positions require the arduous fitness level. Montana DNRC offers seasonal jobs on the condition that you pass the test, which it typically gives in the first or second week of May.
How much do federal wildland firefighters make an hour?
On OPM’s 2026 wildland firefighter table for the Rest of U.S. locality, step 1 pays $21.14 an hour at GW-3, $23.20 at GW-4 and $25.37 at GW-5. Fireline duty on forest and range fires adds a 25 percent hazard pay differential, and incident response premium pay adds 450 percent of the hourly rate per qualifying day, up to $9,000 a year.
When does federal fire hiring open?
For permanent fire jobs, late summer. The Forest Service’s 2026 to 2027 Fire Hire for Alaska, Washington and Oregon opened August 24 and closes September 22, 2026. Hiring managers get referred applicants October 27, selections run November 2 to December 11, and new hires can start as early as March 2027. Selected applicants get a phone call and 4 hours to respond.
What kinds of fire jobs can you apply for?
The Forest Service lists engine crews, 20-person handcrews, helitack, hotshot crews, smokejumpers and rappellers, plus dispatch, fuels and prevention jobs. The Forest Service describes hotshots as intensively trained and smokejumpers as highly trained, experienced firefighters. Its permanent Fire Hire covers grades GW-3 through GW-10, and any U.S. citizen or national at least 18 years old can apply.
Sources: U.S. Forest Service, Careers in Wildland Fire; NWCG, Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2) qualification requirements; NWCG, PMS 307 Work Capacity Test guide; OPM, Salary Table 2026-RUS (GW) hourly rates, wildland firefighters; 5 CFR Part 550, Appendix A, hazard pay differentials; 5 U.S.C. 5545c, incident response premium pay; U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Fire Hire; Montana DNRC, Become a Wildland Firefighter.