This fall, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service teamed up to connect to the next generation of wildland firefighters. Over two weekends in November, the interagency team hosted wildland fire hiring events in Redding and Northridge, California.
The fire-hire events were organized as career fairs with additional support to help candidates through the often-cumbersome application process. Attendees could solicit resume advice, meet with prospective colleagues and managers, and learn about the career paths available within wildland fire and through each bureaus’ fire management program. Interagency specialists were on site to process applications and conduct reference checks. Every applicant who walked through the door was provided an opportunity to interview for, and potentially walk away with, a job offer.
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Together, the three bureaus had over 200 vacant positions to fill across California and southern Nevada. Positions ranged from entry level to journey level, summer seasonal to full-time permanent. Applicants were able to apply to the open positions online or in-person at an event. In total, over 300 candidates applied in-person.
These events allowed us to introduce prospective wildland firefighters to the Service’s unique fire management program, our mission, and how we differ from other land management agencies. Service staff supporting the event were able to connect one-on-one with applicants. Sharing our story resulted in numerous application revisions to include national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge duty stations. To date, we have offered 12 in-person applicants’ official jobs with the National Wildlife Refuge System’s wildland fire program in California and Nevada.
“We are thrilled with the response to our in-person hiring events,” said Deputy Regional Fire Management Coordinator Peter Kelly. “Introducing young and diverse candidates to our vibrant fire management program was the goal, and this streamlined process facilitated the hiring of several enthusiastic, stand-out applicants to join our wildfire and fuels management workforce.”
The months-long planning for these fire hire events built new connections and rapport among Department of the Interior colleagues in wildland fire. Continuing to look to the future while leaning into interagency collaboration will shape a stronger fire future for all federal wildland fire agencies.
