Why the National Park Service

A group of six women in blue shirts and green pants stand on a scenic overlook with Half Dome in the background.
Find your opportunity with National Park Service wildland fire management.

NPS

Interested in pursuing a job or career in wildland fire management? Within wildland fire management, there are a half dozen different directions you could go after you get the basics down and begin progressing and learning. From starting on a handcrew, you can join an engine crew, helitack or rappel crew, hotshot crew, prescribed fire module, wildland fire module. There are also careers in fire ecology, fire program management (budget and administration), and more. But why should you choose to work for the National Park Service versus one of the other federal or state land management agencies?
Panoramic view of smoke rising from snowy mountains with a fire lookout in the foreground.
Sometimes it's best to use natural barriers for a confinement strategy on a wildfire when putting firefighters on the ground could be risky.
We do wildland fire management, not solely wildland firefighting
As a science-based and learning organization, we take the best available science into consideration and adapt to the changing conditions. There are times when the best decision is to put out a wildfire immediately when lives and property are at stake. There are other times, that a fire is burning in an area where it would be risky to put firefighters on the ground, and the fire is benefitting the ecosystem, such as in a wilderness area. At those times, we may use natural barriers, such as scree slopes, waterways, and the like to box in a fire and take action at very specific times. We use fire as a tool to enhance habitat, maintain ecosystem health, preserve historic landscapes, and remove exotic species. We respond to all wildfires and consider public and firefighter safety in all actions.
A collage of images of firefighters and areas that fire management personnel work across the country.
National Park Service wildland fire management staff work in amazing places that tell the story of America.
We’re looking for individuals as diverse as our landscapes
The breadth of how we manage wildfire, prescribed fire, and fuels (vegetation) is as unique as each park. From the waterways and woodlands of the Southeast to the historic battlefields of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, the prairies of the Midwest, the forests of the Rocky Mountains, Cascades, and the Sierras, and all the way up to the wilds of Alaska, 307 of the more than 420 national parks have burnable vegetation, for a total of 53 million acres that need fire management. Each person brings their unique abilities to work in these diverse landscapes. Can you see yourself here?
We’re looking for adaptable individuals that can work as a team
The National Park Service is looking for future leaders. You may not know a lot about wildland fire management yet, but through training, learning, and being open to opportunities, you’ll get the bigger picture of how wildland fire and fuels management fits into the whole of land management, as well as the importance of each individual’s role in making the vision of safety, science, and stewardship happen. But neither you nor the National Park Service can do it alone. It takes teamwork and a team mentality to make it work. We may not be the biggest fire management organization out there, but that’s a good thing! The National Park Service is small enough where you can make a difference, have a voice, and become a leader or a Leader.
We’re looking for mission focused individuals
Are you mission oriented? The National Park Service Wildland Fire Management Program’s mission is to manage wildland fire to protect the public, park communities, and infrastructure, conserve natural and cultural resources, and maintain and restore natural ecosystem processes. We believe this ties in perfectly with the Organic Act of 1916, which created the National Park Service: “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Are you the right fit for the National Park Service Wildland Fire Management Program, and is National Park Service wildland fire management the right fit for you? If so, apply now and begin a job, or pursue a career.
What’s in it for me?
Where do you see yourself in 20 years? Those with primary firefighting/fire management responsibilities are eligible under 6c coverage for retirement in 20 years with a maximum entry age of 37. Land management agencies are diligently working to increase firefighter pay and benefits. You will also always have some great stories to tell and see some of the most beautiful and unique places in the United States.
Anna Mateljak, Allyson Arulanantham, Gabrielle Domier, Holly  Venderley, Kailee Nelson.
Quotes from National Park Service fire management staff: Anna Mateljak, Allyson Arulanantham, Gabrielle Domier, Holly Venderley, Kailee Nelson.

NPS/S WALSH

Last updated: May 22, 2024