Fire Jobs and Training

• Complete the Basic Wildland Firefighter online training modules. S190/S130/L180. This is approximately 32 hours of online work. You must create an account at the Wildland Fire Learning Portal to complete these courses. https://wildlandfirelearningportal.net/

• Complete FEMA Classes IS0100, IS0700, IS0800. These are available at https://www.firstrespondertraining.gov/  Use the Course Catalog to search for the appropriate course page. 

• Participate in an S130 Field Day (Approximately 8 hours). Contact the Assistant Fire Management Officer at Indiana Dunes National Park to see if one is scheduled. You can also see if the Indiana DNR has one scheduled. Contact them at 765-792-4654

• Once Field Day is completed, you will be issued your NWCG training certificates

• Once trained, apply to be an Administratively Determined (AD) Firefighter

• If already a National Park Service employee, complete the Collateral Duty Fire Application

• Once your application has been reviewed and accepted, schedule a medical evaluation through the Park Fire Program Management Assistant. The physical exam is paid for by the National Park Service for those individuals the NPS will be issuing Red Cards to. You must pass the medical exam in order to take the Work Capacity Test (Pack Test).

• Once you have completed the Work Capacity Test and issued your Red Card, you will be placed on a call list for availability for spring and fall prescribed fires, and potentially western fire assignments during the summer. Being placed on the list does not guarantee work. An entry-level firefighter hired on the AD pay plan is paid $19.72 per hour with no premiums or overtime. 

• If you are called for availability, and say you are available to come in, it is assumed that you already have proper footwear (see FAQs) and other personally provided equipment. If you do not have your own helmet, pack and nomex, it will be issued to you on your first day working with Fire Management. You MUST have proper footwear or you will be sent home. 

Wildland firefighter training is not the same as structural firefighter training. Typical basic wildland firefighter training consists of S-130 Basic Wildland Firefighter, S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior and L-180 Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service. These classes are offered as in person classes lasting approximately 40 hours and also in a blended learning platform with 30 hours of online learning and eight to 10 hours of an in-person field day. Land Management units such as National Parks, National Forests, National Wildlife Refuges and state DNR agencies often sponsor these classes throughout the year.

Many wildland firefighters start out as AD employees. AD stands for “Administratively Determined.” This is a “call when needed” pay system used for hiring emergency firefighters for ongoing wildfires, some prescribed fires and other agency determined incident responses. Entry level AD firefighters make $21.08 an hour without any benefits and without any overtime. Entry level regular government firefighters who received benefits and overtime pay are generally hired at the GS three or four level to start. For more information on the GS pay system and pay rates for specific localities, visit the OPM website.

Entry level firefighters hired under the GS pay schedule work a full time schedule with opportunities for overtime during fire season. This is generally a 40 hour work week with overtime as needed for ongoing fires and during periods of high fire danger. Those hired as AD firefighters generally only work one or two days at a time as needed for wildland fire or prescribed fire response. AD firefighting should not be considered for full time work.

Most wildland fire jobs occur at an area that has forests or rangelands and either an incidence of wildland fires or a large prescribed fire program. The day to day work is usually in and around the Land Management unit you are hired for. Sometimes there will be trips to adjacent cooperators to help with wildland fires, prescribed fires, or fuels reduction work. If you are hired for work at a unit that manages a Zone, you will probably travel throughout that Zone doing different types of wildland fire related work.

Most if not all wildland firefighters get the opportunity to take a western fire assignment at some point. Western fire assignments depend on a multitude of things. Sometimes there may be fires going on in the West but no one from your area is traveling there as there are closer resources available to fight the fires. There may be years when you end up traveling to the western states multiple times in a season for multiple wildland fires. AD firefighters are often used to supplement full-time fire staff on engines and handcrews going to the west. Information on the current national wildland fire situation can be found on the NIFC website.

Entry level wildland firefighters are provided with the majority of their needed equipment. You will be provided with several sets of nomex shirts and pants, a helmet, gloves , a fire shelter, and a pack to carry it all in. If you go on western fire assignments, additional camping equipment will be supplied. It is on the employee to provide their own footwear and under clothing. Wildland firefighting boots must be all leather, a minimum of eight inches tall when measured on the inside of the boat and should have a lug sole. A logging type boot or a hiking/mountaineering style boot specifically made of wildland firefighting is required.