Last updated: December 18, 2023
Article
Investing in the wildland fire workforce
The National Park Service (NPS) Intermountain Region Fire and Aviation Management program strives to hire diverse, high-quality candidates to support NPS and interagency fire missions. Funding provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for wildland fire positions was combined with innovative recruitment and hiring strategies to fill 100 wildland fire positions in the Intermountain Region during fiscal year 2023.
“When people think of wildland fire staff, they often think of the women and men in the field who are digging line, carrying hose, and hiking to respond to a report of smoke. In reality, there’s an entire team supporting those folks and the decisions they make, without whom the work simply could not get done,” said Jay Lusher, Intermountain region fire management officer. These newly filled positions range from fire management officers at the biggest and most iconic national parks to entry-level fire staff, including support staff, administration, resource management, fuels specialists, fire planners, and other mission-critical positions.
The hiring process requires an expert understanding of federal recruitment requirements to hire the right people for the right jobs when they are needed. Timing is especially important within wildland fire, as the season to get critical work done lasts only a few months. Analyzing park needs, implementing appropriate recruitment strategies, rating candidates, and allowing time for selecting officials to review resumes, interview, and check references are all important pieces of the hiring puzzle. Fitting these pieces together requires synchronicity to provide hiring managers what they need to bring diverse, qualified staff on board, train them, and have them ready to respond to various wildland fire incidents when they are needed most and to protect our nation’s parks, monuments, and recreation areas.
The Intermountain Region’s wildland fire recruitment and hiring efforts resulted in advertising over 170 positions, qualifying over 2000 candidates, and making 100 selections for programs throughout the region. These selections include a variety of ethnicities, genders, ages, and backgrounds to support the NPS and wildland fire missions and strengthen community partnerships.