Job Opportunities

Pacific Southwest Region 5 Fire Hire Outreach Notice—Fire Positions

GW-0456/0462-6 through

GW-0456/0462-10 & WG/WL-5716-8 & 10

Closing date of March 19, 2026.

The Pacific Southwest Region is looking for a committed, hardworking, highly skilled workforce to suppress wildfires and work in fuels management on 18 National Forests located in California. The fire and aviation management program is very rewarding and requires talented people working safely as part of a team in a variety of specialized positions; including dispatch, engine crews, fire & fuels management, hand crews, helitack, interagency hotshot crews, dozer, airtanker base and prevention. The Fire Hire program is being implemented to streamline the hiring process for permanent fire positions and provide consistent hiring around the Region and throughout the agency. This hiring process assists the national forests in the Pacific Southwestern Region to fill vacancies in a more efficient and timely manner.

This outreach is for GW-0456/0462-06 through GW-0456/0462-10 and WG/WL-5716-8 & 10 current career permanent fulltime and permanent seasonal fire and fuels positions. The vacancy announcements for these positions are posted on the U.S. Government's official website for employment opportunities at USAJobs. These will be regional and national vacancy announcements with opening and closing dates. The vacancy announcements will be open for applications on March 10, 2026. Those who wish to be considered for these positions in the Fall Fire Hire event must apply to the vacancy announcements by the closing date of March 19, 2026.

The Certificates of Candidates for these positions will be issued to the selecting officials on or about April 10, 2026. All applicants who have applied to the announcements on or before the listed closing date and are found to meet basic qualifications will be referred for consideration. Please apply to any position and duty station you may be interested in as those positions may become vacant through the Fire Hire process; positions that become vacant during the hiring event will be immediately backfilled if possible. Applicants should check the status of their application during this time in their USA Jobs account.

For questions regarding the potential process for backfill positions, please contact Brian Grabowski at brian.grabowski@usda.gov.

The following positions will be available:

The Process and Timeline

March 10, 2026 ─ Vacancy announcements will be activated in USAJobs.

March 19, 2026 ─ Application deadline, 11:59 Eastern standard time. Apply through www.usajobs.gov. Applicants are encouraged to apply for multiple locations (only where they would accept a position if offered), even if positions for certain locations in which you are interested are not listed as vacant. Vacancies may occur during the hiring process and could be filled during Selection Week.

April 10 – 27, 2026 ─ Supervisory Reference Checks will occur these weeks. Please ensure your references are notified of this and they are available at the email address (preferred), or phone number provided on your application.

April 13 – 27, 2026 ─ Interviews for GW-9/WL/WG-10 and all Supervisory positions will begin.

April 13 – 27, 2026 ─ Selections. Representatives from each forest will make recommendations for hiring. Candidates selected will be notified by a Forest Service representative by phone. Those not selected should check their USAjobs account for status updates. During the selection weeks candidates will be given 4 hours to respond to voicemails or emails from the recommending officials. It is highly encouraged to be available via phone during this time.

Mid-July 2026 ─ First possible effective date.

Note: Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) and Forest Service – Fire Program Management (FS-FPM) qualifications must be met at the time of selection. If you are selected, you may be required to submit an updated IQCS record or signed certified task book as proof of attainment of IFPM requirements prior to final verbal offer.