No Experience Required: Forest Service Hiring Wildland Firefighters Across Northern California

The U.S. Forest Service is looking for dedicated individuals to join its wildfire operations teams across Northern California. Applications are open now through October 29, 2025, on USAJobs.gov.

These positions are critical to wildfire preparedness and disaster response and include opportunities for handcrew, hotshot, helitack, and engine crew members, as well as fire lookouts and animal packers.

Openings span multiple national forests across Northern California, including:

• Six Rivers National Forest – positions available in Gasquet, Orleans, Willow Creek, Mad River, and Eureka.
• Shasta-Trinity National Forest – openings for firefighters and lookouts, including helitack and hotshot crews.
• Klamath National Forest – positions in Fort Jones, Callahan, Happy Camp, Klamath River, Seiad, Macdoel, and Yreka.
• Mendocino National Forest – duty stations in Chico, Willows, Stonyford, Elk Creek, Paskenta, Upper Lake, and Covelo.

Anyone 18 years or older who is a U.S. citizen or national can apply.

The Forest Service, which manages more than 193 million acres of public land, plays a vital role in conservation and wildfire management across the country. The agency also oversees the nation’s largest wildland fire research organization and provides critical support to state and private landowners.

For full job listings and information about benefits and career paths, visit the Forest Service’s regional websites for the Shasta-Trinity, Mendocino, Klamath, and Six Rivers national forests.