Careers and Jobs
Working for the Ochoco National Forest & Crooked River National Grassland
A career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our nation’s most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and provide assistance to State and private forestry agencies. It’s an awesome responsibility – but the rewards are as limitless as the views.
You can experience the beautiful scenery of central Oregon first-hand while working in a seasonal temporary position for the Deschutes or Ochoco National Forests. Most of the positions offered are field-going, but some include office work with maps, computer data entry, or planning and supervisory functions. Work locations are predominantly on Ranger Districts, but a few are located in the Supervisor's Office (Headquarters) or the Redmond Air Center.
In your off-hours, you may be enticed to fish one of our spectacular rivers or lakes or hike on our scenic trails. The area also hosts one of the finest examples of obsidian flow in the world and is internationally known for the largest variety of volcanic formations in the lower 48 states. Central Oregon is a great place to live and work!
Every year, we hire numerous seasonal employees to help with firefighting, recreation, natural resources management & visitor services. Temporary Seasonal Positions are posted as openings become available. Apply on USAJobs.gov.
All permanent jobs are advertised through USAjobs.gov. Search USAjobs.gov to discover vacancies as soon as they are listed. You can search the openings by agency, location, salary range, or by "series" (a system for identifying the type of work). Some positions are only open to current Federal Employees; only the jobs open to everyone will be shown in the search results. USAJobs.gov.
Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management is a wide field, encompassing firefighters, fire ecologists, fuels specialists, fire managers, administrative personnel, helicopter and fixed wing pilots, aviation and ground safety professionals, radio communications and electronic technicians, dispatchers, fire prevention specialists, and communicators.
There are several work schedules. Some sign on for a limited number of hours during the summer - they are called temporary seasonals. Others have permanent, but seasonal positions, and work 26 weeks with 26 weeks off. And there is a large permanent, full time workforce as well.
Permanent seasonal & full-time fire positions:
The Pacific Northwest Region has more than 1,000 fire positions spread across the National Forests of Oregon and Washington. These Positions range from Forest Fire Management Officer to Wildland Firefighter. The majority of hiring takes place in the Fall and Winter months to prepare for the upcoming fire season. In previous years, Region 6 has utilized a Centralized Fire Hire Event to fill a significant number of fire suppression and fuels management positions at the GS-3 through GS-9 positions.
Temporary, seasonal positions:
To apply for seasonal and temporary firefighting jobs, visit the www.usajobs.gov.
Seasonal jobs in firefighting include working on a local unit handcrew, on a helitack/helirappeling crew, a Hot Shot Crew, as a smokejumper, or on an engine crew. Remember, these are tough jobs usually performed in primitive, backcountry conditions.
What applicant needs to know
- Read the entire announcement before you begin
- Resume: Use the USAJOBS resume builder AND upload your resume. Data requested in USAJOBS is specifically needed to determine an applicant’s eligibility. Ensure you include previous supervisors with their current email address and phone number
- Include a narrative in your resume that addresses the specialized experience found in the job announcement.
- Apply to positions and duty stations you would accept a position at even if there is not currently a vacancy. If a vacancy occurs as a result of FIRE HIRE it will be filled through a back fill process at that time
- Include and upload ALL of your SF- 50 notice of personnel actions.
- Include current Incident qualifications record. This can be obtained by your supervisor
- If you complete a task book during this fire season scan and upload a copy of the certification page into your application profile.
- Include current, signed Performance Appraisal. This can be obtained by your supervisor
- Include College Transcripts if applicable
- Prepare your application package NOW and upload all your attachments as you may find yourself on assignment and having to apply while in travel status or while on R&R
- Firefighter positions must be in top physical condition for this demanding work. Employees and prospective employees must pass the Work Capacity Test annually before working on the fireline.
- For fireline positions, the Forest Service will provide you Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) clothing, hardhat and fire shelter. You must provide your own lug soled, leather eight-inch topped boots.
- The Forest Service provides training in many specialty fields.
The people involved in fire represent the pride exemplified by all Forest Service employees in "caring for the land and serving people." The Fire & Aviation Management program's core values are Safety, Integrity, and Mutual Respect. We look for dedicated men and women from all walks of life, of all abilities, to join our workforce.
Interested in the Prineville Hotshots?
COYCC program hires local youth, ages 16 to 18, in seven Central Oregon cities to work for eight weeks during the summer. Visit the COYCC website to learn more: https://heartoforegon.org/programs/coycc.html