Firefighter Apprenticeship Jobs (NOW HIRING)

This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority

This Wildland Firefighter (Wildland Firefighter Apprentice) position is with the US Wildland Fire Service, GW-0456-3/4/5 working in the following location(s):

• Jamul, California
• Tulelake, California
• Willows, California

Qualifications:

In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below.

This position is a Primary Firefighter position and is subject to a maximum entry age (MEA). The MEA is the date immediately preceding your 37th birthday. Applicants must not have reached age 37 at the time of appointment, unless proof is provided of prior Federal service in another primary covered position, or you are a preference eligible veteran. If you are a preference eligible veteran, you may be eligible for this position after your 37th birthday. You must supply a copy of your Defense Department Form 214 (DD-214) along with Standard Form 15 (if applicable) and any associated documentation in accordance with the instructions in this vacancy announcement. Failure to provide this documentation with your application may result in loss of consideration. Please refer to the Required Documents section for further guidance on what documentation is required to meet this requirement. If over the MEA and you are not a veteran, proof of prior covered service must be submitted prior to employment. Acceptable proof consists of SF-50s showing beginning and ending dates of covered/creditable appointments and copies of approved letters based on individual claims.

In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience is required.

Only experience and education obtained by 07/23/2026 will be considered.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. Please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.
Minimum Qualification
For the GW-03 grade level: You must possess 6 months of general work experience or 6 months of Firefighter training obtained as part of a high school curriculum (any firefighter training at the high school level and above), may be substituted for experience on a month-for-month basis. General Experience can include:

• Any work experience or military service that demonstrates the ability to follow directions and to read, understand, and retain a variety of instructions, regulations, and procedures and that otherwise demonstrates the ability to perform, or learn to perform, the duties of the position; OR,
• You have one year of education or training above high school related to the work of the position; OR,
• You have a combination of education and work experience as described above.

For the GW-04 grade level: You must possess at least 6 months general experience AND 6 months specialized experience. The 6 months of general experience consisted of any work experience or military service that demonstrated the ability to follow directions and to read, understand, and retain a variety of instructions, regulations, and procedures and that otherwise demonstrates the ability to perform or learn to perform the duties of the position; AND 6 months of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GW-3 level in the Federal Service. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Forestry aid or technician work; range, or soil conservation technician work that involved application of cultural, resource conservation, or land management practices; farming or ranching work that provided a basic understanding of land use and involved the application of cultural and soil and water conservation practices; forest or range fire control, prevention, or suppression work; OR,
• You have successfully completed 2 years of education above the high school level in an accredited college or university which included at least 60 semester hour or 90 quarter hours in Fire Training, Fire Science, Fire Technology coursework or other directly related fields of study; OR,
• You have a combination of education and work experience as described above.

For the GW-05 grade level: You have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GW-4 grade level in the Federal Service. Examples of specialized experience work include:

• On-the-line wildland fire experience in forest/range fire control, prevention, or suppression work as a skilled wildland firefighter, utilizing a variety of specialized wildland fire tools and equipment. In addition, such duties may include, but are not limited to controlling or extinguishing fires as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade; forest fire control, prevention, or suppression work; rescue operations; detection, reduction, or elimination of potential fire hazards; operation of fire communications equipment when it requires specialized knowledge of firefighting techniques, equipment, and procedures to prevent and manage fires; controlling hazardous materials incidents and/or developing, implementing, or providing training in fire protection and prevention; OR,
• You have successfully completed a 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university (120 semester hour or 180 quarter hours) with major study in Wildland Fire Science, Wildland Fire Training, Wildland Fire Technology, or other related fields of study; OR,
• You have a combination of education and work experience as described above.

If you are qualifying with education, you must provide copies of all your official or unofficial transcripts for verification from an accredited U.S. college/university by the closing date.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

*Applicants must meet all minimum qualification requirements for the position of interest by the closing date of the Job Announcement.

This position is covered by the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336 (c) and 5 U.S.C. 8412 (d) as a Primary/Rigorous Firefighter. Applicants must be 18 years of age but not have reached their 37th birthday by the closing date of this announcement. These positions are covered by the special enhanced annuity retirement provisions for Federal Firefighters and Law Enforcement officers and have a mandatory retirement age of 57. Two exceptions are allowed: 1) an applicant has prior Federal service in documented special retirement covered position(s) sufficient to count toward 20 years of covered service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; or 2) an applicant is a qualified veterans' preference eligible, in which case the MEA is waived and their corresponding retirement age may be higher than 57 after completing 20 years of service. Applicants must submit proof of their previous and/or current status in the Fire Fighter or Law Enforcement special enhanced annuity retirement system.

Education:PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.
PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).Employment Type: OTHER