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Remote Private Wildland Firefighter Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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Remote Private Wildland Firefighter information

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$28.5K

$59.6K

$100K

How much do remote private wildland firefighter jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 2, 2026, the average yearly pay for remote private wildland firefighter in the United States is $59,606.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $45,500.00 and $69,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a remote private wildland firefighter?

Remote Private Wildland Firefighters are professionals employed by private companies or contractors to combat wildfires, typically in remote or hard-to-reach areas. Unlike government-employed firefighters, they may be hired by landowners, corporations, or for specific projects. Their duties include fire prevention, suppression, and recovery efforts, often working in challenging environments for extended periods. These firefighters are trained to use specialized equipment and techniques to protect natural resources, property, and lives from wildland fires. The role requires physical fitness, adaptability, and a strong understanding of fire behavior and safety protocols.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a remote private wildland firefighter?

To thrive as a Remote Private Wildland Firefighter, you need physical fitness, wildfire behavior knowledge, and often certification such as NWCG Wildland Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2). Familiarity with fire suppression tools, GPS navigation, radio communication, and emergency response systems is typically required. Strong teamwork, decision-making under pressure, and adaptability are crucial soft skills for this demanding role. These competencies are vital to ensure safety, effective fire containment, and coordination in challenging and remote wildfire environments.

What are some common challenges faced by remote private wildland firefighters, and how can applicants prepare for them?

Remote private wildland firefighters often encounter unpredictable weather conditions, rugged terrain, and extended deployments far from urban centers. These challenges require strong physical endurance, adaptability, and self-sufficiency. Applicants can prepare by maintaining high fitness levels, gaining basic survival skills, and familiarizing themselves with the use of specialized firefighting equipment. Additionally, effective communication and teamwork are crucial, as remote teams must coordinate closely to ensure safety and successful fire suppression.

What is the difference between Remote Private Wildland Firefighter vs Remote Federal Wildland Firefighter?

AspectRemote Private Wildland FirefighterRemote Federal Wildland Firefighter
CredentialsFirefighter certifications, wilderness safety trainingFirefighter certifications, wilderness safety training
Work EnvironmentPrivate land, conservation projects, firefighting companiesFederal lands, national parks, government agencies
Employer & IndustryPrivate companies, conservation organizationsU.S. Forest Service, BLM, National Park Service
Search & ComparisonOften compared for firefighting roles on private landsOften compared for federal firefighting roles

The main difference between a Remote Private Wildland Firefighter and a Remote Federal Wildland Firefighter lies in their employers and work environments. Private wildland firefighters work for private companies or organizations on private lands, while federal wildland firefighters serve government agencies on public lands. Both roles require similar certifications and safety training, but their operational contexts and employment settings differ significantly.

More about Remote Private Wildland Firefighter jobs

What cities are hiring for Remote Private Wildland Firefighter jobs?

Cities with the most Remote Private Wildland Firefighter job openings:

What are the most commonly searched types of Private Wildland Firefighter jobs?

The most popular types of Private Wildland Firefighter jobs are:

What states have the most Remote Private Wildland Firefighter jobs?

States with the most job openings for Remote Private Wildland Firefighter jobs include:

Infographic showing various Remote Private Wildland Firefighter job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 73% Full Time, 17% Part Time, and 9% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $59,606 per year, or $28.7 per hour.

Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (Module Leader - Wildland Fire Module)

Office of the Secretary of the Interior

Tucson, AZ โ€ข On-site

$79K - $103K/yr

Full-time

Posted 5 days ago


Job description

Summary
This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority
This Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (Module Leader - Wildland Fire Module) position is with the US Wildland Fire Service, GW-0456-10 working in Tucson, AZ.
Learn more about this agency
Duties
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As a Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (Module Leader - Wildland Fire Module) your duties will include but are not limited to the following:
  • Applies knowledge of firefighter safety, fire behavior, topography of the area, weather, fuels, and training in fire management.
  • Determines appropriate fireline tactics and properly locates fireline and determines appropriate construction methods.
  • Maintains working relationships and pre-incident coordination with applicable cooperators and wildland fire responders.
  • Supervises multiple Supervisory Wildland Firefighters and provides second-level supervision over staff.
  • Performs administrative program management functions such as planning; managing budget; manages facilities and resources; and develops and implements training.

Requirements
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Conditions of employment
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  • Direct Deposit Required.
  • You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
  • You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions.
  • This position requires the incumbent to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties. Selectee must hold and maintain a valid state driver's license throughout their employment in this position.
  • Position may require the incumbent to obtain and maintain a commercial driver's license (CDL).
  • A condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
  • Supervisory Probationary Period: Selectees who have not previously completed a supervisory probationary period, will be required to serve a one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period for this position.
  • Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.
  • You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • Subject to frequent extended travel up to 50% particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications
In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below.
To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.
Selective Placement Factor(s): This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified.
1.) Prior on-the-line firefighting: This experience must be clearly documented in your resume with specific to and from dates, description of work performed, and hours worked per week in order to be considered. This is an administrative position in an organization having a firefighting mission and is in an established career path. Prior firefighting experience, as gained by substantial service in a primary firefighter position or equivalent experience outside the Federal government, is a MANDATORY PREREQUISITE. Candidates must possess substantial wildland firefighting experience, gained through fire line work in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. The Department of the Interior defines wildland firefighting experience as any non-structure fire that occurs in the wildland. Wildland firefighting experience is gained through work on the fire line in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. This experience can be met by serving in a temporary, seasonal, or equivalent private sector fire position. Wildland fires are categorized into two distinct types: (1) Wildfires - Unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires; and (2) Prescribed Fires - Planned ignitions. This description includes only fireline experience on a Prescribed Fire; it does not include experience in the planning stages. Prescribed fire experience must be supplemented by fire suppression experience in order to be creditable as previous wildland firefighting experience.2.) This position has been identified as one of the key fire management positions under the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Standard. This position has been categorized as a Senior Firefighter, and requires selectee to meet the minimum qualification standards for IFPM prior to being placed into the position. Detailed information regarding IFPM positions can be found here: Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM). To meet IFPM requirements, you must have possessed all of the following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) incident management qualifications and training requirements to be considered eligible for this position (currency not required at time of referral, but may be required to obtain and maintain currency if selected):
  • Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1)
  • S-290 "Intermediate Fire Behavior" course

3.) You must have possessed all of the following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) incident management (qualifications to be considered eligible for this position (currency not required):
  • Task Force Leader (TFLD); AND
  • Crew Boss Single Resource (CRWB); AND
  • Incident Command, Type 4 (ICT4); AND
  • Firing Boss Single Resource (FIRB)

In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience is required.
Only experience and education obtained by 09/11/2026 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
To qualify for the GW-10 grade level:
  • If you are a current or former federal employee who served in a competitive or excepted appointment, your resume must show that you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/GW-08 grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to: performing and/or leading wildland fire suppression activities within a Wildland Fire Module or similarly constructed component of a wildland fire management program; determining preparedness and suppression needs; assisting with developing and implementing fire management projects related to prescribed fire, and/or hazardous fuel mitigation; and assisting with developing and presenting fire training courses centered in incident command, fire suppression, fireline construction, and/or mop-up techniques. Please provide an SF50 with your application package to verify that you are a current or former federal employee.
  • If you have never been or are NOT a current federal employee who served in a competitive or excepted appointment, your resume must show that you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/GW-09 grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to: supervising wildland fire suppression activities within a Wildland Fire Module or similarly constructed component of a wildland fire management program; determining preparedness and suppression needs; developing and implementing fire management projects related to prescribed fire, and/or hazardous fuel mitigation; making judgements and adjustments to fire incident tactics under changing conditions; and developing and presenting fire training courses centered in incident command, fire suppression, fireline construction, and/or mop-up techniques.

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.
IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: There is not an option to qualify for the 0456 series utilizing education at this grade level.
*Applicants must meet all minimum qualification requirements for the position of interest by the closing date of the Job Announcement.
Physical Demands: Arduous exertion for protracted periods of time such as, but not limited to, extensive running, walking, climbing, kneeling, stooping, pulling hoses, jumping and twisting, prolonged standing, walking over uneven ground, and recurring bending, reaching, lifting and carrying of items weighing over 50 pounds and shared lifting and carrying of heavier items, and similar activities requiring at least average agility and dexterity.
Working Conditions: Forest, range, and desert environments in steep terrain where surfaces may be extremely uneven, rocky, covered with thick tangled vegetation, smoky conditions, etc. Firefighters may be required to live in backcountry camps for extended periods of time. The hazardous nature of the work requires that personal protective equipment be worn (e.g., boots, hard hat, gloves, flame resistant clothing). Work may require travel by fixed-wing or rotor-wing aircraft.
Education
IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: There is not an option to qualify for the 0456 series utilizing education at this grade level.
Additional information
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Department of Interior (DOI) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) procedures apply in filling this vacancy. These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements) for the position with a score of 85 or above on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.
Reemployment Priority List (RPL): The RPL is the mechanism agencies use to give reemployment consideration to their former competitive service employees separated by a RIF or who have fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year. If you are currently on an RPL, you may be given priority consideration.
PCS INFORMATION:
-No PCS entitlements authorized
If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed.
Telework:
This position is not suitable for telework.
Additional Vacancies: One or more positions may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Wildland Fire Service offices in the local commuting area.
Reasonable Accommodation: The USWFS provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Please visit USAJOBS Help Center | Reasonable accommodation policy if you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process.
Probation/Trial Period Con't: The probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of