Job Description

Job Description and Duties

Under close supervision, as a temporary employee, to do heavy physical work involved in fire fighting as a member of a fire crew; to assist in building, grounds, and equipment maintenance and repair; and to do other related work.

As a member of a fire crew, receives training in wildland, rural, and structural fire suppression methods and techniques; fights fire as a member of a fire crew using tools and equipment such as a shovel, axe, McLeod, Pulaski, and back pump; clears trails, cuts brush; assists in building, grounds, and equipment maintenance and repair; inspects, cleans and repairs fire hose and equipment, sharpens fire tools, paints equipment and buildings and performs semiskilled or laboring construction work; performs general station housekeeping and kitchen duties.

Hires may be made in the following counties: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, The City and County of San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, Yuba.

Candidates may be selected by resume review.

Applications will be processed in rounds with the following cut-off dates:

March 31
July 31
October 10

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

Additional Documents

Special Requirements

• The position(s) require(s) Medical Clearance prior to being hired.

Applicants must pass medical clearances under the Respiratory Protection Program.

SELECTION PROCESS

CAL FIRE will utilize the candidate pool to fill vacancies through October 31, 2025.

It is anticipated that job offers may be made beginning the week of January 6, 2025.

Returnee Policy

Returnee FFIs who want to return for employment from one season to the next are not required to file a FFI Application for Employment and will receive hiring preference over new applicants. A “returnee” is defined as any person who:

1. Held an appointment as a FFI during the prior 12-months; and,

2. Is returning to the same Unit; and,

3. Has worked for at least two continuous months (i.e., 60 continuous calendar   days); and,

4. Has completed the Basic Fire Fighter training course; and,

5. Is physically able to perform the full range of duties expected of a FFI at the time of return.

An employee who did not work during the preceding 12 months because of a verifiable medical condition that precluded the performance of the full range of duties, shall have his or her returnee status extended for an additional 12 months. In such cases, the applicant must be able to meet all of the other criteria. The returnee policy does not guarantee employment since the number of returnees may exceed the number of positions available to be filled. Under these conditions, job offers are based on seniority.

Application Instructions

Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application.

Final Filing Date: Until Filled

Who May Apply

This is a non-testing Classification, therefore, anyone meeting the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification may apply for this position. Individuals in specific programs, such as the Welfare to Work Program, are encouraged to apply and will be given priority according to the applicable Laws and Rules. Please note on your application your current participation in these programs.

Applications will be screened and only the most qualified applicants will be selected to move forward in the selection process. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).

How To Apply

Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareer Account at When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included. If you choose to not apply electronically, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method listed below:

Address for Mailing Application Packages

You may submit your application and any applicable or required documents to:

Department of Forestry & Fire Protection

CAL FIRE Southern Region Hiring

Attn: CAL FIRE FFI Hiring

1234 East Shaw Avenue

Fresno , CA 93710

Address for Drop-Off Application Packages

You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:

Department of Forestry & Fire Protection

CAL FIRE Southern Region Hiring

Attn: CAL FIRE FFI Hiring

1234 East Shaw Avenue

Fresno , CA 93710

08:00 AM - 05:00 PM

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is required and must be included.
• Other -

  Authorization to Release Information Form (PO-299):

• Other -

  Work Location Form. This form may be found at:

• Other -

  CAL FIRE Basic Firefighter Certificate

• Other -

  California State Fire Training (SFT) Fire Fighter l Certificate

• Other -

  CAL FIRE Fire Fighter 1A Certificate

• Other -

  CAL FIRE Fire Fighter 1B Certificate

• Other -

  CAL FIRE Fire Fighter 1C Certificate

• Other -

  Firefighter Survival (Structural)

• Other -

  California Confined Space Awareness Certificate or higher

• Other -

  Hazardous Materials First Responder Operational

• Other -

  CAL FIRE Wildland Safety and Survival Level 1

• Other -

  CAL FIRE Chainsaw Operations

• Other -

  Hazardous Materials Awareness

• Other -

  L180 Human Factors in Wildland Fire Service

• Other -

  S190 Intro to Wildland Fire Behavior

• Other -

  S130 Firefighter Training

• Other -

  S131 Firefighter Type 1 Training

• Other -

  Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) IS-100: Introduction to the Incident Command System

• Other -

  FEMA IS-200: Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response

• Other -

  FEMA IS-700: An Introduction to the National Incident Management System (NIMS)

• Other -

  FEMA IS-800: National Response Framework, An Introduction

• Other -

  CAL FIRE Orientation

• Other -

  CPR

• Other -

  Public Safety First Aid (PSFA)

• Other -

  Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

• Other -

  Paramedic (EMT-P)

• Other -

  California State Fire Marshall (SFM) Accredited FFl Academy or equivalent FFl Academy taught at a California accredited institution of post-secondary education recognized by the American Council on Education

• Other -

  Honorable Military Discharge Paperwork (DD-214 or NGB-22)

Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for the hiring interview process must request the necessary accommodations if scheduled for a hiring interview. The request should be made at the time of contact to schedule the interview. Questions regarding reasonable accommodations may be directed to the EEO contact listed on this job posting.

Benefits

This classification is eligible for the following pay:

$4296 - $5432 Base Salary (paid every month)

$1853 - $2343 Extended Duty Week Compensation (paid every 4 weeks)

$56,733 – $71,735 Annual Compensation (max of 9 months)

In addition to the above pay items, employees are eligible for medical benefits (health, dental, vision) and may be eligible for other pay differentials.

Benefit information can be found on the website and the website. 

Contact Information

The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position or application process.

Hiring Unit Contact:
FFI, FFII & DSI Hotline
(951) 901-5051

Please direct requests for Reasonable Accommodations to the interview scheduler at the time the interview is being scheduled. You may direct any additional questions regarding Reasonable Accommodations or Equal Employment Opportunity for this position(s) to the Department's EEO Office.

EEO Contact:
Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator
(916) 767-8359
[email protected]

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice) TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

How to Apply

DO NOT INCLUDE MULTIPLE CLASSIFICATIONS ON ONE APPLICATION PACKAGE.

All applicants must complete and submit the following application package in the order below. You only need to submit one application to be considered for positions statewide.  For items 25-28, you must submit a copy of both the front and back:

1) Examination/Employment Application (STD 678)
2) Resume
3) Authorization to Release Information form (PO299)
4) Work Location Form
5) CAL FIRE Basic Fire Fighter
6) SFT Fire Fighter 1 Certificate
7) CAL FIRE Fire Fighter 1A
8) CAL FIRE Fire Fighter 1B
9) CAL FIRE Fire Fighter 1C

10) Firefighter Survival (Structural)
11) California Confined Space Awareness or higher
12) Hazardous Materials First Responder Operational
13) CAL FIRE Wildland Safety and Survival Level 1
14) CAL FIRE Chainsaw Operations
15) Hazardous Materials Awareness
16) L180 Human Factors in Wildland Fire Service
17) S190 Intro to Wildland Fire Behavior
18) S130 Firefighter Training
19) S131 Firefighter Type 1 Training
20) FEMA IS-100
21) FEMA IS-200
22) FEMA IS-700
23) FEMA IS-800
24) CAL FIRE Orientation
25) CPR
26) PSFA
27) EMT
28) EMT-P
29) SFM Accredited FFl Academy or equivalent FFI Academy taught at a California accredited institution of post-secondary education recognized by the American Council on Education
30) Honorable Military Discharge Paperwork (DD-214 or NGB-22)

See the link below for more information about the acceptable documents : 

The application package shall be submitted to the following address:

Department of Forestry & Fire protection

Attn: CAL FIRE FFI Hiring
1234 E Shaw Avenue
Fresno, CA 93710

Application package (Items #1 - #30)must be postmarked no later than the final filing date to be considered.

As stated on the application, your original signature certifies that the information entered on your application is true and complete to the best of your knowledge under penalty of perjury. For this reason, application packages will be accepted only by mail, in person, or via electronic submission through CalCareers and not by FAX or email.

Job Tags

Full time, Temporary work, Gangs,

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