Join The Crew!
The SCA is seeking Field Leaders (age 21+) to supervise and train crew members for its intensive Fuels Reduction Training Program offered in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. The program is designed to introduce program participants to the rigors of the Fire & Fuel Programs within the U.S. Forest Service.
During the program, field leaders and crew members will train, live and work as a cohesive and dynamic crew on fuels mitigation and reduction projects.
Filed Leaders must have a minimum of 1 year of previous chainsaw operation experience at the A-Feller Lever and a minimum Firefighter Type 2 qualification.
Field Leaders and their crew will be assigned to one of 21 priority locations impacted by the wildland fire crisis to learn how to handle the challenges of wildfire prevention.
Expected Dates: April 7, 2025 – Nov. 1, 2025 Pay: $850/week
Apply NowThe SCA is seeking Crew Members (age 21+) for its intensive Fuels Reduction Training Program offered in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. The program is designed to introduce program participants to the rigors of the Fire & Fuel Programs within the U.S. Forest Service.
During the program, field leaders and crew members will train, live and work as a cohesive and dynamic crew on fuels mitigation and reduction projects.
Field Leaders and their crew will be assigned to one of 21 priority locations impacted by the wildland fire crisis to learn how to handle the challenges of wildfire prevention.
Crew members should have extensive experience exploring, working and recreating in the outdoors.
Expected Dates: April 28, 2025 – Oct. 24, 2025 Pay: $650/week
Apply Now
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) has teamed up with the U.S. Forest Service to launch the Wildland Fire Academy to confront the current wildfire crisis.
By joining forces, the SCA and the Forest Service want to increase the number of women and people of color entering the field while also increasing the overall number of trained wildland firefighters and fuels staff entering the profession. Those who are Black, Alaskan Native, American Indian, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic or any other racial minority are highly encouraged to apply.
Program participants will start the program together for orientation, Wilderness First Aid training, and several certification courses to obtain the federally recognized fire qualifications with the Forest Service. Program participants will also receive rigorous training for chainsaw operations to become certified entry-level chainsaw operators.
After training, participants will be placed in pairs at national forests across the western United States most impacted by the wildfire crisis for the remainder of the program. Participants will gain hands-on experience with prescribed burns and fuels reduction work while embedded with Forest Service staff. Following a brief break in early June, participants will return to form four-person fuels reduction crews at national forests from mid-June – to mid-September.
Prescribed burns and fuels reduction work are crucial for preventing wildland fires since varying plant materials, including grasses, shrubs, trees, dead leaves and fallen pine needles, can fuel wildfires. As these flammable materials pile up, so do the chances of catastrophic wildland fires. In the right conditions, excess fuel allows fires to burn hotter, larger, longer and faster, making them more difficult and dangerous to manage, making it essential to have trained wildland firefighters and fuels staff at the ready.
The Forest Service has been managing wildland fires on National Forests and Grasslands for more than 100 years. As the wildland fire management environment has changed, there are now longer fire seasons, bigger fires, extreme fire behavior and more wildfires closer to residential areas.
