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Serving as a Wildland Firefighter is an exciting, challenging, and potentially dangerous career. Before becoming a wildland firefighter, you'll have to complete hours of training, meet specific safety requirements, and pass the famous "pack test." Below is an outline of some of the requirements for becoming a wildland firefighter.
REQUIREMENTS:
In order to be hired for hazardous duty positions (firefighting) individuals must:
- Be at least 18 years old;
- Be a United States citizen;
- Pass a doctor-administered preliminary firefighter physical examination that includes
tests on dexterity, mobility, and hearing;
- Have no history of heart, lung, intestinal or nervous disorder;
- Pass a physical fitness test (work capacity test) at the arduous or highest fitness level (this test
consists of a completing a three-mile walk in 45 or less minutes wearing a 45-pound pack).
TRAINING:
Basic Wildland Firefighter Training:
- Basic firefighter training constitutes 32 hours of classroom and field training.
- Training starts in the classroom and culminates in field training and exercises.
- Students must have an 80 percent or better score on all written tests to pass.
- Students must be able to deploy a fire shelter within 20 seconds.
Training includes:
- Introduction to the Incident Command System (I-100), which includes incident
command organization (organization that manages emergency situations), and positions
and common responsibilities.
- Wildland Fire Suppression Orientation (S-110) that introduces new firefighters to basic
firefighting operations.
- Instruction in the primary environmental factors (S-190) - including weather, fuels, and
fire behavior - that affect the start and influence the spread of wildfire.
- Entry-level firefighting skills (S-130), which includes instruction in safety, tools,
equipment, firing devices, use of maps, scouting, hazardous materials, securing a
control line and fire suppression methods. Field exercises in this course are designed to
prepare the individual for actual firefighting situations such as handline construction,
proper use of hoses and pumps, and use of hand tools in fire suppression and fireline
rehabilitation.
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Standards for Survival which includes extensive training in fire shelter deployment,
identification of escape routes and safety zones, the proper use of personal protective
equipment, and study situations that have the potential to endanger firefighter safety,
including the 10 Standard Fire Orders, 18 Watch Out Situations and the Lookouts,
Communications, Escape Routes and Safety Zones (LCES).
For more information on requirements and advanced positions, take a look at this PDF document.
