FIRE FIGHTER I
State of California
Job Posting: Fire Fighter I
Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
FIRE FIGHTER I
$4,403.00 - $5,566.00 per Month
New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.
Final Filing Date: 11/30/2025
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.
Working Conditions
Willingness to live and work in remote areas and on weekends and holidays and remain on duty 24 hours a day, as required; visual acuity, color vision and hearing sufficient to perform the assigned duties; physical strength, dexterity and agility necessary to perform the duties of the position.
Minimum Requirements
You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.Additional Documents
Position Details
Department Information
When you join CAL FIRE, you join a family of employees that function as a team. You will build trust and friendship with your co-workers, as together you respond to emergencies and challenging situations. CAL FIRE provides employees with a variety of career choices and opportunites. We hope that you will consider a rewarding and challenging career with CAL FIRE!
Special Requirements
- The position(s) require(s) Medical Clearance prior to being hired.
SELECTION PROCESS
CAL FIRE will utilize the candidate pool to fill vacancies through October 31, 2026.
It is anticipated that job offers may be made beginning the week of January 5, 2026.
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
Completed applications and all required documents must be received or postmarked by the Final Filing Date in order to be considered. 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: 11/30/2025Who May Apply
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
Address for Mailing Application Packages
You may submit your application and any applicable or required documents to:
Address for Drop-Off Application Packages
You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:
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 www.CalCareers.ca.gov. 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): https://www.fire.ca.gov/-/media/D817B8E27D8049C3BC35297686467FB9
- Other -
Work Location Form. This form may be found at: https://incidents.fire.ca.gov/media/42chxu24/2026-wlf.pdf
- Other -
California State Fire Training (SFT) Fire Fighter l Certificate
- Other -
CAL FIRE Basic Firefighter Certificate
- Other -
California State Fire Training (SFT) 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 -
CAL FIRE Fire Fighter 1A Certificate or NFPA 1001 (Structural)
- Other -
Firefighter Survival (Structural)
- Other -
SFT Confined Space Awareness Certificate or higher
- Other -
CAL FIRE Fire Fighter 1B Certificate or NFPA 1072 or 472 or 470 (HazMat)
- Other -
Hazardous Materials First Responder Operational
- Other -
CAL FIRE Fire Fighter 1C Certificate or NFPA 1051 or 1140 (Wildland)
- 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 -
CPR
- Other -
Public Safety First Aid (PSFA)
- Other -
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Other -
Paramedic (EMT-P)
- Other -
Honorable Military Discharge Paperwork (DD-214 or NGB-22)
- Other - Copy of the front and back of a valid driver's license of the appropriate class by the Department of Motor Vehicles
Desirable Qualifications
Benefits
This classification is eligible for the following pay:
$4403 - $5566 Base Salary (paid every month)
$1496 - $1891 Extended Duty Week Compensation (paid every 4 weeks)
$54,218 – $68,539 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 CalHR website and the CalPERS website.
Contact Information
The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position or application process.
Hiring 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
ReasonableAccommodations@fire.ca.gov
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 22-25, 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 (PO-299)
4) Work Location Form
5) SFT Fire Fighter 1 Certificate
6) CAL FIRE Basic Fire Fighter
7) SFT Accredited FFl Academy or equivalent FFI Academy taught at a California accredited institution of post-secondary education recognized by the American Council on Education
8) CAL FIRE Fire Fighter 1A or NFPA 1001 (Structural)
9) Firefighter Survival (Structural)
10) California Confined Space Awareness or higher
11) CAL FIRE Fire Fighter 1B or NFPA 1072 or 472 or 470 (HazMat)
12) Hazardous Materials First Responder Operational
13) CAL FIRE Fire Fighter 1C or NFPA 1051 or 1140 (Wildland)
14) L180 Human Factors in Wildland Fire Service
15) S190 Intro to Wildland Fire Behavior
16) S130 Firefighter Training
17) S131 Firefighter Type 1 Training
18) FEMA IS-100
19) FEMA IS-200
20) FEMA IS-700
21) FEMA IS-800
22) CPR
23) PSFA
24) EMT
25) EMT-P
26) Honorable Military Discharge Paperwork (DD-214 or NGB-22)
27) Copy of the front and back of a valid driver's license of the appropriate class by the Department of Motor Vehicles
See this link for more information about the acceptable documents: AcceptableDocuments
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 - #27) 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.
Additional Information
HELPFUL REMINDERS
To obtain an Examination Employment Application Form STD 678, go to the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) website at: http://jobs.ca.gov/pdf/std678.pdf
Submit a copy of the requested certificates, do not submit the originals.
Do not submit blank pages for items that you do not have. Follow this link for directions on how to bypass an item:
https://www.fire.ca.gov/-/media/5775A4D5B1124F37BA97020F60EDF81C
Do not send any certificates other than what is listed above. If you have additional certificates, include them in your resume.
Candidates are still encouraged to apply even if you do not have all of the required documents listed above.
Follow this link for more information on category placement and required trainings: https://www.fire.ca.gov/-/media/1EAFA2A1528141EE892CB692D4B982E0
Please include a valid email address on your application package as future communication will be provided via email.
Fire Fighter I is a non-testing classification. If you feel that you meet the minimum qualifications for the classification, then you have eligibility for the position. When applying for the position, select "I have eligibility" to complete the application.
Failure to complete and sign any portion of the required application package may result in disqualification from the hiring process.
If you obtain any of the above certifications in the future, please email a copy to FFHiring@fire.ca.gov, mail, or drop off a copy to the address listed below:
Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
Attn: CAL FIRE FFI Hiring
1234 E Shaw Ave
Fresno, CA 93710
Equal Opportunity Employer
The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.
It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free work place. Any applicant for state employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing Civil Service, and the special trust placed in public servants.