Wildland Fire Squad Boss
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Chewelah, Washington
| Job Type | Permanent |
| Salary | $41,724 - $55,584 per year |
| Benefits | http://careers.wa.gov/benefits.html |
| Deadline | Mar 22, 2026 |
| Min. Experience | 2 - 4 years |
Squad Boss, Wildland Fire Management Lead (WFML)
Work Hours flexibility may be available and considered
Salary: $3,477.00 - $4,632.00 Monthly
Review of applications is ongoing. We reserve the right to make a hiring decision or close this recruitment at any time after 3/19/26. It is in your best interest to submit materials as soon as possible.
Responsibilities:
- Provide direct fire line supervision of hand crew members who respond to grass, brush, and forest fires and are available for district, regional, statewide, and/or interagency dispatch.
- Provides interagency fire suppression activities for initial attack, extended attack, mop-up, patrol, and rehabilitation. During initial attack fires, may perform ICS functions as Incident Commander Type 4 or 5, or other duties as needed.
- Plans and implements training for seasonal crew members
- Prescribed Fire Support – Leads crew to conduct site fuels and fire effects data collection, unit preparation, assist with burn plan writing, community outreach, and Rx burn implementation support to include firing, holding, burn boss, etc.
- Work in remote areas away from vehicles for long periods of time.
- Work in extremely rugged terrain.
- Travel for extended periods of time (for multiple weeks): outside of your home unit to assist on fires within the region, to other regions and/or states for large fires.
- Build strong team cohesion within the 20-person crew on a day-to-day basis.
- Prepare for fire duty, maintain assigned equipment and vehicles for fire readiness.
- Community Resilience - Leads crew to conduct home ignition zone assessments as part of Wildfire Ready Neighbors or independent requests from landowners and/or communities. In addition to Home Ignition Zone assessments, crew members may participate in community education days, plan and participate in community outreach and prevention events, and participate with local cooperators on community outreach projects.
- Forest Health Treatment – Leads crew to conduct non-commercial thinning and slash abatement, project layout, and compliance in coordination with State Lands and Landowner Assistance staff. Supports forest health project layout, tree marking, road brushing, and GPS data collection surveys. Assists with timber sales, layout, marking, forest cruising, and road maintenance.
- Complete fire reports and other paperwork as assigned on time.
Required Qualifications:
- Certified as a NWCG Firefighter Type 1.
- Must annually pass the work capacity test at the arduous level as required by NWCG.
Required Competencies:
- Skills in building/maintaining cooperative relationships.
- Ability to lead teams.
- Skills in employee empowerment.
- Knowledge of wildland fire suppression tactics and fire behavior recognition.
- Commitment to fostering and supporting an environment that honors diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental justice practices.
| Category | Forestry |
| Tags | Wildland Firefighter |