LAKEWOOD, Colo. — The Rocky Mountain region of the U.S. Forest Service, which includes Colorado, plans to hire up to 50 temporary wildland firefighters and supporting positions this year.
Those 50 positions will span national forests and grasslands in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Positions include engine operators, hotshot crew members, handcrew members, helitack crew members, fuels technicians, fire lookouts, dispatchers and more, the USFS said.
More details on the fire jobs are available on the Forest Service Careers website here. To apply, go to USAJobs.gov. Applications are available until March 13. Base pay is $35K to $45K per year.
As reported by the Associated Press, the recent mass USFS firings mean "fewer people and less resources will be available to help prevent and fight wildfires, raising the specter of even more destructive blazes across the American West." The president's directive to fire about 2,000 “probationary, non-firefighting employees" did not address the fired workers who were responsible for removing combustible debris from forests and maintaining trails, both of which are crucial in firefighting.
In addition, about 1,000 probationary employees from the National Park Service were also terminated, ABC News reported. That includes employees who worked as secondary firefighters.
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Scott Fitzwilliams, White River National Forest supervisor, resigns
The mass layoffs are overseen by billionaire Elon Musk, who is heading the new Department of Government Efficient (DOGE).
Following a roundtable on Feb. 19, the USDA issued a press release where it noted that Sec. Brooke Rollins "is committed to ensuring that the United States has the strongest and most prepared wildland firefighting force in the world to save lives and protect our beautiful homeland."
Mike Worcester, West Metro Fire’s newest wildland support specialist, recently told Denver7 that mountains and grasslands both pose equal risks to folks residing in the wildland-urban interface, where about 2.5 million Coloradans live. That danger then increases once structures are involved.
According to Worcester, hundreds if not thousands of firefighters respond to a single wildfire, depending on the size of the incident. They spread out over a distance, meaning resources are stretched thin if and when structures start burning, making it harder for them to tackle an engulfed building. That’s when wildfires can quickly get out of control.
"There's just not a fire season in Colorado anymore. It can happen at any time,” he said.
Denver7 breaks down why wildfires become more dangerous when buildings are involved in the video player below.
Colorado's wildfire season has grown well beyond the confines of late spring to early fall, and past years have proven the term "wildfire season" is now outdated.
These 21st century fires are popping up year-round and evidence points to some cases where they are burning faster and hotter than before.
But amid the smoke is hope.
Watch Denver7's 30-minute special "Burned Out: The reality of year-round wildfires" here or below.