Welcome to a land of vast possibilities. Welcome to Texas. The Lone Star State truly is like no other. Situated right smack dab in the middle of the southeast and southwest, Texas doesn’t see just one designated fire season. Wildfires can erupt at any time. Texas Forest Service steps in when wildfires are blazing out of control and have exceeded the capabilities of local fire departments. That means the fire is usually up and going by the time we arrive. We’re only called to about 15 percent of wildfires, but those wildfires burn roughly 70 percent of the acreage lost each year. The job isn’t easy. During the last five years alone, Texas Forest Service has responded to 8,130 fires that scorched 3 million acres, killed 22 people and destroyed more than 800 homes. Because 95 percent of the property in the state is privately owned, firefighters must suppress wildfires quickly to keep them from spreading. And with an increasing number of residents moving into the wildland urban interface, the job is becoming even more important. Eighty percent of wildfires now happen within two miles of a community. That means almost every wildfire has the potential to be catastrophic. Our goal is to knock the fire down, put it out and move on to the next one. But wildfires aren’t the only disaster wildland firefighters respond to. Texas Forest Service is the lead agency for the state when it comes to all-hazard response. Floods. Hurricanes. Tornados. Ice Storms. Even the Space Shuttle Columbia recovery effort. We respond no matter the disaster. Want to advance? You can do that here, too. Texas Forest Service emphasizes professional development and encourages all employees to get involved in incident management. We believe in strong training programs involving NWCG, wildfire, ICS and leadership curriculums. We’re a small agency. We need our people to be the best they can be. Texas depends on it.
Go directly to job listings. |