Do You Have What It Takes?

Texas Forest Service is looking for leaders.

For almost a century, the state agency has centered its mission around three core leadership values: duty, integrity and respect. Now is no different.

We’re boosting our wildland firefighting force. And we’re looking for the best. Are you a leader? Can you think on your feet? Do you want to make a difference?

Texas Forest Service is looking for men and women with a desire to give back. Wildland firefighters are selfless and service-oriented. Their decision-making skills are sharp; their focus on safety never wavers. And they work well with others, particularly local governments and volunteer fire departments.

Are you up for the challenge?

Join the fight. Join Texas Forest Service.

Why Texas?

Retardant dropWelcome 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.

Read more about the unique attributes Texas has to offer. 

 

  • Leading the Lone Star State

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    Texas Forest Service is the lead agency for the state when it comes to all-hazard responses. Wildfires. Hurricanes. Floods. Tornados. Ice storms. Even the Space Shuttle Columbia recovery effort. We respond no matter the disaster.

    All Hazard Response

  • Hurricane Ike

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    When Hurricane Ike slammed into the Gulf Coast in fall 2008, Texas Forest Service was ready. The agency coordinated response and recovery efforts across the state during the storm’s aftermath.

    All Hazard Response

  • Wildfires

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    Since 2005, Texas Forest Service has responded to 8,130 wildfires that scorched more than 3 million acres, killed 22 people and destroyed more than 800 homes. And with the ongoing drought, the job is only getting bigger.

    All Hazard Response

  • Presidio Flood

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    Texas Forest Service responded in 2008 to the West Texas border town of Presidio, where a failed levee along the Rio Grande led to massive flooding – the worst the area had seen in more than three decades.

    All Hazard Response

  • Space Shuttle Columbia

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    In 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over the Lone Star State. Charged with managing the response, Texas Forest Service became the first state agency ever to lead a federal disaster.

    All Hazard Response

  • Hand in Hand

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    Texas Forest Service responds to the worst of the worst. But the volunteer fire departments scattered across the state are the first line of defense. We work hand in hand with them to protect Texas.

    All Hazard Response

Who We're Hiring

Texas Forest Service Wildland FirefighterThe job of Wildland Firefighter is considered a full-time emergency response position and applicants, on any given day, could find themselves working with dozers, engines or hand tools.

A Regional Fire Coordinator is a supervisory position that requires the employee to respond to wildfires as well as interact regularly with the community and local government.

Read more about the position descriptions or go directly to the job listings.

Why We're Hiring

Wildland fire in West TexasThe onslaught began just two days after Christmas 2005, when a wildfire raged across the town of Cross Plains. Two died and 116 homes were lost.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. Just 76 days later, the state marked the worst wildfire day in its history as fire swept across 1 million acres just east of Amarillo. Twelve people died in what has been described as the single largest burning event in the nation.

Things haven’t gotten better. During the last two years, Texas Forest Service has responded to more than 2,800 fires that charred nearly 1.4 million acres. This past April, more than two dozen fires burned 150,000 acres in one weekend alone.

Read more about the need to protect Texas from wildfires.