Contract Wildland Fire Crew (Type 2 IA)
Private contractors, e.g. Grayback Forestry, PatRick Environmental (Oregon/Idaho/Montana)
Pays you
$18–$29/hr
Grayback advertises $17.75 to $28.73/hr plus fringe depending on project and experience; Glassdoor puts Type 2 firefighters around $21-$29/hr. NOTHING DEDUCTED WHILE ON A FIRE — on assignment the contractor covers lodging and food (fire camp), so on-fire days are close to pure savings. The catch is the reverse of a deduction: between dispatches you may be unpaid or on minimal standby hours, and some contractors expect you to house yourself near the shop at your own cost during the season. Overtime after 40 hours is the main earnings driver, same as federal. Highly variable. A rookie on a crew that gets dispatched steadily can approach federal-crew earnings; a crew that sits idle in a wet year earns very little. Ask any contractor directly how many days their crews were dispatched last season before accepting.
$0–$900 upfront to start
Private companies field Type 2 Initial Attack crews that get dispatched to federal fires under contract, hiring rookies with a much faster and lower-barrier process than USAJOBS. You are paid only when the crew is on assignment, which makes the season more volatile than a federal job.
- Term
- 3 mo–6 mo
- Housing
- Not provided
- Airfare
- Not covered
- Selectivity
- Open enrollment
- Age
- 18+
- Citizenship
- Any citizenship
Deadlines
- 2027 fire seasonrollingRolling / no fixed deadline
Contract crews hire on a rolling basis with the bulk of rookie hiring and fire school in Feb-May for a June start; they also backfill mid-season, so a late applicant has a real chance in a way federal hiring does not allow.
Verified 9/13/2026 · www.graybackforestry.com