Prineville Interagency Hotshots

 

Crew Profile

Prineville IHC Program

 

The Prineville Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC) is a 20-person wildland fire fighting crew governed by the US Department of Agriculture, US Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region (R-6). The Prineville IHC is hosted by the Ochoco National Forest, and based in Prineville, Oregon. Nationally, there are 109 hotshot crews under the jurisdiction of the USDA Forest Service, the US Department of the Interior (USDI) Bureau of Land Management, the USDI National Park Service, or the USDI Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Since 1980, Prineville IHC has been dedicated to providing a highly functional team for all assignments and projects. Highly capable and well trained, Prineville IHC is one of an elite group of wildland firefighting crews dedicated to providing dependability, excellence, and positively impacting the organizations we work for and with. Every member of Prineville IHC is part of a long and proud tradition of providing superior quality work as safely and efficiently as possible. The Prineville IHC seeks to maintain a work environment that fosters respect, intelligence, initiative, and leadership. Prineville IHC strives for an enthusiastic team that enjoys working hard and has fun.

 

Applicant Information

Work Dates (Tour of Duty)

Each season, Prineville IHC seeks quality employees to fill crew member positions for duty as a wildland firefighter. The crew typically starts in early April and ends in late September, depending on the severity of the fire season. Crew members are hired on a Not-to-exceed (NTE) 1039 hours in a 1-year basis as either a GS-462-04 or GS-462-05 depending upon experience level and education. 

Selection Requirements

Successful applicants will meet each of the following requirements:

• Possess a positive attitude

• Be willing to seek improvement and accept feedback

• Have a strong work ethic

• Have the ability to work as part of a cohesive team

• Be at least 18 years of age and have proof of US Citizenship

• Pack 45 pounds for 3 miles in under 45 minutes

• Be available for the entire projected crew season from April 1 through October 1

As mandated in the Standards for Interagency Hotshot Crew Operations (SIHCO), 80% of the crew members shall possess at least 1 year of experience on wildland fires. Although everyone who considers themselves well suited for a Hotshot position is encouraged to apply, in reality, applicants with no experience are rarely hired to comply with the SIHCO requirements. Competition for the limited number of available positions is fierce.

Physical conditioning is the cornerstone of Prineville IHC. Applicants are strongly encouraged to maintain a structured off-season physical training program, and be prepared to describe their training schedule. Every member of Prineville IHC is expected to arrive at work on the first day in excellent physical condition.
Working as a hotshot is not for everyone. The job requires tough, knowledgeable individuals with strength, stamina, and the ability to adapt effectively with a positive attitude. 

 

How to Apply

For 2025, the anticipated crew start date is 4/7/2025. Positions will open for application August 02-16, 2024 and will be available through USAJobs (https://www.usajobs.gov/). Interested applicants are incouraged to have their USAJobs profile and resumes up to date and ready for application. Applications recieved outside of the hiring window will not be considered for the 2025 season.

To be eligible for the GS-05 positions, applicants must have an IQCS master record with qualified FFT1 and a certificate for S-290 (Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior). 

Position	Series/Grade	Duty Station	Vacancy #
Forestry Technician (Hotshot/Handcrew)	GS-0462-04	Prineville	25-TEMPF2-R6-2036-4DH
Forestry Technician (Fire)	GS-0462-05	Prineville	25-TEMPF2-R6-2037-5DH

Find more information in the outreach notice here.

Please contact us with any questions about the hiring process or the crew. Due to timing of hiring during the peak of fire season, it may be difficult to contact us. Please be patient and persistent.

Superintendent: Brendan O’Reilly: brendan.oreilly@usda.gov           541-419-4055

Clayton Farnsworth: clayton.farnsworth@usda.gov                            541-233-7814

Caleb Hicks: caleb.hicks@usda.gov                                                    541-233-8439

 

 

Duties of a Hotshot Crew Member

The Work

The primary duties of a member of a crew involve the suppression of wildland fires throughout the United States and Canada. Crew members are required to utilize all types of hand tools in order to suppress wildfires. The use of chainsaws, radios, ignition devices, pumps, and numerous other pieces of equipment may also be a requirement. Patrolling, serving as a lookout, mopping-up, and hiking long distances are integral parts of the job.

Firefighting involves working under hazardous conditions for long periods of time and Hotshot crews are expected to accept the most difficult and hazardous tasks. A typical shift is 16 hours and working for extended periods without relief often occurs. Firefighters often endure hot, smoky, dirty, dusty working conditions with little sleep and poor food. Sleep deprivation is the norm and working with sharp tools, in the dark, on a steep hillside, under hazardous conditions is a common occurrence. Hotshots are frequently required to work for days at a time with only the 40 pounds of equipment carried in their fire pack. The work performed is extremely physically demanding and can be emotionally taxing. Together for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 months, the crew eats, works, travels, and rests as a unit. Under these conditions, compatibility, patience, understanding, and crew pride are an absolute necessity.

 

Availability

IHCs are required to be available for incident dispatch 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during the fire season. Each member of the crew is expected to be available, day or night, for every dispatch. During duty hours, the crew is required to be en route to the incident within 5 minutes. For off-duty dispatches, the crew must be assembled and traveling to the incident within 2 hours. These regulations greatly restrict the personal travel of crew members and demand a high level of personal responsibility and commitment to the crew.

Travel

Travel is to be expected. A typical fire season requires the crew to be away from the duty station for the majority of the 6-month period. Long drives in crowded conditions must be endured and travel by airplane and helicopter often occurs.

Project Work

When not assigned to an incident, crew members work a normal 40-hour week, but expect to work every weekend during fire season. Project work consists primarily of prescribed burn unit preparation, juniper removal, stream habitat improvements, and hazard tree falling.

 

Prineville IHC Training Program

Physical Training

Physical conditioning is a vital part of wildland firefighting in general and the Prineville IHC program specifically. A high level of physical fitness is necessary to maintain both crew safety and efficiency. The Prineville IHC physical training program is designed around functional fitness through aerobic, strength, endurance, and conditioning exercises.

As mandated by the SIHCO, each crew member is required to participate in at least 1 hour of structured physical training per day, 5 days per week. The physical training includes a variety of calisthenics, circuits with free weights, running on pavement, and hiking with fire equipment.

Each member of the Prineville IHC should arrive on the first day of work in top physical condition. A physical evaluation will be conducted on the first day of work which consists of the pack test, a 1.5 mile run, sit-ups, push-ups, and pull-ups (https://www.nifc.gov/training/trainingFitness.html). As a condition of hire, every member of the Prineville IHC will be required to hike 3 miles with a 45-pound pack in under 45 minutes. While the pack test is the only condition of hire, it does not adequately reflect the level of fitness often required on actual fire assignments. If you have specific questions about the physical training program or how best to train, please contact the crew directly.

 

Formal Training

The Standards for Interagency Hotshot Crew Operations or SIHCO mandates that all members of a crew participate in an annual training program. Crews in Region 6 have an additional expectation that they train as a team for two weeks prior to initial assignment. Training topics include: fire behavior, radio use, crew operations, chainsaw, first aid, defensive driving, and UTV operation. In addition to the required annual fire training, NWCG training courses in the S-200 level are presented as time permits.

National IHC and Other Websites

• National Interagency Hotshot Crews
• National Interagency Fire Center
• USFS Fire and Aviation Site
• Link to USA Jobs, Office of Personnel Management