Wildland Firefighting Workforce
Wildland firefighters help save lives and protect communities, infrastructure and private, public and tribal lands from wildfires.
2025 Wildland Firefighting Capacity
In 2025, our goal is to have 11,300 wildland firefighters (GS-9 and below) onboard by mid-July before we approach the busiest part of the fire year. As of June 29, 2025, we had 11,236 wildland firefighters onboard nationwide, which is 99% of our goal. Even though this isn't enough capacity to meet the needs of the continuing wildfire crisis, this is the number of firefighters we are able to support with existing infrastructure, funding and other resources. We boost wildland firefighting capacity with other agency staff and administratively determined (AD) emergency workers qualified to support fire management activities.
Hiring Updates
The table below shows the breakdown of firefighters hired this year by Forest Service region (R) for 2025. Numbers change each pay period (PP) as we bring more people onboard and as some firefighters decline job offers or move to other positions.
| Region | 4/5-PP6 | 4/19-PP7 | 5/3-PP8 | 5/18-PP9 | 6/1-PP10 | 6/14-PP11 | 6/29-PP12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern (R1) | 869 | 887 | 943 | 1,211 | 1,327 | 1,360 | 1,369 |
| Rocky Mountain (R2) | 542 | 554 | 580 | 674 | 728 | 737 | 745 |
| Southwestern (R3) | 939 | 1,027 | 1,067 | 1,175 | 1,214 | 1,226 | 1,226 |
| Intermountain (R4) | 1,012 | 1,030 | 1,052 | 1,204 | 1,236 | 1,242 | 1,243 |
| Pacific Southwest (R5) | 3,111 | 3,155 | 3,214 | 3,313 | 3,500 | 3,589 | 3,648 |
| Pacific Northwest (R6) | 1,362 | 1,408 | 1,429 | 1,649 | 1,718 | 1,782 | 1,894 |
| Southern (R8) | 689 | 683 | 683 | 679 | 674 | 668 | 663 |
| Eastern (R9) | 333 | 337 | 336 | 333 | 333 | 333 | 331 |
| Alaska (R10) | 26 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 33 |
| Headquarters | 102 | 107 | 105 | 104 | 91 | 85 | 84 |
| Grand Total | 8,985 | 9,223 | 9,444 | 10,377 | 10,856 | 11,057 | 11,236 |
The table below shows the total number of wildland firefighters hired by date / pay period for comparison across years.
| As of Date - PP | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 % of Target (11,300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 5 - PP 6 | 7,209 | 7,500 | 8,638 | 8,985 | 80% |
| April 19 - PP 7 | 7,539 | 7,892 | 8,969 | 9,223 | 82% |
| May 3 - PP 8 | 8,291 | 8,534 | 9,732 | 9,444 | 84% |
| May 18 - PP 9 | 8,986 | 9,319 | 10,485 | 10,377 | 92% |
| June 1 - PP10 | 10,182 | 10,068 | 10,967 | 10,856 | 96% |
| June 15 - PP 11 | 10,733 | 10,778 | 11,192 | 11,057 | 98% |
| June 29 - PP 12 | 10,714 | 10,778 | 11,330 | 11,236 | 99% |
| July 13 - PP 13 | 10,908 | 11,150 | 11,457 | ||
| July 27 - PP 14 | 10,965 | 11,187 | 11,393 |
Join Us!
Wonder what it’s like to be a wildland firefighter? Learn more about Careers in Wildland Fire and how to apply.