Black Mountain Hot Shots
The Black Mountain Interagency Hot Shot Crew (IHC) was organized in 1989 on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Carson City Nevada. IHC's are a national resource with no geographical boundaries that respond to wildland fires and other natural disasters (floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes). Crews are comprised of 20 highly motivated members that work in highly complex and demanding situations. IHC's fall under a Type-1 status in the Incident Command System, and are fully equipped with their own communications, tools and transportation.
They work and train together daily and have a permanent supervisor assigned to them. Participating on a IHC crew is both demanding and rewarding, providing a unique opportunity to work with unique people with many different backgrounds and cultures.
IHC's foster a learning environment with dedication to teamwork and the ability to accomplish a mission and objective safely. Working on the Black Mountain IHC is a commitment to the crew for a period of 5 to 6 months with very little personal time. The Black Mountain IHC is committed to continued professional development in complex and demanding wildland fire situations. The Black Mountain IHC promotes an environment that is free of any and all forms of discrimination.
How to Apply
Temporary and permanent jobs are posted on the Office of Personnel website: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov. Further Information can be found by visiting the FSJOBS website: http://www.fs.fed.us/fsjobs. Here is step by step information on applying for a job.
The USDA Forest Service currently uses eRecruit as an on-line applicant assessment system. (The following website is ONLY AVAILABLE to Forest Service employees with access to the Forest Service Intranet). The website is available at http://fsweb.asc.fs.fed.us/HRM/eRecruit. Once your profile (application) is established, you are able to apply for other USDA Forest Service positions. For technical questions regarding the eRecruit website, applicants are encouraged to utilize the “Help” link within eRecruit, and the “Applicant User Guide” available on the FSJOBS website. Black Mountain IHC generally starts the hiring process in February for temporary employment.
On average we experience a 10-20 percent turnover annually ( 2-4 positions). We encourage applicants to contact us and have applications submitted by January 1st.
Physical Fitness
Working on the Black Mountain IHC is both demanding physically and mentally. We have a physical fitness program that enables employees to improve and test themselves to achieve maximum fitness that is required for the demanding nature of the job. The Work Capacity Test is a condition of hire which includes a three mile walk while carrying 45 pounds, that has to be completed in 45 minutes or less, this test is completed on the first day of employment. Other Physical Fitness activities include but not limited to, running 3-6 miles, hiking and power hiking 1,000-2,000 vertical feet, upper body strengthening, and stretching. We encourage applicants to have a fitness program through out the winter months to maintain the level of conditioning that is necessary to perform the job.
Contact Information
Superintendent - Matt Hoggard (775) 884-8107
Assistant Supt.(detail) - Matt Gill (775) 884-8106
Feel free to contact us regarding any questions that you might have about applying for the Black Mountain IHC .
Thank you for your interest in the crew and look forward to hearing form you in the future.
Black Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
Carson Ranger District
1536 S. Carson St.
Carson City, NV 89701
Phone: 775-884-8107/8110
Cell: 775-721-0684
E-mail: mhoggard@fs.fed.us