The Central Oregon Helitack Crew is looking for motivated, physically fit candidates who can work well both independently and in a team environment. We take pride in our program and find merit in being a self reliant crew that needs little to no logistical district support while on any given assignment. We have a reputation of being professional, hard working, dedicated to the support of our response area and being flexible to accommodate the needs of our customers.

The Selection Process:


Each season, the Central Oregon Helitack Crew seeks quality employees to fill crew member positions for duty as wildland firefighters. Before being considered for a position, applicants must meet these minimum requirements: be 18 years of age at time of hire, provide proof of U.S. Citizenship, have at least one season (3 months or more) of experience where their primary duty was as a wildland firefighter, and complete the Work Capacity Test (WCT) within the specified time for arduous duty. Qualifications beyond basic wildland firefighter, such as FFT1, ICT 5, B or C faller, EMT, etc., are not required but are highly desirable.
Occasionally, one or more of the permanent positions on the helitack crew becomes available. These positions are targeted for experienced helicopter crewmembers with a background in fire management and aviation. When these jobs are open, announcements will be posted on the OPM Website.

Pay Scale:


Most crew members qualify as a GS-462-4 with an hourly wage of approximately $12.14. Overtime is paid for duty over 8 hours in a day at a rate of 1.5 times the base wage. For hazardous duty (which includes fire suppression activities, low level recon, and a variety of other helicopter related operations) employees are compensated an additional 25% of their base wage for all hours worked during that day. The Central Oregon Helitack Crew averages approximately 600 hours of overtime each fire season.

How To Apply:


For information regarding:
Go to the following website:
or go straight to the Helitack job listings:

Be sure to mark "Prineville, Oregon" as one of your Location Preferences
Temporary Seasonal Positions:
Permanent Positions:
For applicants who are not current permanent employees of the federal government:
Job offers are typically made in March or April.

If you have any questions regarding the job description, application process or web site, please feel free to contact us.
Due to the volume of applications you are also encouraged to stop by the base which is located at the Prineville Airport:

4550 Airport Way
Prineville, OR 97754