U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fire

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Learn more: https://www.doi.gov/wildlandfireservice

Thank you for your continued support as we unify our community under the U.S. Wildland Fire Service.

The U.S. Wildland Fire Service represents a historic modernization of wildfire management within the U.S. Department of the Interior.

By unifying wildland fire management across the BIA Forestry and Wildland Fire Management, Bureau of Land Management Fire, National Park Service Fire and Aviation Management, Office of Aviation Services, DOI - Office of Wildland Fire, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fire, the Interior Department is building a more efficient, effective wildfire response system that it is better equipped to protect lives, communities, and ecosystems.

USWFS by the numbers:
✔Provides wildland fire management on over 500 million acres of public and tribal lands.
✔Employs 5,780 federal wildland fire personnel annually.
✔Supports approximately 900 tribal wildland fire personnel.

More about the USWFS: https://www.doi.gov/wildlandfireservice/about

Photo by Austin Catlin.

Last week, the Florida Forest Service in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted their annual Blue Ribbon Staff Ride in .

The staff ride reflects on the 2011 , a lightning-caused wildfire that escaped containment during extreme conditions and resulted in the line-of-duty deaths of two Florida Division of Forestry firefighters. The incident remains a powerful reminder of how quickly conditions can change and why sound decision-making, communication, and risk management are critical on every assignment.

Through discussion and on-the-ground learning, the staff ride provides firefighters an opportunity to examine the decisions made, honor those who were lost, and apply lessons learned to improve safety across the wildland fire community.

This year, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s (NWCG) Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR) program is filming the staff ride to help preserve these lessons and support future wildland fire safety training.

📸 Florida Forest Service

You don’t have to be a firefighter to keep your home safe from wildfire.

Homeowners and communities play a large role in fire safety. Keep streets and roads clear so fire engines can maneuver safely, and residents can evacuate if needed. Make sure fire hydrants are visible and accessible. Clear flammable vegetation around structures and along roadsides.

These simple prevention measures can go a long way toward reducing the risk of fire to your home and community.

Learn more from National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) at Firewise.org.

Photo by Ashley Loeb, 2024 Valley Fire in Boise, ID.

Where my fine fuels folks at? 🔥
Now hiring a GW 9-11 Wildland Firefighter (Fuels) at Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge
📍Anahuac,
➡️www.usajobs.gov/job/856494800
⏰Apply by 2/19

📸Jeff Adams/USFWS

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Careers

TFW the forecast, the fuels, and the plan align - there’s nothing quite like the feeling of a successful . 🔥The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fire Program uses to protect wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire risk, & keep our landscapes healthy & resilient.

Carefully planned restore native ecosystems, support endangered species, and help safeguard nearby communities. Fire, when used the right way, is a powerful conservation tool. 💪🌿🦌🔥Much appreciation to our professionals and partners who make good fire possible!

Smoke management is critical when applying near populated areas. This is one of those burns where you truly have to thread the needle.

Smoke-sensitive areas around this unit at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ( ) include a spaceport, laser range, major roadway, barge canal, a large golf-course community, and multiple Department of Defense facilities downrange. Add nearby cruise ships and a busy beach, and every ignition decision matters.

Careful planning, constant monitoring, and the right conditions help ensure prescribed fire does its job, supporting healthy ecosystems and reducing wildfire risk, while minimizing impacts to surrounding communities.

📸 Used with permission by Xander Burgess

The risks of wildland firefighting don’t always end when the fire is out.
Sometimes, it comes years later.

Beyond the visible hazards of the job, wildland firefighters face an invisible risk: increased cancer rates linked to repeated smoke and toxin exposure over a career.

These diagnoses don’t just affect individuals. They impact families, crews, and entire communities.

This month, we honor those affected by job-related cancers and reaffirm our commitment to taking exposure seriously, every day.

We are a GW-08/09 Wildland Firefighter (Fuels) at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in to help plan and implement and fuels management projects that support healthy ecosystems and refuge mission.

Apply by February 6 ➡️ https://bit.ly/3M1VsKB



U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Careers

Continuing our finds… looks like this decoy duck stayed in the spread a little too long and held tight through a at Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuge in . 🦆🔥What unexpected finds have you flushed out on the fireline?
📸Mikael Lerma/USFWS

Now hiring a Lead Wildland Firefighter (GW-8) ready to take the lead in the wide-open, rugged landscapes of Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex. 🔥Established to protect critical habitat for pronghorn, the refuge complex also provides high-desert sage brush habitat for California bighorn sheep, greater sage grouse and American pika.
📍Lakeview,
📆Apply by 2/3 ➡️www.usajobs.gov/job/854889200
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Careers

Please join us in congratulating Shawn “Murph” Murphy, Fire Management Officer at San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex, on being named a recipient of the 2025 Excellence in Fire Management Award! 🎉🔥

With more than 30 years of service, Shawn’s leadership has shaped a balanced, mission-driven fire program across ’s South Central Valley - integrating suppression, , fuels reduction, and refuge conservation. A dedicated mentor and champion of collateral-duty firefighters, he’s helped build a stronger, more resilient fire workforce and played a key role in implementing over 100,000 acres of during his tenure.

As Shawn prepares to retire, his legacy of teamwork, innovation, partnership, and unwavering support for others will continue to be felt across the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and greater fire community. Thank you, Murph, for an extraordinary career and lasting impact! 👏🫡

📸1) Murph on a . Recognizable almost anywhere! USFWS 2) Murph mentors during a . USFWS 3) Murph giving a morning briefing before a . Ruby Pulido/Merced County Fire Department 4) Murphy receiving his award from USFWS Fire Chief, Ed Christopher. USFWS