North Columbia Handcrew Foreman, Wildland Fire Management Supervisor; WFMSup

North Columbia Handcrew Foreman, Wildland Fire Management Supervisor (WFMSup)

Recruitment #2026-2-7726
Full-time, Permanent, Represented position (WFSE)
Work Hour flexibility may be available and considered

Location:

Northeast Region - Chewelah, WA

Review of applications is ongoing. We reserve the right to make a hiring decision or close this recruitment at any time after 2/24/26. It is in your best interest to submit materials as soon as possible.

Want to join something GREAT and make a difference? The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has an exciting opportunity within our Northeast Region as a Handcrew Foreman (Wildland Fire Management Supervisor), to help supervise the North Columbia 20 Person Initial Attack Handcrew.

This position represents the Department and the Region when interacting with other Federal/Local/State agencies and must harbor a solid working relationship with these cooperating agencies. Additionally, this position must interact and coordinate with the Region support and business staff. This collaboration occurs on a daily, ongoing basis and is an essential function of the position.

In addition to suppression work, the hand crew supports DNR’s Forest Resiliency and Community Resiliency Programs in the form of fuel reduction projects and other projects as assigned. This position helps meet wildland fire suppression needs and associated activities supporting suppression efforts during the active fire season.

• Provide direct fireline supervision of the squad bosses and hand crew members, who respond to grass, brush, and forest fires and are available for district, region, statewide, and/or interagency dispatch.
• Provides interagency fire suppression activities for initial attack, extended attack, mop‑up, patrol, and rehabilitation. On initial attack fires, may perform ICs functions as Incident Commander Type 4 and 5 or other duties as needed.
• Plans and implements training for seasonal crew members, and may be asked to instruct/participate in DNR Fire Academies.
• Prescribed Fire Support – Leads crew to conduct site fuels and fire effects data collection, unit preparation, assist with burn plan writing, community outreach, and Rx burn implementation support to include firing, holding, burn boss, etc.
• Work in remote areas away from vehicles for long periods of time.
• Work in extremely rugged terrain.
• Travel for extended periods of time (for multiple weeks): outside of your home unit to assist on fires within the region, to other regions, and/or states for large fires.
• Provides recommendations and assistance during the seasonal hiring process, including conducting seasonal firefighter interviews and onboarding.
• Build strong team cohesion within the 20‑person crew on a day‑to‑day basis.
• Prepare for fire duty, maintain assigned equipment and vehicles for fire readiness.
• Ensure all required reports are complete and submitted by the required dates.
• Community Resilience – Leads crew to conduct home ignition zone assessments as part of Wildfire Ready Neighbors or independent requests from landowners and/or communities. In addition to Home Ignition Zone assessments, crew members may participate in community education days, plan and participate in community outreach and prevention events, and participate with local cooperators on community outreach projects.
• Forest Health Treatment – Leads crew to conduct non‑commercial thinning and slash abatement, project layout, and compliance in coordination with State Lands and Landowner Assistance staff. Supports forest health project layout, tree marking, road brushing, and GPS data collection surveys. Assists with timber sales, layout, marking, forest cruising, and road maintenance.

• Experience in wildland fire suppression tactics and fire behavior recognition.
• NWCG Qualified as:
  Firefighter Type 1 and Incident Commander Type 5.
• Supervisory experience.
• Employee Empowerment.
• Team Effectiveness.
• Building/maintaining Cooperative Relationships.
• Commitment to fostering and supporting an environment that honors diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental justice practices.
• Perform assigned duties in a manner consistent with applicable…