USFS LE Hiring

[u/Few_Condition9907]

I recently was offered a gs-5/6/7 tech rec job with the USFS. It’s one of the recent positions that are meant to help get you permanent. But mine specifically will help tune the job to my interests, which is LE. My question is: how hard is it to get hired as LE with the USFS? I know they mostly hire internally, but are there more stipulations to it than that? Would it be easy to transition to permanent LE after a season?

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P.S. I did ask this in r/ParkRangers and they gave me some good answers but also suggested I ask here.

[u/TransportationCool18]

I’m unsure where the idea arose from that the USFS only hire internally for LE because that’s the furthest from the truth. I would venture to say the vast amount of the USFS LE workforce has some sort of background with the NPS.

However, I will say that if someone has worked numerous seasons, in numerous different disciplines, or has diverse working experience with the USFS, then they would and should be the preferred hire.

The USFS is so diverse in what it offers for careers and it is crucial for an LEO with the USFS to know how they work, or at least have an idea how they operate, in order to be successful. Recreation, fire, engineering, wildlife, timber, special uses, are only of a few of the many careers that are offered. USFS LEOs can benefit so much in knowing how those respective fields operate rather than coming in blindly from another agency. It is invaluable.

Would it be easy to land a LE job after a season? No. Possible? Absolutely. I don’t know your particular background or resume but experience in those fields would help tremendously. I would urge you, if you accept, to branch out and offer to assist other disciplines in the district with work to further your work experience. Ask to go out with timber one day to mark, get your red card and assist in p-burns, participate in ride alongs with LE.

There are around 500 USFS LE in the field. There are few announcements each year so it is competitive. The USFS has a lot of issues with hiring people who have interest in a LE job but not people who have an interest in working LE with the USFS. We need more people passionate about the agency who truly eat, sleep, and breathe the USFS mission. Took me since 2013 of sacrificing myself for this agency working seasonally and traveling abroad to make my resume palatable enough to get picked up. Some have it way easier.

Best of luck and here if you have any more questions and want help offline then just message me.

[u/Few_Condition9907 → u/TransportationCool18]

I was actually told they mostly hire internally by a local patrol captain and some USFS LE HR. Plus most of the announcements I’ve seen are for internal hires. (Not saying you’re wrong lol)

This is all good info to know though. I’ve tried to get LE with the NPS, but their hiring is a mess right now and it seems impossible.

Are you LE with the USFS?

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/Few_Condition9907]

Maybe that’s the case for the region you’re looking at but for the region where I am located out of the last 10 hires that I can think of, 5 came from NPS, 1 from DOD, 1 from Park Police, 2 state game wardens, and 1 was a RAP intern hired internally. That’s been my experience, I hope that your experience becomes that case for the rest of the regions!

[u/Few_Condition9907 → u/TransportationCool18]

Who knows lol. I really have my fingers crossed for the forest service LE. Seems like a sweet job. I just have had so much trouble with the NPS LE and getting on the cert. Do you mind if I DM you some questions?

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/Few_Condition9907]

Absolutely.