Great Northern Fire Crew

Thanks for your interest in
the Great Northern Fire Crew!

View the current guidelines for applying by clicking on "How do I Apply" or the link on the menu to the right. We encourage you to e-mail your complete contact information to Giselle Koehn at gkoehn01@fs.fed.us or Carrie Johnson at cajohnson@fs.fed.us or Margarita Phillips, at mkphilllips@fs.fed.us. Include with your e-mail a short paragraph or so regarding who you are, your background, and why you are interested in our program. You may also attach a resume if you wish. Your information will be added to a list of people interested in the program.

Beginning December 1, 2009, every Tuesday, we have scheduled conference calls at 10:00 am Mountain Daylight Time (except Dec. 29, 2009). You will have the opportunity to interact with Great Northern staff and answer questions about the application process. To participate, call ( 406) 329-4781 and follow the voice prompts to join the call.

Thank you for your time and your interest in the Great Northern!

Who are we and what do we do?

This program has aspired to create a bit of a revolution in the way firefighters are recruited, trained, mentored and developed in their initial seasons -- their foundation years. We strive to create opportunities for building very solid foundations for every member of the crew. The Great Northern Fire Program is focused on bringing together a diverse group of people, from many walks of life, and providing them with solid mentorship, and the best training and fire related working experience possible.

Our goal is to invest our time and efforts in each crewmember, teaching them the correct way of doing things and providing them with the tools to do so, right from the beginning.

The program holds strong to the concept that we are not only training entry-level firefighters, but also the potential leaders of tomorrow's fire and land management organizations.

In the years since the program was developed, Great Northern Fire Crewmembers were provided with opportunities that very few entry-level firefighters get the chance to experience, both in their training and in the field.

The Great Northern Fire Training Program has become a tremendous success. With each season our crews have continued to build upon the legacy of those before, and have created a very strong reputation and a tradition we can be proud of. We have received many excellent recommendations as THE program to emulate for the recruitment, safety practices and training of entry-level firefighters as well as entry-level fire leaders and supervisors.

People who are selected for the Great Northern Fire Crew spend one season with the program and receive a great deal of mentorship and honest counseling for the future. If in the first year a firefighter performs well, he or she may be invited back for a second (senior) year to receive more advanced training and opportunities. Following their time with the Great Northern, we work with the crewmembers in their pursuits in other areas.

One result of our success has been a high level of recruitment opportunities extended to Great Northern Fire Crewmembers with fire and land management programs throughout the nation.

We are hosted at the U.S. Forest Service Aerial Fire Depot, commonly known as the Missoula Smokejumper Base, in Missoula, Montana.

STILL INTERESTED? How do I apply?

A word or two about Missoula, Montana, our home.

Missoula is a city with a population of around 65,000 folks (small by many standards, large by Montana standards), and it is located off of Interstate 90 in SW Montana. It has most of the comforts of modern cities, including a pretty decent sized International Airport, many of the popular retail stores, movie theatres, two good hospitals, and it the home of the University of Montana "Grizzlies", which provides a great deal of educational and cultural opportunities to the community.

Aside from the city aspect of Missoula, southwest Montana provides some of the most incredible outdoor settings available. The area has easy access to several large National Forests, Wilderness Areas, Scenic Rivers, mountain ranges and National Parks within close proximity and boasts of incredible recreational opportunities of all kinds. (Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are all within a day's drive!)

Information sites about Missoula, Montana:

City of Missoula: http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/

http://missoula.montana.com/

http://www.missoula.com/

University of Montana: http://www.umt.edu/

Margarita Phillips OR Giselle Koehn Great Northern Fire Crew USFS - AFD 5785 W. Broadway Missoula, MT 59808-9361 Phone: (406) 329-4944 OR (406) 544-6483 or (425) 422-8752 e-mail: mkphillips@fs.fed.us or e-mail: gkoehn01@fs.fed.us

Carrie Johnson, Foreman Great Northern Fire Crew USFS - AFD 5785 W. Broadway Missoula, MT 59808-9361 Office: (406) 406-329-4944 Cell: (406) 249-9609 e-mail: cajohnson@fs.fed.us

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