No wildland firefighter jobs are open on the Black Hills National Forest today. Most of its job ads open in August, September, and October. Get the email and you will know when the next ones post. The forest is in South Dakota. You could work in 6 towns on it.
Get an email when jobs open →No open job ad names a town on this forest right now. Federal fire jobs post in waves, mostly in the fall and winter. See all open jobs.
🔥 Get new wildland fire jobs by email
The government posts new fire jobs most Mondays. Every Tuesday morning we email you the new ones, so you can apply first. 16 jobs are open right now.
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Federal fire job ads name these towns. Pick a town to see its buildings, hiring history, and nearby fires. One ad can cover many towns, so the same job shows up in more than one row.
| Town | Jobs open now | Job ads since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Custer, South Dakota | 0 | 426 |
| Rapid City, South Dakota | 0 | 327 |
| Spearfish, South Dakota | 0 | 303 |
| Sundance, Wyoming | 0 | 224 |
| Hill City, South Dakota | 0 | 145 |
| Nemo, South Dakota | 0 | 109 |
The counts are job ads, not people hired.
The boundary is the Forest Service's own outline.
To ask about a fire job, call the office in the town you want and ask for the fire staff.
| Building | Town | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Black Hills National Forest and Hell Canyon Ranger District Office | Custer, South Dakota | 1019 N 5th St Directions Call 605-673-9200 |
| Black Hills National Forest Helibase Fire base | Custer, South Dakota | 12220 Aviation Way Directions |
| Hell Canyon Ranger District (Custer) Office | Custer, South Dakota | 330 Mount Rushmore Rd Directions |
| Tatanka Hot Shot Quarters Fire base | Custer, South Dakota | 12266 Tatanka Dr Directions |
| Mystic Ranger District-Hill City Shop Office | Hill City, South Dakota | 24030 Hwy 385 / 16 Directions |
| Nemo Work Center & Boxelder Job Corps Work center | Nemo, South Dakota | 22023 Job Corp Pl Directions Call 605-348-3636 |
| Hell Canyon Ranger District-Newcastle Office Office | Newcastle, Wyoming | 1225 Washington Blvd Directions Call (307) 746-2782 |
| Black Hills National Forest Tanker Base Also here: Mystic Ranger District-Rapid City Tanker Base Fire base | Rapid City, South Dakota | 4940 FAA Rd Directions |
| Mystic Ranger District and RMRS FSL Office | Rapid City, South Dakota | 8221 Mt. Rushmore Rd Directions Call (605) 343-1567 |
| Mystic Ranger District-Pactola Work Center Work center | Rapid City, South Dakota | 13950 W Hwy 44 Directions |
| Northern Great Plains Interagency Dispatch Center Dispatch center | Rapid City, South Dakota | 8123 Mt Rushmore Rd Directions Call 605-399-3160 |
| USGS Earth Resources Observations Center (EROS) | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 47914 252nd St Directions Call 605-594-6511 |
| Northern Hills Ranger District Office | Spearfish, South Dakota | 2014 N Main St Directions Call 605- 642-4622 |
| Bearlodge Ranger District Office | Sundance, Wyoming | 101 S 21st St Directions Call (307) 283-1361 |
Source: U.S. Forest Service office locations. We last checked it on October 12, 2026. Some phones come from the forest's own website. "Not listed" means the Forest Service does not publish it.
A ranger district is one part of the forest, run from its own office. A dispatch center takes fire reports and sends crews. A tanker base is where firefighting planes load.
A hotshot crew is a 20-person crew sent to the hardest parts of big fires. From the Forest Service list of hotshot crews.
23 fires started inside the forest boundary since July 18, 2026, when our fire records begin. Together they cover 131 acres. An acre is about the size of a football field. These are the 10 biggest.
We only count fires that started inside the forest. A fire that started outside and burned in is not counted.
Have questions?
Book a 30-minute call with Graham. He got a Forest Service fire job in Montana with zero experience and worked the summer of 2026. Ask anything: the application, the pack test, what the money really looks like, what to pack. Parents welcome.
“Talking with Graham was super helpful, he explained the hiring process and how to successfully reach out to fire crews. He is very knowledgeable on the different paths to becoming a Wildland firefighter and answered all my questions.”