ODF-SW has less seasonal firefighters returning, now hiring dozens

SOUTHERN OREGON, — While it isn’t fire season just yet, the Oregon Department of Forestry is feeling what many companies are already dealing with, staffing shortages.

Fortunately, the organization is still some time away from fire season and is building up its seasonal staff.

The Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest District operates in Jackson and Josephine counties. It works all spring-long, to gear up for fire season.

But this year, it’s seeing a dip in people returning to the team. Typically, ODF looks to fill around 10 to 20 seasonal positions in the Medford and Grants Pass area.

This year, because less people are returning to the team, that number has grown to 50.

Year-round, ODS Southwest has a permanent staff of around 50 to 60 people, so there’s no shortage of firefighters to respond to fires.

But typically by the first week of June, ODF has around 100 seasonal firefighters, along with others in dispatch roles and working as detection specialists.

” I think everyone is feeling that pressure right now to find employees, so we recognize that and we anticipated it as well and we’re doing what we can to work through that hiring process.”

Weber says ODF is looking for people with experience but also people who are willing to learn.

You only have to be 18 years old with a valid drivers license to apply.

If you’re interested, you can visit swofire.com

ODF-Klamath Lake District says its also begun its seasonal hiring process.

It has seven seasonal firefighters right now but is hoping to be fully staffed with 38 by June.

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Jenna King is the 6pm and 11pm anchor for NBC5 News. Jenna is a Burbank, CA native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at Oregon she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through her internship with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors or binging on the latest Netflix release.
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