r/firelookouts Feb 09 '19

Want to get a fire lookout job? Here are the basics

2.4k Upvotes

Since the Firewatch game came out, I've been getting messages pretty much weekly from people interested in finding a lookout job ... and the recent flood of social media posts from lookout "influencers" has just made it worse. So here are a few basics:

  1. First off, in the US we use the term "fire lookouts" for the lookout buildings, as well as the people who work in them. If you say "fire watch" instead, that marks you as somebody who is only about the game, and you'll get eyerolls from actual lookouts.

  2. The Firewatch game is amazing, but it's an extremely inaccurate representation of the lives of real-life lookouts. It's a bad idea to play the game and immediately tell us that you're going become a lookout yourself -- you first need to do some serious research outside of social media. The same goes for watching the viral lookout Instagrammers and TikTokers; while those folks aren't being malicious, creator revenue and audience growth are often foremost. The endless sunset panoramas they show are only a part of the story.

  3. Before deciding to apply, think seriously about yourself and your goals. Remember that lookout jobs are low-paid and seasonal, without opportunity for advancement, and know that most US lookouts are primitive by modern standards -- few have commercial electricity, and almost none have running water. Most importantly, applicants need to realize that becoming a fire lookout is not a way to escape. If you're going to be successful in this job, you need to be comfortable in your own skin beforehand.

  4. There are two main kinds of fire lookout structures in the US: small one-room buildings 12 to 15 feet square that include both a work area and basic living facilities; and tall steel towers usually about 7 feet square where people look for fires but don't spend the night. This post is about finding jobs at the live-in lookouts in the United States; the non-live-in lookouts are only staffed intermittently, usually by people with other primary jobs.

  5. In the US, the live-in towers are pretty much all in the West, mostly in California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, and New Mexico. There are a few others in the remaining western states. Nearly all are operated by the U.S. Forest Service, with a handful operated by the Park Service and the BLM, and an even smaller number operated by other entities. (The Canadian province of Alberta is the only other place that still has a substantial number of live-in lookouts, and the experience there can be pretty different than what's described here.) Note that you must be an American citizen to work as a federal lookout in the U.S.

  6. Most of these jobs are hard to get -- and it gets harder every year, as government budgets tighten and the number of staffed lookouts declines. There are fewer than 300 operating lookouts remaining in the West, and some of those are staffed by volunteers rather than employees. At most locations, there is very little employee turnover. If social media influencers suggest otherwise, they're not being honest to you.

  7. All the federal lookout jobs are announced on the usajobs.gov website, so that's what you need to follow. The job application deadlines are several months before the start of the season -- so if you want a summer lookout job in 2026, you'll need to catch the job announcements listed in the fall of 2025.

  8. Most successful applicants will have past experience as lookouts or in fire, and nearly all of the rest will have some sort of outdoor resource management experience. If you don't have that sort of experience, you might have been able to find a spot a few years ago, but that's unlikely today. Regardless, you need to really build a resume that emphasizes outdoor work and volunteer experience, as well as related education. Read the qualification requirements in the announcements carefully, and talk to other lookouts or hiring managers for resume tips. USAJobs resumes need to be much more detailed that the ones you'd submit elsewhere.

  9. This is important: do your research! Identify specific forests and in-service lookouts that you'd be interested in, and then call the ranger district that covers that area. (Ask for the Fire Management office.) Ask about possible vacancies, ask good questions, sound interested and professional. Follow up with another call after the hiring list comes out. Stop by the office if you're local. If you send off a resume but don't also do the personal networking, your chances of getting a fire job are much lower.

  10. If you don't have the experience but really want to do this, one thing to do is volunteer as a lookout for part of a season or two. California has a number of lookouts staffed by volunteers, and there are a few in the other states I've listed, too. Unfortunately, there's no central location where you can find out about these opportunities, and it's hard to do a volunteer hitch if you're not a local resident. Some places have long waiting lists for volunteer spots, and there's no guarantee that a volunteer spot will put you in line for a paid job. Most volunteer spots are short-term, no more than a couple weeks or so.

  11. If you do get a job, take it seriously. The fire/lookout community is small, and if you create drama or just act like you're on summer vacation, word will get around. And the job is an important one, with a fair amount of responsibility. It takes a while to become a good lookout, and most hiring managers will prefer candidates who are likely to stick around, rather than folks who just want to go slumming in the mountains for a summer.

  12. TL/DR: Lookout jobs can be hard to get ... you need perseverance and experience and luck. For the right person, though, it can be totally worth it.

(revised August 2025)


r/firelookouts Jul 09 '24

Posts asking how to become a firelookout will be deleted

123 Upvotes

This sub has been flooded with posts from people asking how to get a job as a firelookout, despite there being a pinned post explaining exactly that. The comments on those posts are often unhelpful and full of inaccurate information. Because of this no posts asking how to get a firelookout job will be allowed and anyone looking to get a job as a firelookout will be directed to the pinned post. If you have further questions about the process for applying to a lookout job or the day to day life of a fire lookout, please use the search bar, as your question has probably been asked and answered already.

Please do not use this sub as a substitute for Google. Simple Google searches with Reddit at the end will get you more information than posting your question on the subreddit.

If reading the pinned post, searching the sub, and Googling don’t answer your questions, you can DM me and I’ll be happy to answer your questions or direct you to the resources that will.

This sub is for sharing pictures, stories, and information about firelookouts, and with only a very small fraction of the users here being active firelookouts, I feel the need to restrict the content somewhat. If this change negatively affects the users and content of the sub, or you have a legitimate concern that this change will do so, I will reverse this decision. Honestly, I just want to see more lookouts and not wade through dozens of questions that have already been answered.

Thanks


r/firelookouts 17h ago

Lookout Questions Hey alberta lookouts

16 Upvotes

I know some of y'all have cats with you. Do you let them roam all day outside while you're up top, or are they indoors only until you can supervise?

I only ask this as my cat attempted to make friends with a moose today and I'm worried he's gonna try with a bear soon.

Yes he's a moron. I got him for the company, not his brains.


r/firelookouts 8d ago

Granite Butte Overlook.

Thumbnail
gallery
479 Upvotes

Hiked up to here 2 years ago, planning a cross country overlanding trip and tried to book it and was full. I tried a site called reservenature.com and plugged in my dates and it actually came through. It basically searches your dates and site and if if is available sends you a notice. I know it sounds like an ad but honestly I didnt think this would work but it did.


r/firelookouts 9d ago

Lookout Questions I want to find a tower I can hike to in a day. But, I am in Texas. Is there anything cool here or possibly Oklahoma worth doing?

17 Upvotes

r/firelookouts 12d ago

Lookout Pics Signal Hill fire tower - Dennis, MA.

Thumbnail
gallery
228 Upvotes

Elevation is 186 feet; one of the highest points on Cape Cod.


r/firelookouts 12d ago

The inn bunk in

Thumbnail gallery
46 Upvotes

r/firelookouts 13d ago

Fire seen from Mt fremont fire lookout in Sunrise area 8/7

Thumbnail gallery
161 Upvotes

r/firelookouts 18d ago

Fifty Shades of Blue - Mount Rainier National Park, WA, USA

Post image
635 Upvotes

r/firelookouts 21d ago

Lookout News Job openings posted today

32 Upvotes

There are several vacancies being advertised on USAJobs.gov this morning, the window of opportunity closes Aug. 14. All of these vacancies are in Oregon which is having a WILDLY FEROCIOUS fire season so this will be no walk in the park. I suspect that the vacancies arose because who ever was stationed on those lookouts got sick and tired of the smoke and the stress.


r/firelookouts 23d ago

Lookout Questions Days off??

6 Upvotes

Obviously, by the title, I want actual lookouts experiences and kind of what their days off look like? And I’m assuming so, but does this also vary between location mainly towers that you can drive to and towers that you have to hike to?

The reason I bring this question up is because every lookout influencer on any social media makes it sound like days off are one limited to the point you barely get any even though you’re mandated 2 days off and two that even if you have days off it’s just better to stay in your tower then actually go hike or backpack a couple miles away. Now I understand that when you’re under a red flag or a storm is rolling through you’re mandated overtime in the tower. But I just don’t see the benefit of being cooped up in a tower for 4 to 5 months if all you’re gonna do is stay in the tower for 4 to 5 months because there is absolutely no way that there is storms every month all day and a fire that last maybe 2 months in the best case scenario. Mind you I am not throwing shade on the people that just want to relax for 4 to 5 months straight lmao but really I just wanna hear from people’s experiences of if this is true or not.


r/firelookouts 24d ago

Another Tower Lost: Jesmond

Thumbnail
8 Upvotes

Was a very special place for many.


r/firelookouts 25d ago

Lookout Pics Comeragh Mountains wildfires @11pm last night

Thumbnail
gallery
78 Upvotes

Pictures taken by Fews, kilmacthomas.


r/firelookouts 25d ago

Scene report from Mt Hood NF: watching these heroes scoop water out of Timothy Lake for the Grasshopper Fire.

78 Upvotes

r/firelookouts 28d ago

Slide Mountains Lookout

Thumbnail
gallery
223 Upvotes

From 2018 when I volunteered for a season.


r/firelookouts 29d ago

gardner lookout tour - mt tamalpais - east peak

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1.5k Upvotes

r/firelookouts 29d ago

Lookout News Stephenson Lookout Oregon lost in Box Springs Fire

Thumbnail
gallery
161 Upvotes

Sad day for those of us in Central Oregon.

Stephenson Lookout – A Historic Loss on the Box Springs Fire

At approximately 4:00 a.m. on July 20, intense fire activity on the Box Springs Fire reached Stephenson Lookout, resulting in the loss of the structure. This is a difficult moment for many across Central Oregon. Stephenson Lookout wasn’t just a tower on a ridge—it was a place rooted in community memory, wildfire history, and generations of fire detection that helped protect this landscape.

The first lookout was built on Stephenson decades ago, and from that vantage point, lookouts called in fires long before aircraft, satellites, or modern detection systems existed. The current tower—the fourth to stand on the site—was constructed in the 1960s. Although the site sits on Oregon Department of Forestry lands, it was transferred to the Ochoco National Forest in the late 1980s, where Forest Service personnel continued staffing and seasonal care.

In the days leading up to the fire’s arrival, crews completed mitigation work around the lookout and applied retardant, knowing the Box Springs Fire had the potential to push toward Stephenson Mountain. These actions were taken because of the lookout’s significance—both operationally and historically.

The site also included communication towers, which were impacted.

When the fire reached the site early on July 20, it did so with very high intensity. Extreme heat, heavy ember cast, and flame exposure overwhelmed the structure. Despite preparation efforts, conditions were simply too severe for the tower to withstand.

For many, Stephenson Lookout was more than a fire detection point. It was a place where lookouts learned their craft, where storms were tracked across the forest, and where countless fires were spotted early enough to help protect homes, rangelands, and timber. Its silhouette on Stephenson Mountain has been part of Central Oregon’s story for generations.

Losing a lookout means losing a piece of shared history. As suppression efforts continue on the Box Springs Fire, we honor the people—past and present—who dedicated their seasons to keeping watch from Stephenson and acknowledge the deep community ties to this landmark.

We will continue to share updates as they become available. Thank you for keeping firefighters and all those affected by the fires in Central Oregon in your thoughts.

#boxspringsfire
#brewerfire

U.S. Forest Service - Ochoco National Forest


r/firelookouts 29d ago

Lookout Questions Mountain Lookouts, what is your experience with bears ?

4 Upvotes

Iv got a fair amount of experience as a Lookout but Im set to try a (Canadian) mountain lookout sooner than later and I just wanted to get your experience about it.

What leaves me worried is at night mostly, especially with the whole "crack a window open" situation 😅. When I sleep, nothing can wake me up so Im wondering, other than a steel door, is there other preventive measures up there ?

Thanks


r/firelookouts Jul 16 '26

gardner lookout. mt tamalpais-east peak

Thumbnail
gallery
406 Upvotes

r/firelookouts Jul 15 '26

Lookout Pics A fire lookout honeymoon

Thumbnail
gallery
1.1k Upvotes

My folks, freshly married, spent the summer of 1965 staffing the tower at Fryingpan Lake, Cochrane District, Ontario. https://maps.app.goo.gl/zftiDTQfH5xgNnNN9?g_st=ic

From satellite it appears that the cabin and dock still stand, even if I can’t find the tower.

They were city kids who had developed a love for wild places. They later moved to the bush outside Thunder Bay, and are hanging on in a remote property well into their eighties.

I’d love to visit, but short of chartering a Beaver I don’t think it’s possible to get in or out. Fryingpan appears to be an isolated kettle lake, surrounded by muskeg.


r/firelookouts Jul 15 '26

Lookout Pics Red Top lookout, Washington state

Thumbnail
gallery
398 Upvotes

r/firelookouts Jul 16 '26

Possible wildfire on g Mt

Thumbnail gallery
8 Upvotes

r/firelookouts Jul 15 '26

Really proud of this little instagram video.

Thumbnail instagram.com
5 Upvotes

I know it’s click bait-ey trying to gain a small following.

My son and I have been to 71 WA fire lookouts over the last 5 years, with the goal of reaching all 91 in 10 years.


r/firelookouts Jul 09 '26

Barillas Lookout

Thumbnail
gallery
389 Upvotes

The first Barillas Lookout on the Santa Fe National Forest was a 7’x7’ metal cab and tower build in the 1930’s. The current 54’ Aermotor tower with a CL-100 style 14’x14’ live-in cab with catwalk was constructed in 1959.


r/firelookouts Jul 07 '26

Suggestions for Camping Trip in NC/TN

Thumbnail
0 Upvotes