Paid training,
no experience required
Join together to protect the Ojai Valley region from the threat of wildfire. This is not a drill.
Pay & Perks
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Pay & Perks
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Pay & Perks 💵 Pay & Perks 🧰
“SHOWED UP WITH A McLEOD.
LEFT CERTIFIED.”
Heavy Work. Big Payoff.
This job is loud, dirty, and physically exhausting. But if you put in the sweat, you walk away with a federally recognized S‑212 Chainsaw Certification.
We pay you to train you for your future, and for ours.
Start at $18/hr (14 to 17 years old, Junior C.R.E.W.) or $20/hr (18+).
Supervisors $22-24.50/hr.
Get paid to get fit outdoors.
All training is paid. No unpaid orientation and no volunteer hours.
Competitive Wages
Build valuable work skills with pay.
Earn industry-recognized certifications in S‑212 Wildland Fire Chainsaws, First Aid/CPR, and Trail Building.
Professional Certifications
We work around your life.
Weekend shifts available during the school year.
Full-time immersive crews in the summer.
Flexible Schedules
🏕️
Spike-Outs!
🌅
Sunrises on the Ridge
🤝
Your Field Corps Crew
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Ridgelines Cleared Together
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Crossing Creeks
🍃
Resting in the Breeze
🏕️ Spike-Outs! 🌅 Sunrises on the Ridge 🤝 Your Field Corps Crew 🏔️ Ridgelines Cleared Together 🪨 Crossing Creeks 🍃 Resting in the Breeze
Not your average desk job
This is not office work
This is not light duty
You will work in heat, cold, dust, and wet conditions. You will hike miles on uneven terrain carrying heavy gear. You will use tools and power equipment to protect your community from the threat of wildfire. You will learn to shape the land around you for the people around you. It is the hardest work you will ever love.
Most years, the C.R.E.W. Field Corps packs into the Los Padres backcountry for a “spike-out,” several days of trail work far from roads and cell service. You'll learn wilderness living skills, Leave No Trace, emergency response, and how to identify the native plants and animals around you. It's the part of the job people talk about for years.
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Swing a Pulaski
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Read a Slope
🌿
Swamp a Line
💧
Build a Water Bar
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Fell a Snag
⛏️
Bench a Trail
🪓 Swing a Pulaski 📖 Read a Slope 🌿 Swamp a Line 💧 Build a Water Bar 🪵 Fell a Snag ⛏️ Bench a Trail
IN THEIR WORDS
Field Corps members said
“I take pride in the work I do for the C.R.E.W. Improving the environment, preventing fires, and helping our community is extremely satisfying.
The C.R.E.W. has taught me so much in the last year. I am very thankful…and look forward to advancing my skillset in the future.”
Quinten, C.R.E.W. Field Corps MEMBER
“All of the chainsaw experience I gained at C.R.E.W. is super valuable to me, because I ended up going to the Forest Service as a Wildland Firefighter after.
Carrying all of that experience with me, being able to hike well with all of my tools, knowing how to start and use a chainsaw - that was really beneficial to me at the Forest Service.”
Alex Vaca, C.R.E.W. Multiprogram Alumnus, became a biologist at PAX Environmental
“Working with my team at the crew. Long summer days, some of the best ever. I wouldn’t have the career I do today without C.R.E.W.”
Field Corps Supervisor
FIELD CORPS APPLICATION FAQ
Application FAQ
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Zero. We hire for attitude and train for skill. If you can show up on time and work hard, we will teach you how to use a chainsaw, build a water bar, restore native habitat, prevent wildfire, and eventually lead a crew.
You'll learn general safety, hand tools, power tools, forestry, and wildscaping on the job, and get paid to learn it.
This is often a first or second job for our members. We know that. We built this program around it.
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We beat the heat by starting early. Teams meet at 6:30 a.m.; supervisors arrive earlier to prep vehicles and supplies.
Staff work 2 to 5 days a week with flexible schedules for classes and other needs.
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You need sturdy work boots with ankle support and a hard toe.
C.R.E.W. provides all other required personal protective equipment: hard hat, eye protection, ear protection, and chainsaw chaps.
We also offer a $150 annual boot stipend. You purchase your boots first and submit for reimbursement.
Beyond that, dress for the weather and the terrain. Layers, sun protection, and clothes you don't mind getting dirty.
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You meet us at the C.R.E.W. HQ (370 Baldwin Rd, Ojai).
We transport everyone to the field sites in our fleet vehicles. You just need to get to the shop.
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No. As a member of C.R.E.W., you will be paid to learn the necessary outdoor skills.
If you’re in high school, apply to the Junior C.R.E.W. using the unified application below.
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Absolutely. C.R.E.W. Members who learn the skills and are ready for more responsibility can become C.R.E.W. leaders, specialists in certain skill areas, and supervisors to lead their own teams.
Off the trail, we run workshops in communication, conflict resolution, resume writing, and critical thinking, skills that go with you wherever you go.
In the course of the work, you'll meet leaders across conservation, fire service, and land management who share career ideas and opportunities. Many C.R.E.W. alumni go on to careers in those fields.
You should join the
C.R.E.W. Field Corps
FIELD CORPS APPLICATION