Helicopter Captain — Wildland Fire Leadership

State of Colorado; Indiana (PA); On-site; USD 78,000 - 109,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

PERA retirement plan

Education reimbursement

Wellness program

Job summary

State of Colorado is seeking a Helicopter Captain for the DFPC, supervising a full-time helicopter module and leading firefighting operations with Type 1 and Type 2 aircraft. The role requires prior wildland firefighting experience and NWCG HMGB qualification, with future ACS qualifications to be pursued. Travel across Colorado and national incident responses are possible.

The position emphasizes safety, training, and incident documentation within a rigorous operations framework.

Qualifications

• Five or more years of documented wildland firefighting experience.
• Must be NWCG HMGB qualified and able to supervise helicopter module operations.
• When assigned to Montrose (Type 1 S-70M), must attain DFPC Aircrew Mission Specialist within one year.
• Ability to develop and implement training plans and incident documentation.
• Strong safety, leadership, and incident planning capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Supervise helicopter module operations during fire suppression and incident response.
• Organize and deploy helicopter crews based on objectives and resource availability.
• Coordinate training, performance evaluations, and ensure compliance with NWCG standards.
• Prepare and manage incident documentation, timekeeping, and demobilization procedures.

Skills

Wildland firefighting experience

Supervisory experience

Aviation/Helicopter operations

Education

NWCG Helicopter Manager - Single Resource (HMGB)

Tools

IQCS/IQS Master record

Job description

State of Colorado is seeking a Helicopter Captain for the DFPC, supervising a full-time helicopter module and leading firefighting operations with Type 1 and Type 2 aircraft. The role requires prior wildland firefighting experience and NWCG HMGB qualification, with future ACS qualifications to be pursued. Travel across Colorado and national incident responses are possible.

The position emphasizes safety, training, and incident documentation within a rigorous operations framework.