Job Type: Full-time, on-site, seasonal
Location: Palmer, AK
Salary: $21.69-$27.94/hr
Application Due Date: 6/26/25
Overview:
The Alaska Coastal Dispatch Center (ACDC) Wildland Fire Dispatcher plays a critical role in wildfire response, providing support for fire suppression, coordination, and executing area-level field operations while ensuring seamless operations in resource mobilization and logistics.
In this role, you’ll provide support for all personnel, aircraft, equipment, supply, and documentation for suppression-related activities within the geographic region, as well as handling transportation, meals, lodging, and flight following.
As an ACDC Wildland Fire Dispatcher, you will play an active role in regional and statewide logistics operations, using judgement and experience to quickly determine reported fire's potential threat to public life and property, prioritizing simultaneous and multiple fire responses and coordinate resources between fires within the region to ensure the timely mobilization of critical resources in support of large incidents, Area Offices, and cooperating agencies.
Collaboration is essential — you’ll work collaboratively with Fire Management Officers (FMOs), fellow Wildland Fire Dispatchers, and other supervisors to coordinate multiple simultaneous fire responses and allocate resources where they are needed most.
Position-Specific Competencies:
Analytical Thinking/Problem Solving: Uses a logistical, systemic, sequential approach to address problems or opportunities or manage a situation by drawing on one's knowledge and experience base and call on other references and resources as necessary.
Planning and Evaluating: Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.
Decision Making: Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.
Customer Service: Anticipates and meets the needs of both internal and external customers. Delivers high-quality products and services; is committed to continuous improvement.
Incident Management: Knowledge of the tactics, technologies, principles, and processes to protect, analyze, prioritize, and handle incidents.
Minimum Qualifications:
Wildland Fire Dispatcher 1 - starting wage $21.69
High School diploma or GED and either:
Six months of wildland firefighting, radio dispatch, or forestry field experience OR
One year of general office clerical, warehouse, supply, or storekeeper experience.
Wildland Fire Dispatcher 2 - starting wage $24.48
Six months of wildland fire dispatch experience
Certification from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) as an Expanded Dispatch Recorder (EDRC)
Additional NWCG certification as either: Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher (EDSD) or Initial Attack Dispatcher (IADP)
Wildland Fire Dispatcher 3 - starting wage $27.94
One year of wildland fire dispatch experience
Certification from the NWCG in any three of the following:
Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher (EDSD)
Expanded Dispatch Supervisory Dispatcher (EDSP)
Initial Attack Dispatcher (IADP)
Aircraft Dispatcher (ACDP)
See the “Apply” or “Learn More” links below for more information.
