California / Forestry and Fire Protection / Fire Fighter I

Job-title file

Fire Fighter I

Carry out the duties of this position in support of the agency's public mission.

6,106 employees hold this title in Forestry and Fire Protection. Median total compensation for the role is $74,185, below the department median of $111,787.

Employees: 6,106
Total payroll: $394.5M
Role median: $74,185
Agency median: $111,787
Comparison: Below

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

-$17,871$132,769+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 6,106 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Compared with the local labor market

Fire Fighter I pay vs. California

Across all employers in California, the median wage for Firefighters — about 31,470 people — is $85,120. Forestry and Fire Protection pays a median base salary of $43,582 for this role, 49% below that figure — below the 10th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Forestry and Fire Protection sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$52,390

$65,170

$85,120

$109,620

$136,150

Forestry and Fire Protection median · $43,582

The bar is the range of annual wages for Firefighters across every employer in California, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Forestry and Fire Protection’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

And across the country

Nationwide, the median wage for Firefighters — about 345,990 people — is $59,280. Forestry and Fire Protection’s median base salary is 26% below that national figure, about the 24th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$34,910

$44,490

$59,280

$77,250

$101,040

Forestry and Fire Protection median · $43,582

Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the California range relative to the national one.

Computed over the 5,005 of 7,256 people in this role paid at least $25,000in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.

Median total compensation for this role at Forestry and Fire Protection is $77,827, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare jurisdictions

Fire Fighter beyond California

This role is reported in 8 jurisdictions. In California, the median of $77,895 ranks #5 of 8. See Fire Fighter across all of California →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

$245,350 · 1,400

$230,171 · 232

$165,008 · 803

$104,666 · 319

$72,378 · 578

$59,990 · 1,767

$58,691 · 265

Median total compensation for comparable Fire Fighterroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 4

Mark S Valles

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$20,840

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $8,000
Overtime: $8,580
Other pay: $4,260
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,840
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Diego
Middle name: F

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,403
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423371083901
Salary Total: $4,293
Total Pay: $20,840

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Mark S Valles serves as a Fire Fighter I within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $20,840. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Zachariah Wilson

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$20,793

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $13,297
Overtime: $646
Other pay: $6,850
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,793
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Lassen
Middle name: E

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,296
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5422411083901
Salary Total: $4,296
Total Pay: $20,793

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Zachariah Wilson serves as a Fire Fighter I within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $20,793. Union affiliation: R08.

Jesse Nungaray

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$20,686

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $11,016
Overtime: $2,056
Other pay: $7,614
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,686
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Santa Cruz
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $3,672
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5421171083901
Salary Total: $3,672
Total Pay: $20,686

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Jesse Nungaray serves as a Fire Fighter I within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2023 pay totaled $20,686. Union affiliation: R08.

Vladimir Kochnev

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$20,637

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $10,842
Overtime: $4,296
Other pay: $5,499
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,637
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: El Dorado

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,296
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424171083901
Salary Total: $4,296
Total Pay: $20,637

Vladimir Kochnev works as a Fire Fighter I for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Vladimir earned $20,637 in 2025. Union affiliation: R08.

Jose D Torrez

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$20,552

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $15,640
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $4,912
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,552
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Tehama
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $3,672
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5422401083901
Salary Total: $3,672
Total Pay: $20,552

Jose D Torrez is a Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2023 total compensation came to $20,552. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Jaime Fuentes

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$20,505

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $11,977
Overtime: $2,788
Other pay: $5,739
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,505
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Tehama

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $3,856
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5422151083901
Salary Total: $3,856
Total Pay: $20,505

Jaime Fuentes holds the role of Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2023, their total compensation was $20,505. They are represented by R08.

Brandon Anderson

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$20,481

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $11,851
Overtime: $2,304
Other pay: $6,326
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,481
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Siskiyou
Middle name: L

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $3,672
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5422141083901
Salary Total: $3,672
Total Pay: $20,481

Brandon Anderson holds the role of Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2023, their total compensation was $20,481. Union affiliation: R08.

Daniel Ludwig

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$20,409

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $8,000
Overtime: $8,292
Other pay: $4,117
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,409
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Diego
Middle name: L

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,403
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423141083901
Salary Total: $4,293
Total Pay: $20,409

Daniel Ludwig works as a Fire Fighter I for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Daniel earned $20,409 in 2025. They are represented by R08.

Devin Garald

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$20,397

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $10,367
Overtime: $750
Other pay: $9,280
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,397
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Lake
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $3,600
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5421141083901
Salary Total: $3,600
Total Pay: $20,397

Devin Garald holds the role of Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2023, their total compensation was $20,397. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Sidney Smith

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2024 total comp

$20,335

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $11,411
Overtime: $847
Other pay: $8,078
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,335
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Madera
Middle name: P

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,049
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424141083901
Salary Total: $4,049
Total Pay: $20,335

Sidney Smith holds the role of Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2024, their total compensation was $20,335. Union affiliation: R08.

Mathew Sawyer

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$20,327

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $6,835
Overtime: $8,284
Other pay: $5,209
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,327
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Bernardino
Middle name: E

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,296
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423131083901
Salary Total: $4,296
Total Pay: $20,327

Mathew Sawyer holds the role of Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2025, their total compensation was $20,327. They are represented by R08.

Paul Warren

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2024 total comp

$20,170

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $4,281
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $15,888
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,170
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Monterey
Middle name: D

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,511
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424191083901
Salary Total: $4,511
Total Pay: $20,170

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Paul Warren serves as a Fire Fighter I within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2024 pay totaled $20,170. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Cody Calvert

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$20,157

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $8,586
Overtime: $8,579
Other pay: $2,991
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,157
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Napa
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,403
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5421141083901
Salary Total: $4,293
Total Pay: $20,157

Cody Calvert holds the role of Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2025, their total compensation was $20,157. They are represented by R08.

Andrew Marchasin

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$20,076

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $10,904
Overtime: $2,527
Other pay: $6,645
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,076
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Santa Cruz
Middle name: M

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $3,672
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5421171083901
Salary Total: $3,672
Total Pay: $20,076

Andrew Marchasin holds the role of Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2023, their total compensation was $20,076. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Caden Esposito

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$20,076

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $10,733
Overtime: $2,473
Other pay: $6,871
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,076
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: El Dorado
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,403
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424171083901
Salary Total: $4,293
Total Pay: $20,076

Caden Esposito is a Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $20,076. Their bargaining unit is R08.

William Lopez

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$20,062

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $9,882
Overtime: $2,107
Other pay: $8,073
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,062
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: El Dorado
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,550
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424171083901
Salary Total: $4,550
Total Pay: $20,062

At Forestry and Fire Protection, William Lopez serves as a Fire Fighter I within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2023 pay totaled $20,062. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Stefanos Grigoriou

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$20,056

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $8,936
Overtime: $2,320
Other pay: $8,799
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,056
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Diego

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $3,780
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423371083901
Salary Total: $3,780
Total Pay: $20,056

Stefanos Grigoriou works as a Fire Fighter I for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Stefanos earned $20,056 in 2023. They are represented by R08.

Sergio Rios Jr

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$20,036

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $4,701
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $15,335
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,036
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Fresno

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,643
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424111083901
Salary Total: $4,643
Total Pay: $20,036

Sergio Rios Jr holds the role of Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2023, their total compensation was $20,036. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Jesus Carrillo

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$19,891

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $8,000
Overtime: $7,773
Other pay: $4,117
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $19,891
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Diego

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,403
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423141083901
Salary Total: $4,293
Total Pay: $19,891

Jesus Carrillo works as a Fire Fighter I for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Jesus earned $19,891 in 2025. Union affiliation: R08.

Blake Suer

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$19,808

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $10,042
Overtime: $3,184
Other pay: $6,582
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $19,808
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Santa Clara
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,511
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5421161083901
Salary Total: $4,511
Total Pay: $19,808

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Blake Suer serves as a Fire Fighter I within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $19,808. Their bargaining unit is R08.