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 7

Erik Tedsen

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2024 total comp

$50,648

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $24,320
Overtime: $10,127
Other pay: $16,201
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,648
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Humboldt
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,511
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5421411083901
Salary Total: $4,511
Total Pay: $50,648

Erik Tedsen is a Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2024 total compensation came to $50,648. They are represented by R08.

Conner Cardwell

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$50,633

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $27,823
Overtime: $4,209
Other pay: $18,601
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,633
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Napa
Middle name: W

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,251
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5421141083901
Salary Total: $4,251
Total Pay: $50,633

Conner Cardwell works as a Fire Fighter I for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Conner earned $50,633 in 2023. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Matthew Hoholik

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$50,551

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $25,770
Overtime: $15,584
Other pay: $9,197
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,551
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Tuolumne

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,623
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424181083901
Salary Total: $4,507
Total Pay: $50,551

Matthew Hoholik is a Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $50,551. They are represented by R08.

Lukas Cox

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$50,523

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $26,591
Overtime: $8,405
Other pay: $15,527
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,523
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Tuolumne
Middle name: M

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,623
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424181083901
Salary Total: $4,507
Total Pay: $50,523

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Lukas Cox serves as a Fire Fighter I within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $50,523. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Holden Eames

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$50,435

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $24,806
Overtime: $12,325
Other pay: $13,305
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,435
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Merced
Middle name: T

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,623
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424141083901
Salary Total: $4,507
Total Pay: $50,435

Holden Eames 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 $50,435. They are represented by R08.

Lance Kim

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$50,374

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $26,120
Overtime: $11,218
Other pay: $13,036
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,374
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Santa Clara

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,296
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5421161083901
Salary Total: $4,296
Total Pay: $50,374

Lance Kim is a Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $50,374. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Dominic Guevarra

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2024 total comp

$50,356

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $26,728
Overtime: $2,313
Other pay: $21,316
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,356
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Mendocino

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,974
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5421131083901
Salary Total: $4,974
Total Pay: $50,356

Dominic Guevarra is a Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2024 total compensation came to $50,356. Union affiliation: R08.

Ricardo Reyes

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$50,295

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $24,611
Overtime: $4,129
Other pay: $21,555
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,295
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Fresno

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,049
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424111083907
Salary Total: $4,049
Total Pay: $50,295

Ricardo Reyes works as a Fire Fighter I for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Ricardo earned $50,295 in 2023. They are represented by R08.

Giovanni Hernandez Ruiz

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2024 total comp

$50,276

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $22,955
Overtime: $11,317
Other pay: $16,005
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,276
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Butte
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $3,856
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5422111083901
Salary Total: $3,856
Total Pay: $50,276

Giovanni Hernandez Ruiz 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 $50,276. Union affiliation: R08.

Chad Anderson

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2024 total comp

$50,218

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $22,453
Overtime: $16,276
Other pay: $11,490
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,218
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Tuolumne
Middle name: E

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,511
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424181083901
Salary Total: $4,511
Total Pay: $50,218

Chad Anderson is a Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2024 total compensation came to $50,218. They are represented by R08.

Mason Wilkinson

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$50,193

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $27,964
Overtime: $12,252
Other pay: $9,977
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,193
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: El Dorado
Middle name: G

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $5,352
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424171083901
Salary Total: $5,218
Total Pay: $50,193

Mason Wilkinson is a Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $50,193. Their bargaining unit is R08.

David Gage

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$50,158

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $25,610
Overtime: $8,706
Other pay: $15,842
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,158
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Diego
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,643
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423141083901
Salary Total: $4,643
Total Pay: $50,158

David Gage works as a Fire Fighter I for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. David earned $50,158 in 2023. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Dylan Salazar

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$50,157

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $24,747
Overtime: $15,023
Other pay: $10,387
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,157
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Bernardino
Middle name: S

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,623
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423341083901
Salary Total: $4,507
Total Pay: $50,157

Dylan Salazar 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 $50,157. Union affiliation: R08.

Robert Rodriguez

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$50,125

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $24,918
Overtime: $5,477
Other pay: $19,730
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,125
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Shasta
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,643
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5422131083901
Salary Total: $4,643
Total Pay: $50,125

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Robert Rodriguez serves as a Fire Fighter I within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2023 pay totaled $50,125. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Nicholas Calderon

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$50,082

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $26,591
Overtime: $8,250
Other pay: $15,240
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,082
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Tuolumne
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,623
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424181083901
Salary Total: $4,507
Total Pay: $50,082

Nicholas Calderon is a Fire Fighter I at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $50,082. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Lawrence Walker

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2024 total comp

$50,074

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $21,965
Overtime: $16,657
Other pay: $11,453
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,074
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Luis Obispo
Middle name: B

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,737
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423161083901
Salary Total: $4,737
Total Pay: $50,074

Lawrence Walker 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 $50,074. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Jack Goggans

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2024 total comp

$50,069

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $23,478
Overtime: $9,048
Other pay: $17,542
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,069
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Mendocino
Middle name: T

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,511
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5421131083901
Salary Total: $4,511
Total Pay: $50,069

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Jack Goggans serves as a Fire Fighter I within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2024 pay totaled $50,069. They are represented by R08.

Joseph Byham

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$50,016

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $36,820
Overtime: -$633
Other pay: $13,829
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $50,016
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Fresno
Middle name: P

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $5,566
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424111083901
Salary Total: $5,566
Total Pay: $50,016

Joseph Byham works as a Fire Fighter I for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Joseph earned $50,016 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Theodore Coe

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$49,992

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $27,723
Overtime: $12,339
Other pay: $9,930
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $49,992
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Butte
Middle name: W

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,623
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5422111083907
Salary Total: $4,507
Total Pay: $49,992

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Theodore Coe serves as a Fire Fighter I within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $49,992. Union affiliation: R08.

Tyler Hancock

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$49,935

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $26,589
Overtime: $9,244
Other pay: $14,101
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $49,935
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Lassen
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,623
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5422121083901
Salary Total: $4,507
Total Pay: $49,935

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Tyler Hancock serves as a Fire Fighter I within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $49,935. Union affiliation: R08.

Shane Weiglein

Fire Fighter I/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$49,920

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $27,526
Overtime: $10,208
Other pay: $12,186
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $49,920
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Tehama
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $4,403
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5422401083901
Salary Total: $4,293
Total Pay: $49,920

Shane Weiglein 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 $49,920. Their bargaining unit is R08.