How to Become an Aerial Firefighter

Aerial firefighting pilots work in dynamic environments to carry out challenging but important missions.

Andrew Chen

Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 08:47 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Kimberly Johnson

[File image: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Aerial firefighters are professional pilots who play a critical role in wildfire suppression by flying specialized aircraft to drop water/retardant, coordinate efforts, transport personnel, and survey fire zones, often in challenging conditions.
They operate a variety of aircraft, including air tankers for drops, air attack planes for coordination, lead planes for guiding tankers, and smokejumper aircraft for deploying firefighters.
Becoming an aerial firefighter requires extensive flight experience (thousands of hours) and advanced pilot certifications, such as a commercial pilot certificate, multi-engine rating, and often an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, making it a non-entry-level position.
Employment is available through government agencies or private companies, with salaries ranging from roughly $50,000 to over $100,000 annually, and experienced captains potentially earning hundreds of thousands.

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Wildfires are extremely dangerous and have devastating impacts on communities. Large wildfires have become increasingly common in recent years, leading to a greater demand for firefighting resources.

Aircraft play an important role when it comes to wildfire suppression. Their ability to view a fire from the air and drop water or fire retardant is a major asset during firefighting efforts.