Fueling Firefighters: Camp Cooks Wanted for 2024 Wildfire Season

It takes an army to fight forest fires in Montana.

Not a literal army, of course, but the logistics of fighting rapidly moving forest and wildland fires in Montana are similar to a military operation. From satellites, drones, helicopters, and airplanes above, to bulldozers, fire vehicles, hotshots, and various crews on the ground, fighting wildfires is essentially a well-coordinated battle against nature. Seasonal food-prep workers are needed for the 2024 fire season.

A vital element in fighting forest fires is keeping everyone fed.

This is where contracted culinary teams are deployed to the frontlines of the hotspots. Big Sky Mobile Catering in Montana is one such company, and they are looking for team members to join their seasonal, traveling brigade of assistant cooks, prep cooks, hotline servers, runners, etc.

Long days, rewarding work.

Preparing, cooking, and packaging food at a fire camp is not for everyone. The days are long (10 - 14 hours) and you might be sent anywhere in the West from a few days to months at a time, depending on the duration of the fire. The work is hard and living in tent-style accommodations for potentially weeks on end, seven days a week, could take its toll.

On the other hand, we imagine employees at mobile fire camp kitchens probably make a few lifelong friends, meet interesting people, see beautiful, rugged landscapes, and live with a sense of adventure.

Pay depends on experience, overtime is likely, and cooking experience is not required for all positions. A driver's license is. You can find out more about seasonal work at a fire camp kitchen HERE. For serious inquiries, reach out to Paul Jennes at pauljbsmc4@gmail.com.

Fire season in the West is rapidly approaching and unless we get dumped on with mountain snowpack this spring - which is entirely possible - it could shape up to be a damaging year for wildfires in much of Montana and the West.