Does CAL Fire pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, CAL Fire employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at CAL Fire. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at CAL Fire?

67% of CAL Fire employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated CAL Fire 3.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.6 for culture and values and 4.0 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at CAL Fire?

Firefighter (30) , Firefighter/EMT (29) , Fire Captain (14) , Fire Apparatus Engineer (10) , Fire Fighter Ff1 Seasonal (10) , Firefighter/Paramedic (7) , Firefighter I (6) , Wildland Firefighter (5) , Associate Governmental Program Analyst (AGPA) (4) , Seasonal Firefighter I (4) , Analyst (3) , Communications Operator (3) , Staff Services Analyst (3) , Accountant (2) , Accountant Trainee (2)

What are the pros of working at CAL Fire according to real employee reviews?

"It’s the state so benefits are good" ((in 18 reviews)); "Helping the community and being surrounded by great people." ((in 12 reviews)); "Great opportunities to serve the public." ((in 5 reviews)); "Lots of great training and excellent department" ((in 4 reviews)); "Extremely rewarding career." ((in 3 reviews))

What are the cons of working at CAL Fire according to real employee reviews?

"Long hours and encountering dangerous situations" ((in 15 reviews)); "Low pay and excessive workweek schedule as compared to peer fire agencies." ((in 12 reviews)); "Management is horrible." ((in 6 reviews)); "Lots of forced overtime." ((in 5 reviews)); "No work/life balance." ((in 3 reviews))

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CAL Fire

CAL Fire Reviews

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3.8

67% would recommend to a friend

(207 total reviews)

Joe Tyler

85% approve of CEO

63% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Career opportunities

3.8

Compensation and benefits

3.7

Diversity and inclusion

3.6

Culture and values

3.3

Senior management

3.0

Work/Life balance

CAL Fire has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 207 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The CAL Fire employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Government and public administration industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

207 reviews

2.0

2 Jul 2017

Lousy management

Firefighter

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

The people are pretty great and the pensions decent.

Cons

Pay for the average worker is not good. If you live in any of the most expensive areas of California, good luck trying to survive on your salary. Management is horrible. They can make seemingly any decision with zero accountability.

2.0

19 Oct 2014

The "WAL-MART" of fire departments

Fire captain

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

After 20 years I am still looking.

Cons

Minimal pay for the amount of dedication, labor and expectations.

1.0

27 Feb 2022

This department is crashing and burning, beware

Fire apparatus engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

-Easy to meet the minimum qualifications and if you do meet them you will likely get hired -solid pay and health insurance -good 457b savings options

Cons

-Being forced on with no say or rights -not having a voice at any rank within the administration -terrible and unsafe fleet management (one of the engines will get someone killed due to poor maintenance at some point) -quick promotions means low experience at high ranking levels, this is not okay in a high risk profession like firefighting

Viewing 1 - 3 of 207 Reviews

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Jobs at CAL Fire

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST

COMMUNICATIONS OPERATOR

STAFF SERVICES MANAGEMENT AUDITOR

FORESTER I (NONSUPERVISORY)

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CAL Fire

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Ratings by category

Reviews by job title

Lousy management

The "WAL-MART" of fire departments

This department is crashing and burning, beware

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