Is CAL Fire a good company to work for?

CAL Fire has an overall rating of 3.8 out of 5, based on over 236 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months. 67% of employees would recommend working at CAL Fire to a friend and 63% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about CAL Fire have been left by employees working as Firefighter/EMT , Fire Fighter Ff1 Seasonal and Fire Apparatus Engineer .

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 improved by 2% over the last 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?

"Great benefits since it is a state agency" ((in 22 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 14 reviews)); "Low pay and excessive workweek schedule as compared to peer fire agencies." ((in 14 reviews)); "Management is horrible." ((in 8 reviews)); "Aggressive leadership and not very understanding employers" ((in 3 reviews)); "Lots of forced overtime." ((in 3 reviews))

What are the top reviewed CAL Fire locations?

Sacramento , Riverside , San Diego , Fresno , Redding , Monterey , West Sacramento , Morgan Hill , Fortuna , Sonora , Auburn , Camino , El Dorado , El Dorado Hills , San Francisco , San Jose , Felton , Santa Cruz , Susanville , Mendocino , Tulare , Tucson , Cookeville , Lewiston , Yreka , California City , Feather Falls , Oroville , Alderpoint , Sanger

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CAL Fire

CAL Fire reviews

3.8

67% would recommend to a friend

(57 total reviews)

Joe Tyler

85% approve of CEO

63% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (57 reviews)

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57 reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

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3.0

Jan 1, 2026

Analyst

Associate governmental program analyst (agpa)

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The benefits (retirement and health) are good.

Cons

Pay isn't great compared to workload.

3.0

Dec 3, 2025

FC/P

Fire captain paramedic

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Decent pay for work. Good benefits

Cons

Lots of forced overtime. Terrible work life balance

3.0

Jun 25, 2025

Engaging, Stimulating Work with Little Support

Research data specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working for a common cause Great benefits and security Dynamic, challenging work

Cons

Very low pay Non-uniformed personnel have limited opportunity for advancement, are drastically undervalued by CALFIRE Stressful, frequently changing environment You’ll be with coworkers who contribute very little because the state can’t fire anybody

Viewing 1 - 3 of 57 Reviews

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Analyst

FC/P

Engaging, Stimulating Work with Little Support

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