CAL Fire reviews

3.8

67% would recommend to a friend

(207 total reviews)

Joe Tyler

85% approve of CEO

63% positive business outlook

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 & Public Administration industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

207 reviews
3.0
Jun 25, 2025
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

3.0
Jun 12, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Overtime availability on fire assignments, training opportunities

Cons

Low pay starting out, no respect from other job classifications due to not going to fire academies

2.0
Apr 2, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good retirement and benifits but they cost alot

Cons

No structures or support from management

Viewing 10 - 12 of 207 Reviews

Glassdoor has 236 CAL Fire reviews submitted anonymously by CAL Fire employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if CAL Fire is right for you.