Hi, I can see from a very quick search that there’s a lot of information out there online. It’s all in Norwegian, because fluency in Norwegian is essential for such a critical job. In fact, it looks as if a Norwegian exam is part of the application criteria.

I am from the USA and would love to work in Norway. I have experience as a wildland firefighter, but I haven’t seen any equivalent positions in Norway – it seems as if fire stations get rolled out to both structural and forest fires.

In the USA, a wildland firefighter doesn’t need any higher education, but with multiple years of experience in such an intensive and physically demanding field of work, is it possible for the educational requirement to be lifted in this scenario, if I’m applying for a skilled worker visa? The physical qualifications are high in the USA, and wildland firefighters must have an Incident Qualification card.

My second question is, would I even have a chance to get a full-time job in the fire service? Most fire stations in the USA are similar for cities – most firefighters are volunteers. But with wildland, because it’s so specialized, we’re all employed.

My third and final question is if Norway has any specialized wildfire services, or if city and wildland fires are fought by the same workers. Just wondering if I’ve missed something there.

If possible, I’d like to chat via email and see what resources are out there that I’m not finding.

Thank you!