FEMA Launches Local Hiring Initiative

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has launched a local hiring initiative in the Altadena/Pasadena area, creating over two dozen temporary positions to support wildfire recovery efforts.

The initiative aims to strengthen FEMA’s disaster response capabilities while providing employment opportunities to residents who may have been affected by the wildfires.

“There’s more than two dozen positions that are currently open and available across a large spectrum of emergency management operations that FEMA needs to fulfill jobs for,” said La-Tanga Hopes, Media Relations Specialist for FEMA.

Positions include administrative specialists, external affairs roles, creative specialists, and voluntary agency liaisons. Other departments hiring include Acquisitions, Civil Rights, Disaster Field Training Operations, Hazard Mitigation, Human Resources, Individual Assistance, Interagency Recovery Coordination, Information Technology, and Public Assistance and Planning.

According to Hopes, the full-time positions will last up to 120 days with potential for extension based on disaster recovery needs and offer an excellent benefits package, stability, and opportunities for professional growth.

“They will be full-time positions in the sense that they will be eight hours a day. They could extend up to 120 days [and the] position may be extended longer,” Hopes said.

The initiative serves a dual purpose: addressing FEMA’s immediate staffing needs while providing economic support to the community.

“It provides economic stimulus and moreover, it’s a good opportunity to help with the community. There are people that may have lost their jobs. It also provides excellent benefits, and there may even be flexible work schedules,” Hopes explained.

Local hires will join a recovery team already in place, composed of local and federal workers, voluntary agencies, and community organizations, creating a comprehensive approach to wildfire recovery efforts.

“When you’re hiring with local people, it gives us a chance to give the local community to be involved… it helps to quickly grow the FEMA workforce,” Hopes added.

FEMA emphasized that hiring local residents brings valuable community knowledge to the recovery process, helping to strengthen the Pasadena area’s disaster preparedness and response capabilities.

Interested candidates should apply through usajobs.gov. For questions about the application process, applicants can contact FEMA-DR4856-LocalHire@fema.dhs.gov. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation during any part of the hiring process should also use this email address.

FEMA does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.

“If [local residents] have lost their jobs consequentially because of the disaster wildfires that they need to apply for disaster unemployment assistance. That’s still available up until March 31st,” Hopes said.

“Besides providing disaster assistance to all eligible applicants, those who have lost their jobs due to the wildfires should do both: Apply for Unemployment Disaster Assistance before the new March 31st deadline, and also consider applying for one of the many jobs opportunities now listed with FEMA at USAJobs.gov,” she added.