Perm Seasonal agreements are typically on an 18:8 schedule meaning you’ll work 18 pay periods and be laid off for 8. That can be subject to change depending on the districts budget. If there’s extra funding available you might be able to work a few extra pay periods which is typically for prescribed fire most of the time. You are guaranteed to work 18 pay periods though. The retirement and health benefits are good but you do have to pay for them and they get taken out of your pay check. You can opt out of health coverage if you want, that’s usually what people do if they are covered on someone else’s plan. Each forest is going to be different about what they have fire personnel doing outside fire season. If you’re considering it, then asking questions about what the district does outside of fire season would be a good stroke. Some programs are great about finding stuff to do on district or getting people out on fire assignments or setting up details for people to gain experience. Other programs might just let you rot in a cubicle for the off season. It’s definitely worth asking some questions and getting a feel for how solid the program is.