La Rioja announces exams to grant civil servant status to forest firefighters

The Department of Finance, Public Governance, Digital Society and Government Spokesperson of La Rioja has announced two selection processes for a change in legal status so that permanent contractual staff in the Forest Firefighter scales may become career civil servants. This is established by Resolution 2095/2026, dated September 2, published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 170, dated September 4, 2026, in the Authorities and Personnel section.

Calls CR.16/26 and CR.17/26 affect dozens of workers in the forest fire extinction service of the General Administration of the Autonomous Community, who may participate voluntarily and, if they pass the tests, be appointed as career civil servants with the subsequent automatic termination of their employment contract.

Legal framework and background

The process is supported by the twenty-seventh additional provision of Law 9/2023, of May 5, on the public service of La Rioja, introduced by article 9.Fifteen of Law 6/2024, of December 27, on Fiscal and Administrative Measures for the year 2025. This regulation enables the change in legal status for permanent contractual staff performing functions inherent to civil servant bodies.

The procedure was agreed upon within the scope of collective bargaining on July 31, 2026, and ratified by Agreement of the Government Council on August 25, 2026. The resolution is signed by the regional minister Alfonso Domínguez Simón.

Two calls, two bodies

• CR.16/26: access to the Body of Facultative Assistant, Forest Firefighter Scale (subgroup C1), for the professional group 1st Class Skilled Worker (Fire Prevention and Extinction). A High School diploma or Technical degree is required, along with a fee of 7.64 euros.
• CR.17/26: access to the Body of Facultative Auxiliary, Forest Firefighter Scale (subgroup C2), for the groups Specialized Operator (Standby Crews) and Specialized Operator (Fire Engine Assistant Driver). A Compulsory Secondary Education degree is required, along with a fee of 5.72 euros.

Selection system and deadlines

The procedure combines a competitive examination phase (60% of the grade) and a merit-based phase (40%), out of a total of 100 points. The examination consists of a single multiple-choice questionnaire: 50 questions in the case of CR.16/26 (70 minutes) and 40 questions in CR.17/26 (60 minutes), with five reserve questions in both cases and no penalty for incorrect answers. To pass, it is sufficient to reach 30% of the maximum score of the exercise.

In the competition phase, the seniority of the last 40 months of services rendered will be valued, at a rate of one point per month, up to a maximum of 40 points. Applications must be submitted exclusively electronically, within five business days from the publication in the bulletin, through the website www.larioja.org/empleopublico, following the path “Oposiciones / Administración General / Cambio de Régimen Jurídico”.

The Qualifying Board will be chaired by Pedro Pablo Matute Lozano, with Yolanda Delgado Pérez, Eduardo San Baldomero Jiménez, and Noa Novo Rodríguez as titular members and Luis Isaac Berrueco Vegas as secretary.

Impact for readers

This transition to civil servant status represents a decisive step for the stability of the personnel fighting forest fires in La Rioja: those who pass the process will cease to be permanent contractual staff and will become career civil servants, with the conversion of their job positions and the preservation of their special characteristics. Those who do not participate or do not pass the tests will maintain their current employment link, ensuring that no worker of the extinction service is left unprotected during the transition.

Source: Official Bulletin of La Rioja, no. 170, September 4, 2026, section II. Authorities and Personnel, p. 15241 (official reference: Resolution 2095/2026, calls CR.16/26 and CR.17/26).