Wildland Firefighting - Perfect for Traveling

[PlayPal]

I posted some pics from this summer in my album and Jake asked about how to get a job on a hotshot crew. I replied in my album, but then thought that because wildland firefighting is one of the best jobs that I've seen for those that love to travel, I should put it out here where everybody can see it. If you so desire, you should check out some of the pics also. I have more, but ran out of disk space.

Here's a quick list of the pros and cons of the job:

Pros:

Around 30 grand in 6 months
Get paid to stay in shape
Get to travel around the country
Live for free (eating and camping or hoteling it on the gov. dime)
Frequent change in work (hardly ever doing the same thing week to week or even day to day)
Comraderie with a group of people / family
Yes feel a little badass at times...but not THAT badass
Last but definitely not least, 6 MONTHS OFF EACH YEAR TO TRAVEL!!!

Cons:

Government bullshit (bring your hip waders)
Very little, and I mean VERY LITTLE social life in the summer outside of your crew
Working 16 hours per day, with almost no free time, 2 weeks straight with only 2 days off per tour.
MORE GOVERNMENT BULLSHIT
Too much comraderie with same f*cking people for 6 months

Anyway, here is the rest:

The following is copied from my album posting to The Jake:

(The Jake is from Arizona) There are actually quite a few crews in Arizona, if that's where you still are. We worked down there for a tour (two weeks) this past season on the Cave Creek complex, so we ran into quite a few. They typically have a very early season and are done in August, due the monsoons. This year that didn't really happen though. Airzona firefighting is really hard though. Obviously you know it's hotter than shiiiit down there, even just for hanging out. Imagine working your ass off in long pants, a thick longsleeve shirt over a Tshirt, tall leather boots, leather gloves and a hardhat. All that while packing around a 40lb pack. Most people can do it, but it's not fun. Though you're from arizona, I would wholeheartedly recommend seeing some country and getting a position on a shot crew in the northwest. Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana all have crews. I was on the Zig Zag hotshots this past season, based at the base of Mt. Hood. If you get a decent season you should be able to make around 30 grand in 6 months. Not bad for a job that requires no degree and which pays for all your training. As for getting hired....you're not in the greatest position due to your lack of experience. Generally shot crews want people with at least some wildland firefighting experience, but there are exceptions. We had a few greens on our crew this year, though one of them was a Iraq vet, so he had veterans preference in gov. hiring. If you do want to get hired though, pick a bunch of crews (maybe even 10), and call them. Then call them again. And again and again and again. Depending on the crew (some hire and begin work earlier), beginning your calling in January isn't out of the question. You should call them once a week and let them know what you're doing to get in shape, ask questions etc. Basically each time you call, you let them know you're very interested and motivated to work for them. Before you can call them however, you have to go online and apply for the job. You do this on their shitty, unintuitive Avue website. So here are the steps to getting hired:

1. Figure out where you want to work. Some crews I would recommend are:
Zig Zag hotshots - Zig Zag, north central Oregon
La Grande Hotshots - La Grand, North East Oregon
Union Hotshots - La Grand, North east oregon
Vale Hotshots - Vale, North east oregon
Baker River Hotshots - Sedro Wooley, North west washington
Entiat Hotshots - Entiat, north central washington
Flathead hotshots - flathead national forest, Montana
Prineville hotshots - Prineville, central oregon

That's just a quick list off the top of my head. There are twelve in region six (oregon, washington, idaho).

Step 2. go to https://www.avuedigitalservices.com/usfs/applicant.html
and fill out all their bullshit and pick some crews. Keep in mind that if you don't see any hotshot jobs available, it may be too early. They might be called forestry technicians....I can't remember. Note: Helitack crews are also cool. Although they make less cash (maybe $20k), you get to work with and fly in helicopters. I did that for two seasons. Lakeview has a good helitack crew, and there are many more.

Step 3. Once you have applied to the crews you are interested in, make a list, and a schedule to call them. I would suggest calling them all on the same day, once a week. Start exercising and working out, and keep track of your numbers so you can (hopefully) impress them.

Step 4. Get hired, get dirty, hate life, make money, play with fire, have tons of extra cash to go.....TRAVELING!

Sorry that was so f*cking long. It started out as a short little note, and then became the looming behemoth of a post that you see before you. Let me know if you have any more questions and I'll try to answer them more succinctly. Sucinctly? Not surprising that I can't spell it huh?

[TheJake]

No man that's freakin awesome!
That's super sweet. Thanks for the info!

Do you recommend I get my WEMT and Wildfire certs this spring? How would that improve my chances?

[PlayPal]

EMT would definitely help. Don't worry about getting your red card (wildland cert) beforehand though, as every job (gov. anyway) will do that for you.

[TheJake]

aight.

[chelseafc05]

sounds alright.... is it open to foreigners? would one be able to get a working visa for the US and apply?

[TheJake]

It's a government job so I doubt it. Dude im sure ya'll got fires in australia!

- PlayPal - Do you know anything about these wildfire 1 & 2 classes they offer at the local college? My buddy on a municipality here says you need it to qualify for most of the crews....?

[chelseafc05]

Originally posted by TheJake@Nov 10 2005, 03:56 PM
It's a government job so I doubt it. Dude im sure ya'll got fires in australia!

- PlayPal - Do you know anything about these wildfire 1 & 2 classes they offer at the local college? My buddy on a municipality here says you need it to qualify for most of the crews....?

[snapback]85794[/snapback]

its alot different but ...not the same as travelin the US.. and you can only be a volenteer or full time and have to live in certain areas to be full time which i dont.. oh well

[PlayPal]

Originally posted by TheJake@Nov 10 2005, 05:56 PM

- PlayPal - Do you know anything about these wildfire 1 & 2 classes they offer at the local college? My buddy on a municipality here says you need it to qualify for most of the crews....?

[snapback]85794[/snapback]

He's probably talking about private crews? Private crews may want you to get the classes yourself, but private crews suck, so you don't want anything to do with them anyway. All forest service crews give you all of your training once you get hired, and I'm pretty sure that's the way it is with all government crews. Get hired and they train you.

[TheJake]

I had a rough time finding info online bout getting on a crew...

that and i am outta shape!

[mowark]

This is something I'm really interested in. What can I do to get more wildland firefighting experience to have a better chance?

[Somnambulation]

Youe got some matches and gasoline right?

[PlayPal]

Mowark: You can't really GET experience any way other than getting on a crew or an engine. They probably won't be impressed if you tell them that you've been playing with fire in your backyard and you're really good with a garden hose. Seriously though, it's kinda a catch 22 in that most outfits are looking for experience when hiring. Of course, thousands of new people get picked up every season, so don't worry.

Sadly, the federal and state hiring window is pretty much over for this season. Ideally, you want to get your application into Avue (the online application system for the forest service - the largest federal fire agency) in January. Then you want to pick out the places you really want to work and call them and bug them about how interested you are. It's a really stupid system, but it is what it is. If you're not sure about where to start in all this, let me know where you would like to work, and what type of job and I'll see what I know about crews/engines in that area.

Another way to break into it is to start out on a contract crew or contract engine. For this, I would guess that you still might have a chance for this season, as they aren't nearly as standardized and by-the-book when it comes to hiring as the government agencies are. As a warning, I would say to really check out the people you will be working with, as there are good contractors and bad contractors out there.

If you're really thinking of doing this, you have to realize that there will be times when it's boring, your dirty, tired, and it seems that what you're doing is completely pointless (which it probably is!). But, once you put in a season on an engine or a normal hand crew, you should be able to get on a hotshot crew ($$$) with enough phone calls and initiative.

Any more questions or information needed? Ask away!


Jake: I thought you were supposed to be getting IN shape?

[mowark]

Thanks. This is a down the line thing because I've got immediate plans for the next year or so, but it's always good to plan for the future. I really appreciate your help.

[TheJake]

yea well i lack discipline...

[PlayPal]

Yes, but Jake you lack discipline better than anybody else! Don't forget that!

[TheJake]

Thats a good point playpal! I am the best at it, no doubt about it.