For all things fire lookout / fire tower!Previous: >>2694387
The last thread was so good let's see if this will work as a general.
>>2725177
>>2725176Is it true they only give these jobs out nepotistically? You need to have a friend or an uncle to get the job?
>>2725180the fire watchman in the last thread got hired normally, he said when you apply just make sure to call the guys hiring
Found out about this baby fire tower at Clemmons State Forest in North Carolina. For a bit of fun what type is this, modified 22' LS-40?
>>2725196the only inside view i could find online
>>2725196Bro that shit ain't spotting no fires
Isle Royale, Michigan. They all mar the scenary.
>>2725180Theres specific things about applying to federal jobs. Learn those. Helps to volunteer or work for the agency or one that works with them
is there a good way to find towers that aren't used anymore? I've been wanting to stay in one but the ones with reservations are always booked
>>2725180Fire watch is a very easy job and guys will do it for decadesThat said it requires the least amount of qualifications, trail builder tier. Anons are interested because it's a low hanging fruit job they don't want a real /out/ job
>>2725791https://ronkemnow.weebly.com/pagethis shitty page has a ton organized by state
a type of fire tower ive found that's not mentioned on the firelookout.org infographics is this seemingly unique octagonal one from mesa verde national park, built in 1939
>>2725993here is another stone octagonal type in weeks state park in new hampshire, however this was originally built privately in 1912 and only converted into a fire tower in 1941
>>2725994the last of the octagonals i know of is this one in harlem, new york
>>2725995almost forgot about this one in the smokey mountains built in 1937-39, it also has the same stone foundation as >>2725993so is this a separate type not on the infographics? both this and the one in mesa verde were constructed by the nps around the same time
firelookout anon from last thread, ill dump some of my pics, this is a 'kalispell' L4 cab, a prototype. in serious need of upkeep.
D-6 and probably my favorite lookout ever, just got new shingles and paint over the last two years. The windows have graffiti etched in from the 30s - 40s so I'm glad they didn't get replaced.
R-6 and the lookout I've stayed in the most (2+ weeks in total over multiple years). Compared to a lot of others its very bare bones (only beds, no wood stove or firefinder as of 2023), but it does have cool chairs on glass insulators in case of a lightning storm.
>>2725993unfortunately i think a lot of the firelookout.org information is west of the plains information, it would be really helpful if there was a resource to learn more about this extremely unique lookouts that occur east of the Mississippi.
D-6 on poles?
>>2726064another
>>2726064oh hell yeah
>>2725176Which does /out/ prefer? Firetowers or lighthouses?
>>2726313I love both a ton, but if I had to pick I'd go with firetowers. This is a favorite of mine located in Cape Lookout National Seashore in North Carolina.
>>2726313i think i like them both the same, just fire towers are more accessible to me personally so i've been able to access them and nerd out a bit. theyre really similar in that they've both been phased out by modern technology for the most part, though there are a few examples of lookouts and lighthouses that are stilled manned in areas that need them.
>>2725176About a month ago I went up pic rel at Oubache SP in Indiana. The time before that was about 40 years ago.
>>2725999Damn, I'd live in that.
>>2726496was there more forestland when it was built or was it for grassland fires?
>>2725176
>>2726773another octagonal fire tower!
>>2725176What happens when you get to the top and realized you forgot they keys in the truck?
>>2725176Is this like trainspotting but for black belt level autists?
>>2726911I’d say that trainspotting is more autistic but basically yeah
>>2726536No idea.
Green Mountain Lookout in Oregon, looks like a military installation
>>2727289so does Thompson Peak in Montana, but goddamn did it have the best amenities of any lookout I've ever stayed in. refrigerator, electric cooktop, baseboard heating, recessed ceiling lights. it was a trip.
>>2727307fucked up pic, not rotating dont care
old fire tower that no longer exists, i found it interesting since it was connected to a house
>>2725176Fire tower in Highland County VA that I visited last summer.
Middlesex Fells, MA, supposedly used as a lookout in the 30s.(I don't know why you people keep saying "firewatch", which is the institution of making boot Marines stay awake at night in the barracks in case there's a fire. Everyone who works in wildland fire calls the structures build to look for fires, as well as the people who staff them, "lookouts." Actually, I do know why, it's because of the video game.).>>2727289whoa, never seen one like that before. I like it.
>>2727850(not my pic, but I've been there.).
Pretty interesting lookout built 90ft up into a ponderosa pine near Glenwood, WA in the 1940's.
>>2728335It was decommissioned in 1958 but has still managed to stay up there.
>>2728335>>2728337very cool, unusual seeing a crow's nest design be built so late
>>2726064>>2726067I guess these are more common than I thought, just found another
>>2728337hows the tension on the cables doing
>>2729063only one cable as far as i can tell is left, and slacking by a couple of feet.
>>2725180Just started cold calling ranger stations where they had a hard time filling for job.Tedious, but here is a map. You need to check each one to see if they say active and just call nearby ranger station.https://www.firelookout.org/worldwide-lookout-library.htmlHere's Eastern Montana for instancehttps://www.firelookout.com/EMontanamap.htmlPlaces like washington state are going to hire a lot easier than more rural places anyways.I was a college dropout with experience in IT, so nothing to technically qualify me. The USA Jobs system failed me left and right.I called places, introduced myself, and said I was willing to do paint, clean the place up, or whatever it took. I also called government job hiring places asking if any lookout positions in the state needed filling.>>2725792lol true. it's a job for losers in a dead end in life or retired people. bet you can guess which one i am
have any of you done any cool hikes to get to a fire lookout?
>>2730676my favorite lookout (pic rel) is a hike in, its not a hard hike (5mi and 1300ft) but it was the first one i stayed at so it has a place in my heart (pic rel). I'm planning on hiking to a pretty remote D6 that is first come first serve this summer that is 12mi and 3600ft so thats gonna be a stinker of a hike.
hiking to a couple fire lookouts in the ozarks and ouachitas this week
i suggest signing up to be a member of the FFLA, you get a periodic magazine with neat updates about lookout restoration and some of the folks that used to/still staff them
>>2731455forest jannies razor wired this one off despite it being at the highest point in the ozarks
>>2732825i think this one was a gabled L-4, very beautiful
>>2732827love the base structure
>>2732828here's what it looked like inside
Fryingpan Mtn, NC
Mount Arab firetower
is this a real fire lookout turned into an airbnb? or just a pseudo-lookout
>>2736124looks like a legit l4 cab turned airbnb but my issue is this uncanny valley liquid gold firepit, what the fuck
Which of these woods is good to make a fireplace for cooking?
>>2736152i thought it was a firepit at first too but now it looks like that might be a hot tub
>>2736152Airbnb listing says it’s “built to resemble”. Now I want to build one as an off grid house in the mountains, minus the gold hot tub. I tried to have ai make me a mock up of the RMNP one but with a single pitched roof for a more modern look. All of the cheap mining claims above 10k ft are on the north faces, so the south views wouldn’t be as good and that roof style means more windows for the northern views and maximum roof space for solar/satellite
what are some unusual north american fire lookout designs you have seen?
>>2733478gorgeous, love the appalachians
I climbed my first fire tower on top of Stratton mountain in Vermont last weekend and I was so excited I totally forgot about my extreme fear of heights until I got to the top. The view was gorgeous until I saw all the way down the mountain and wind blew through all the missing panes of glass and knocked me out of my awe of nature. I had to climb down backwards. I would share pictures but my friend who also went up and took them also heavily edited them.
>>2740691how'd he edit them?
I visited Taum Sauk Mountain last year but didnt learn until now that there was a gorgeous lookout I missed
>>2742195what type is this? L-6?
bump
>>2725196>>2725217It's a newborn, be nice.
all the lookouts in my state are aermotors...
I start fires
>>2729521I didn't know they enclosed that one. Last time I visited the top was still just an open platform.
>>2742195The top room within the tower itself was locked when I went several years ago, but the view is still great at the top of the stairs
>>2725196nigga this is a deer stand
>>2736124>fire tower below the canopy line
>>2749999Good, I need the overtime
>AI>steals your /flg/ job>:smugpepe:
>>2749982australia?
stayed at this little beauty last week, original treated timber poles. was interesting because it had full electric interior including a fridge and range. definitely unique compared to a lot of others i've stayed at which are lucky to even have a wood stove.
bumbp
>>2755824how do you go about staying in one? first come first serve or rented privately
>>2755784yeah blue mountains
>>2758895rec.gov
>>2758956how common are they down there?
>>2725176Dont know if this is related or not. What are the chances of getting a fire watch job in the usa as a european. Id love to do an out oriented job for a while and this sounds excellent
>>2761099if you have any type of degree in forestry or any firefighting experience the chances are pretty good. the hardest part is finding a job that hasn't been staffed by the same guy/gal for the last 30 years. usajobs.com is the website you would use and the openings usually pop up around december/january. don't get picky with where you want to be and you can eventually get a job where you want to be after so many years.
>>2761099Considering the market for that position is dwindling rapidly, you're probably better off doing something else.Firewatch is being replaced by machines - cameras, satellite imagery, ai/ml. Faster, cheaper, more accurate than humans are. t. tower climber that installs firewatch cameras.I get to work outside when it's nice, then do inside shit when the weather sucks.Pic related. PTZ optical and FLIR at 110 ft.
>>2761183>>2761199thanks for the responses
>>2725176Not that this is fire lookout but is fire related, but how hard is it to get a job as a wildland firefighter?
>>2761364not hard, i submitted a shit ton of applications on usajobs and got several responses back
>>2761364if you just want to dig lines and fuck around its pretty easy, if you want to be a hotshot you have to go through training and then you only make $25/hr to risk death.
>>2761077not very i think
kalispell l-4 bump
>>2725176how do you get a job in wildland fire
>>2761364we've been getting hammered up here for the last 7 years with fires up here in Northern California. I guarantee you if you want work fighting fires, you can find it here. It ain't easy tho, and you might have to start out as a volunteer, but any help we can get up here is much-appreciated.
my dog in an R-6 flattop on 40' poles i stayed in last week
>>2765206a fucked up lidar scan i did of the cab interior featuring my wife and dog, i have a few lookouts scanned for memory/preservation but i just need to get better at scanning.
How does one go about getting this job?
>>2765862you can either get it as a job (via being a firefighter or experienced in GIS/forestry) or just rent the lookouts they don't man anymore and LARP
i've got 4 lookout stays lined up over the next month will dump pics after each one
>>2769009looking forward to them!