Any one have any experience doing this job? What nonsense came with the position? Should I do it?
>>2843345>nonsenseNone. It was fucking epic. Best job I ever had. I hope to go back to it one day, hopefully next year.Literally no complaints. Was a dream. Completely shits on normal jobs in all ways.t. type 2 handcrew in Oregon/Washington If you have any questions ask away
>>2843345I will say right now, if you want to do next season you should begin your physical training now. The PT test for your red card is a joke. A 3 mile walk with 45lbs in 45 minutes. It's nothing. The job is MUCH harder, especially if you are on a badass crew. You want to be on a badass crew.You should be able to walk 20 miles faster than 3 mph with full gear and be ready to workout immediately after. 5 minute mile, 20 pullups, you want these types of standards.You need a good point of view. You will get hurt. You will feel pain. You need to know how to process that and keep pushing. Training often gives you the confidence and the knowledge of your body and helps you do that.
If you're joining Calfire or Grayback the standards will be lower but you really want to hold yourself to a high standard in this profession and work for a crew with a really solid reputation
>>2843345Don't become the baked potato
>>2843363>oops this fire can melt steel!>too bad
>>2843345It is going to depend heavily on where you go and what kind of crew you're assigned to. Most people don't have experiences like >>2843355. For the love of God, please don't go CalFire. You'll spend more time accidentally starting fires due to incompetence than you will actually fighting them.
>>2843372how does food work? do crews get cooks hiked in or MRE type bullshit? any bizarre stories from crew members' behavior? I don't want to be with a bunch of ass wipes.
>>2843355USAJOBS is a shit show of a website. How long did it take for you to get hired from when you sent in your application? Was pay decent? I'm a 2LT in the Army Reserves and looking for a job since I got laid off. >>2843356I'm not too worried about it uncle sam already has me running around. I did some trail crew stuff a few years ago in New Mexico. Those packs were like 80 pounds
>>2843383I contacted the company directly, flew 2500 miles with no resume whatsoever and just simply did it.If you have a pulse, a contractor will hire you. You'll be fine, just focus on the certs and leadership since you're ex-military. Many people you'll work with are straight out of highschool until you get to the type 1 crews.
>>2843384sweet sounds like onboarding is pretty easy. yeah economy is fucked i'm just gonna do what makes me happy and go innawoods.
>>2843385you're gonna have so much fun bro
>>2843345I did it for a little while. Awesome work for little pay; good for single, young, healthy guys with very few outside commitments. Not a good long-term career. You should try to transition into something else on the federal NatRes side eventually. A few folks I workes with went on to become other various -ologists who kept their red cards and went out for a couple weeks every year. That's the sweet spot imoI had to stop due to health issues. I miss it every day
>>2843386Don't fall for this he's trying to trick you
>>2843345I did helitack in Canada. Best job ever, great people, good summer money. Fought fires around Canada and down in Montana. Was our crew's tree faller towards the end, loved running the saw. Initial attack is so based, I worked hundreds of fires in just a few years.
>>2843345I was in fire from 2012 to 2021 including 8 years on a R6 IHC. It’s great when you’re a young guy. It’s definitely a lot of work and requires some extreme endurance and physical fitness - especially if you want to be on a type 1 module. I was usually middle of the pack in terms of fitness but I could still run a mile and a half in 9-930 minutes. When I started in fire I was on an engine and desu I have really fond memories of that experience - maybe even more so than being on the hotshot crew. It was a very chill environment and I don’t think I got more than 500 hours of OT in either year when I was on the engine. Obviously that meant I was poor and so I ended up working in timber during the winter instead of getting laid off. When I went to the hotshot crew, it was completely different; I don’t think I ever got less than 1200 hours of OT. But that meant I felt comfortable enough to get laid off and I ended up traveling a lot which was an awesome experience. But working that much burned me out and 2021 was a brutal year for me and I ended up quitting fire altogether. If I could do it again I probably would have gone back to the engines or rappelled, something that allowed more of a work life balance.
>>2843345Go for it. You'll see new places, make great friends, learn valuable lessons and be set financially in the winter months to do whatever you feel.Been in it since 2019 and will keep at it for another 2-3 years 'til I move on. USFS. Engines & Helitack.Apply for the feds on USAjobs.gov don't bother with private contractors or state agencies. Do a couple summers on an engine or Type 2 handcrew and move onto a Type 1 handcrew or helitack if aviation appeals to you.>>28433872nd what this guy said. Not a viable long-term career but you won't regret doing it in your 20's if you aren't burdened with any of those outside commitments. It'll set you up to springboard into and succeed wherever life takes you next.
>>2843387>>2844042DOD fire is the way to go
>>2843345>Should I do it?No. The Mexicans who mow my lawn get paid more for less work.
