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Posted by blown95svt (Member # 8893) on :
 
just wondering how many there are and who you work for and how ya like it? i just got all my stuff in order to start the arc fire academy. looking to possibly work for the cdf.
 
Posted by WildFire532FB (Member # 1482) on :
 
US Forest Service for 3 years. I am on a Wildfire Management Handcrew right now and next year i am going to Helitack. I work for the Tahoe National Forest.
I suggest you try and get on with the Forest Service, get good experience and then go to CDF if that is where you want to end up. One of my close friends who started with CDF and then went to FS is now an Engineer with the FS while all his friends he worked with at CDF are still seasonal Firefighters. Its hard to move up in CDF without a lot of experience behind you.

[ July 12, 2009, 01:11 AM: Message edited by: WildFire532FB ]
 
Posted by fastertoys1 (Member # 5270) on :
 
i passed the fire academy and have my emt cert. but no job, testing for a position is super compeditive. ive just about givin up. [Frown]
 
Posted by WildFire532FB (Member # 1482) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by fastertoys1:
i passed the fire academy and have my emt cert. but no job, testing for a position is super compeditive. ive just about givin up. [Frown]
Go with the Forest Service and get the experience of being a Wildland Firefighter, you will look 100% better than anyone out of the Academy who has been a volunteer firefighter for years.
Wildland Firefighters are the Marines of the Fire Service.
 
Posted by blown95svt (Member # 8893) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by fastertoys1:
i passed the fire academy and have my emt cert. but no job, testing for a position is super compeditive. ive just about givin up. [Frown]
i kinda have a foot in the door, my friend is a lead drill intructor and also is great friends with the head guy at the academy that started it, my buddy works for folsom fd. what academy did you go to? the arc is suppose to be a well known academy. my friend was saying the last class 21 out or 30 students got hired on with fire/emt with in 3 months
 
Posted by blown95svt (Member # 8893) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by WildFire532FB:
US Forest Service for 3 years. I am on a Wildfire Management Handcrew right now and next year i am going to Helitack. I work for the Tahoe National Forest.
I suggest you try and get on with the Forest Service, get good experience and then go to CDF if that is where you want to end up. One of my close friends who started with CDF and then went to FS is now an Engineer with the FS while all his friends he worked with at CDF are still seasonal Firefighters. Its hard to move up in CDF without a lot of experience behind you.
i will have to look into that, i just was looking into the cdf because it looks exciting! wildfires and all. im not sure how i would take if i got a job at a city fire station. i would rather be in the wildfires.
 
Posted by WildFire532FB (Member # 1482) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by blown95svt:
quote:
Originally posted by fastertoys1:
i passed the fire academy and have my emt cert. but no job, testing for a position is super compeditive. ive just about givin up. [Frown]
i kinda have a foot in the door, my friend is a lead drill intructor and also is great friends with the head guy at the academy that started it, my buddy works for folsom fd. what academy did you go to? the arc is suppose to be a well known academy. my friend was saying the last class 21 out or 30 students got hired on with fire/emt with in 3 months
I went to the Federal Wildland Fire Academy, i get college credits from ARC though.
I am surprised City and State are still hiring new employees with their budgets getting cut up Last i heard Sac City was laying off 50 firefighters.
I know one of the guys on my old engine used to be a City firefighter and got laid off.

[ July 12, 2009, 01:26 AM: Message edited by: WildFire532FB ]
 
Posted by blown95svt (Member # 8893) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by WildFire532FB:
quote:
Originally posted by blown95svt:
quote:
Originally posted by fastertoys1:
i passed the fire academy and have my emt cert. but no job, testing for a position is super compeditive. ive just about givin up. [Frown]
i kinda have a foot in the door, my friend is a lead drill intructor and also is great friends with the head guy at the academy that started it, my buddy works for folsom fd. what academy did you go to? the arc is suppose to be a well known academy. my friend was saying the last class 21 out or 30 students got hired on with fire/emt with in 3 months
I went to the Federal Wildland Fire Academy, i get college credits from ARC though.
I am surprised City and State are still hiring new employees with their budgets getting cut up Last i heard Sac City was laying off 50 firefighters.
I know one of the guys on my old engine used to be a City firefighter and got laid off.
ya thats another thing is the budget crisis, i plan to keep my mechanic job through the academy and until i get a good job offer then the tool box goes in the garage for side jobs! but the us forestry wouldnt be a bad idea, is there a lot of traveling? im not sure if i would be up to tons of traveling, got a toddler and a wife. it will be hard as it is working a fulltime job then doing the night academy.
 
Posted by WildFire532FB (Member # 1482) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by blown95svt:
quote:
Originally posted by WildFire532FB:
US Forest Service for 3 years. I am on a Wildfire Management Handcrew right now and next year i am going to Helitack. I work for the Tahoe National Forest.
I suggest you try and get on with the Forest Service, get good experience and then go to CDF if that is where you want to end up. One of my close friends who started with CDF and then went to FS is now an Engineer with the FS while all his friends he worked with at CDF are still seasonal Firefighters. Its hard to move up in CDF without a lot of experience behind you.
i will have to look into that, i just was looking into the cdf because it looks exciting! wildfires and all. im not sure how i would take if i got a job at a city fire station. i would rather be in the wildfires.
You'd just get fat and lazy at a City Fire station [Wink]
If you don't mind hiking with 50+ pounds on your back in full Wildland gear up stuff that is almost straight up in 100+ degree weather with fire all around you then i'd go with the FS [Smile]
Are you a fast runner/hiker?
The Forest Service has;
Smoke Jumpers, Helitack, Hotshot crews, Wildfire Use crews, all types of Fires engine crews Fire Behavior anaysis crews. Plus you get to travel all over the USA.
CDF has;
Helitack and type 3 to type 1 fire engines, they have a handcrew but you can only be on it if your a convict [Wink] Its super rare for them to leave the State.
FS Seasonals make more money than CDF seasonals.
 
Posted by WildFire532FB (Member # 1482) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by blown95svt:
quote:
Originally posted by WildFire532FB:
quote:
Originally posted by blown95svt:
quote:
Originally posted by fastertoys1:
i passed the fire academy and have my emt cert. but no job, testing for a position is super compeditive. ive just about givin up. [Frown]
i kinda have a foot in the door, my friend is a lead drill intructor and also is great friends with the head guy at the academy that started it, my buddy works for folsom fd. what academy did you go to? the arc is suppose to be a well known academy. my friend was saying the last class 21 out or 30 students got hired on with fire/emt with in 3 months
I went to the Federal Wildland Fire Academy, i get college credits from ARC though.
I am surprised City and State are still hiring new employees with their budgets getting cut up Last i heard Sac City was laying off 50 firefighters.
I know one of the guys on my old engine used to be a City firefighter and got laid off.
ya thats another thing is the budget crisis, i plan to keep my mechanic job through the academy and until i get a good job offer then the tool box goes in the garage for side jobs! but the us forestry wouldnt be a bad idea, is there a lot of traveling? im not sure if i would be up to tons of traveling, got a toddler and a wife. it will be hard as it is working a fulltime job then doing the night academy.
Oh the FS might not be a good idea for you then. When your on fire assignment you can be gone up to 14 days straight unless you get extended then you can go 21 days straight and they can also work you 14 days give you 2 days off near the fire and then work another 14 days straight. There is a lot of traveling.
 
Posted by blown95svt (Member # 8893) on :
 
how does the fs work? do you have a station near by and you just fly to where your needed? do you still do your 48hrs at the staion? just curious how its compared to a city job?
 
Posted by WildFire532FB (Member # 1482) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by blown95svt:
how does the fs work? do you have a station near by and you just fly to where your needed? do you still do your 48hrs at the staion? just curious how its compared to a city job?
You work out of a forest district, your engine or Handcrew is responsible for that district so your always there fighting fires but if there is nothing going on and your engine or handcrew is up on the rotation if a big fire breaks anywhere in the USA and they ask your Forest if they have a strike team of engines or a handcrew available you will go to where ever your needed. You work 5 days on 2 days off.
A City job you sit at the station and wait for a house fire or something to happen, i have seen city engines on wildland fires but its usually just for structure protection and i don't think they see any action.

Oh with the Forest Service and any fire service pretty much you drive to the fire, there is no flying and travel time doesn't count toward your 14 days so if i am going to Idaho and it takes 3 days of travel just to get there that means i will be gone for 20 days, counting the drive home as well, but they can extend you to 21 days so you can be gone for 27 days total or like they said they can give you 2 days off in Idaho and you could be gone for 2 months. When we go to Alaska and Florida they usually fly us and cargo plane our engines/rigs.

[ July 12, 2009, 01:53 AM: Message edited by: WildFire532FB ]
 
Posted by blown95svt (Member # 8893) on :
 
do you have your own station? and when your not out on strike do you work the 2 on 4 off schedule?
 
Posted by WildFire532FB (Member # 1482) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by blown95svt:
do you have your own station? and when your not out on strike do you work the 2 on 4 off schedule?
No FS always works 5 days on, 2 days off.
Everyone has their own station but you don't sleep there unless its far away from your home then you sleep in the barracks. You only work 8 hour shifts, unless your on a fire assignment then you work 16 hour shifts.

[ July 12, 2009, 01:55 AM: Message edited by: WildFire532FB ]
 
Posted by blown95svt (Member # 8893) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by WildFire532FB:
quote:
Originally posted by blown95svt:
do you have your own station? and when your not out on strike do you work the 2 on 4 off schedule?
No FS always works 5 days on, 2 days off.
Everyone has their own station but you don't sleep there unless its far away from your home then you sleep in the barracks. You only work 8 hour shifts, unless your on a fire assignment then you work 16 hour shifts.
ok so its like a regular 40hr job unless you have a fire or you are deployed? how often would you say you are deployed? im am seroisly gonna consider this as an option.
 
Posted by WildFire532FB (Member # 1482) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by blown95svt:
quote:
Originally posted by WildFire532FB:
quote:
Originally posted by blown95svt:
do you have your own station? and when your not out on strike do you work the 2 on 4 off schedule?
No FS always works 5 days on, 2 days off.
Everyone has their own station but you don't sleep there unless its far away from your home then you sleep in the barracks. You only work 8 hour shifts, unless your on a fire assignment then you work 16 hour shifts.
ok so its like a regular 40hr job unless you have a fire or you are deployed? how often would you say you are deployed? im am seroisly gonna consider this as an option.
Its not often your on fire assignment, I started in May and our crew hasn't gone "off forest" yet this season. "deployment" is a term for using your fire shelter and if your using your fire shelter then you fucked up somewhere or someone else fucked up and now your fighting for your life.
On an Engine your lucky if you get more than 3 off forest assignments because your on rotation and there could be more than 10 fire engines on your Forest. Handcrew you are mostly gone all summer but there isn't ANYTHING going on right now. Some big fires but not enough to start stripping Forests of their fire equipment.
 
Posted by NiftyWhiteFifty (Member # 4320) on :
 
Do you have to get your emt cert to work for the Forestry Service or cal fire?
 
Posted by WildFire532FB (Member # 1482) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by NiftyWhiteFifty:
Do you have to get your emt cert to work for the Forestry Service or cal fire?
For the Forest Service having your EMT isn't required but for CDF i believe it is.
 
Posted by 70mach351 (Member # 7528) on :
 
Firefighter Paramedic in Sac. Best job ever, however im on work comp and start light duty prolly wednesday, not looking forward to working 9-5.
 




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