Seasonal fire job?

hello all, so i'm wanting to fight fires out west this summer when i finish up my contract with the army.
anyone out there done this type of thing?
how did you get in?
any advice please?

 

well...I was going to go, but something didnt pan out.

You either need to join a local FD and have them train you..OR you need to get with the state crew and have them train you and send you. Either way, you need firefighting training.

 

yea i understand that and im a little at the disadvantage. but how do so many kids right out of high school fall on a thing like this.

 

they join a local fd? I did right out of high school, but i missed the pack test so I couldnt go.

 

I got started as a volunteer firefighter and got my basic training that way

BLM out here in NM used to hire seasonal........been a while since I was a firefighter so not sure now. The Forest Service here does.

 

we usually send a few groups from the state every year. Maybe if you can catch one of them around, you can ask them? Theres really no way to "fall into" a job like that.

 

well crap...that really just bust my bubble. ill keep on looking and see what i have to do

 

Mesa Comunity college out here in AZ has a great fire training program. I'm sure your GI Bill would help cover a lot of the cost. Once you get your training and certs out of the way finding seasonal work out here in the SW should be fairly easy. The town where I live, Queen Creek, Just finally got their own FD last year, and Gilbert, one town over, is usually hiring as well.

http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/dept2/fireacademy/

 

hmmm...ill keep that in mind. i do plan to use my GI bill, especially since i will be getting BAH too. gotta love the army.

 

I was a Vol back in the late 90's and got picked up on a hotshots crew, mostly you have to have the background in firefighter 1 & 2. I have a friend that is a fire jumper in CO. now after getting out of the USMC. The thing that most people forget is even though most departments would like you to have a background in firefighting they all have to send you to there training too. You should be able to get into it.

 

man that would be awesome. ive been reading alot about jumping and would love to do that. i know i need a ton of experience, but i need to start somewhere. so that is my ultimate goal, fingers crossed.

 

Check out the forest service. Although from Canada I have worked on occasion with some Hot Shot crews from the states. There may be some week long course you need to get started (thats what we have here), and a physical test. Here are a couple of links that could stear you in the right direction.

http://www.wildlandfire.com/hotlist/showthread.php?p=20159

http://www.beardividehotshots.com/index2.html

 

Hey man, I work for CAL FIRE. The reason so many kids are doing this right out of high school is because they take R.O.P. in high school and get what the call the CDF 67 hour wildland course. That is all you need to work for CAL FIRE. I too joined a local FD and then I went through the local college fire academy, that is really the way to go. For you though, what you should look into is the Forest Service. You really dont need any training before you get on with them. The good thing about applying for the forest service is it is done online and you can apply for many different areas at once. You can even do different states, but at the same time it is a lot more complicated. What you need to do is contact some forest service stations in the areas you want to work and explain everything to them. They will give you the most info. As far as being a smoke jumper you really dont need that much experience, I was looking into it for a while. You just need a couple seasons on a hot shot crew. I have friends that work for the forest service in Northern California so if you have any questions, I dont know if your still interested or not, and i'll see if I can help you at all.

 

I worked on a hotshot crew for the last 8 yrs. in Colorado, and have been in wildland for the last 12 yrs. My best advice for you would be to find a place to get your RED CARD. You can usually go to a community college and pay a load of money, and take a semester. Or if your lucky you can find a volunteer dept. or try your local Forest service office or Emergency Services Dept. and they usually can get your RED CARDED in about a week. Once you have your red card go to USAJOBS.COM or AVUE digital. Those are the two places the federal govt. hires employees from. The only two places. The hiring process is coming to and end for the 2009 fire season but if you get in the system, I belive the apps are good for about a yr. Also figure out what your goals are, ie Hotshot, engine crewmember, helicopter crew member, helirepeller or type 2 crew member. Once you have your research done find the forest you want to go to and call the engine capt. or the supt. or the crew boss and ask them every question you can imagine. Another thing you have going for you if your coming out of the military is you have veterns preferance. You go to the top of the list for serving your country.

Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions. Also, start doing push ups, and pull ups and running your butt off. I know you PT in the military, but remember the Mountains in the west are steeper than the back of gods head, and you will have 45lbs of gear on your back.

 

thanks bro...some good info indeed. i have done a ton of research for over a year now. i've applied to almost every place that offers housing in the west, so lets see how good my odds are. i did get a thing in the mail from Canon City, CO asking about my veterans pref. now as for the red card i was checking out Colorado Fire Camp, but hopefully something will work out. i see you're from FOCO, thats where im trying to go after the military. any advice for me on the move or jobs? do you go to CSU?

 

Might look here.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos158.htm

 

Good luck man I looked into it for a while when I got out of the USAF its pretty hard to get good info (Keep in mind im pretty fuckin lazy to) BUT FIREEMPLOYMENT.COM has good info for all kind of fire jobs its a paid site but its not that much cash.

 

I don't go to CSU but have lived here my whole life. It's a great little city for sure. The mtns. are less than 15 mins. away for mtn. biking, hiking and running. The bar scene is outstanding as well as the talent. If you are getting out of the service in the next month, there is a place here you can get red carded in a week. As far a jobs here, call the office for Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest and ask for the AFMO asst. fire management officer. He should be able to line you out on details. The odds of getting a job this yr. with the feds is pretty slim. Good luck

 

good deal man. is this where you fight fires at?

 

Interesting thread...........this doesn't really apply, but I know the Indiana DNR director of LE investigation, and he told me that kids right out of high school in Indiana can join crews to fight fires out west. Like an apprenticeship program I suppose.

Not well informed about the program as of yet, my little firefighter is still only 9. He has been more than the little boy infatuated with firefighting, I think that's what he was born to do.