r/Wildfire Apr 25 '21

Should you die on the job

335 Upvotes

Hey guys, have one of those uncomfortable type of questions. It’s been a while since I’ve filled out a beneficiary form and now that I have a kid coming into the world, it’s time to change my death wishes. A google search provided me the recognition of the Beneficiary Form for unpaid benefits (SF 1152), in which you designate a percentage of your unpaid benefits to your loved ones/“beneficiaries”. Now here’s my questions:

1) How much will a beneficiary actually receive if allotted say 100% of my unpaid benefits? What and how much $ are my unpaid benefits?

2) I remember at some point, writing down a description of how I would like my funeral procession to proceed, and filling that out along with the aforementioned form, but I can’t find that one. Anybody recollect the name of that form or have a form # they can provide me?

Thanks everybody


r/Wildfire Apr 27 '22

**How to Get a Job as a Wildland Firefighter*

471 Upvotes

How to apply for a Fed Job (USFS, BLM, BIA, FWS) - Revised 07/29/2023

  • Apply to jobs in Sept.-Feb. on https://www.usajobs.gov . Search for things such as “forestry aid, fire, and 0462.”
    • Use filters in the sidebar, set grade to "GS3 and GS4". Under the "more filters" tab you can toggle "Seasonal, Summer, Temporary, and Full Time"
    • Be sure to read each job description to make sure it is for fire. There are other jobs that fall under "Forestry Aide/ Tech." that do not involve wildland fire.
    • Applications for Federal Jobs are only accepted during a narrow (2 week long) window nowadays. You can find out when this window is by calling prospective employers or checking USAJobs weekly.
  • Build a profile on USAjobs and create a resume. Kind of a pain in the ass, but it's just a hurdle to screen out the unmotivated. Just sit down and do it.
    • In your resume, be sure to include hours worked and contact info for references along with permission to contact said references.
  • Call around to various districts/forests/parks you're interested in working for. Do this between early October and February. The earlier in that time period, the better.
    • Hiring officials keep track of who called, when, and how good they sounded. Just call the front desk and ask for whoever does the hiring for "fire."
    • Have a few lines rehearsed about why you want the job and why you're worth hiring. Leave a voicemail if the person is out of the office. Ask questions about what firefighting resources they have (handcrew, engine, lookouts, helicopter, etc, basically what job they can even offer you), when to apply, how to apply, IF they are even hiring...
  • You can leave a message and Fire Managers will usually call you back. Applying online is basically only a formality. Talking to or physically visiting potential employers is the only way to go. People drive out from NY and Maine to talk to crew bosses out West all the time and are usually rewarded with a job for doing so.
  • Have a resume ready to email or hand-in, and offer to do so.
  • It helps to keep a spreadsheet or some notes of all the places you've called, who you talked to, what firefighting resources they have, the deadline for hiring, and generally how the convo went.
  • Apply to 15+ positions. It's hard to get your foot in the door, but totally do-able.
  • If they sound excited and interested in YOU, then you'll probably get an offer if all your paperwork goes through.
  • Unlike the many lines of work, Wildland Firefighting resumes can be 10+ pages long. The longer and more detailed the better. List the sports you've played, whether you hunt or workout, and go into detail about your middle school lawn mowing business - seriously. You are applying to a manual labor job, emphasizing relevant experience.
  • Also have a short resume for emailing. Don't email your ungodly long USAjobs resume.
  • You wont get an offer if you haven't talked to anyone.
    • If you do get an offer from someone you haven't talked to, its usually a red-flag (hard to fill location for a reason). Ex. Winnemucca, NV
  • Start working out. Expect high school sports levels of group working out starting the 1st day of work (running a few miles, push ups, pull ups, crunches, etc).
  • The pack test, the 3miles w/ 45lbs in 45 mins, is a joke. Don't worry about that, only horrifically out of shape people fail it.

- Alternatives to Fed Jobs - Revised 07/29/2023

  • There are also contractors, such as Greyback and Pat-Rick, mostly based in Oregon, with secondary bases around the west. Not as good of a deal, because it's usually on-call work, the pay is lower, and it's a tougher crowd, but a perfectly fine entry-level position. If you can hack it with them, you can do the job just fine.
  • Also look into various state dept. of natural resources/forestry. Anywhere there are wildfires, the state and counties have firefighter jobs, not as many as the Feds, but definitely some jobs. I just don't know much about those.
  • You could also just go to jail in California and get on a convict crew...
  • I wouldn't bother applying to easy-to-Google programs (e.g. Great Northern or North Star crews in MT and AK respectively), as the competition for the 1/2 dozen entry-level jobs is way too intense. A remote district in a po-dunk town is your best bet for getting your foot in the door if you're applying remotely. I started in such a place in the desert of southern Idaho and then moved onto a much nicer setting, up in Montana.
  • Also look into the Nature Conservancy, they have fire crews, as do the California/Montana/Arizona/Minnesota Conservation Corps, and the various USDL Job Corps programs that are run by the Forest Service.

- QUALIFICATIONS NEEDED

Surprisingly few.

  • 18+ years old
  • GED or high school grad
  • relatively clean criminal record (you can have a felony/DUI, etc).
  • A driver's license is required by the Feds, even if you have a DUI, you still need a valid DL
  • A pre-work drug screening is a possibility. The Department of Interior (Park Service & BLM) always drug tests. The Forest Service usually doesn't, but certainly can. Wildland Firefighters are a conservative bunch and open drug use is generally not tolerated. It's a good idea to be able to piss clean and not talk about past drug use.
  • A degree helps, but is by no means necessary.
  • You do have to have some sort of desirable skill or quality though. I mean, if you're just uneducated, unskilled, and out of shape, it's not gonna work out for you even if you do get hired. An EMT certification, even w/o experience, is probably the best "sure bet" for getting a job as a wildland firefighter, but landscaping/manual labor experience, military time, some education, even just being in really good shape and/or having a lot of sports team experience are all good enough

- FAQs

For federal jobs**, if you haven't applied by the end of February, you are probably too late, sometimes there are late postings, but your chances greatly decrease at finding a job.**

  • Hotshot crews and smokejumping are not for rookies. Don't waste their time or your breath by calling
  • .You CAN apply if you have ZERO EXPERIENCE and still have a decent chance at getting a job
  • You DO NOT need EMT, while it is somewhat beneficial, it is by no means needed to get your first fire job
  • Calfire does not hire people with zero experience and zero qualifications.

/TLDR

  • Apply to jobs in Sept-Feb on https://www.usajobs.gov . Search for things such as “forestry aid, fire, and 0462.”
  • Make long resume
  • Apply to multiple locations
  • Call the locations
  • Get in better shape

Thanks to u/RogerfuRabit for the previous post on how to get a job in WF.


r/Wildfire 8h ago

Gallery Stellar parking, Grayback.

Thumbnail
gallery
96 Upvotes

And y'all probably wonder why nobody takes you seriously.


r/Wildfire 4h ago

Bill to raise the pay cap and codify the 3 days off for feds is now in both the house and senate. Please share the link widely.

Thumbnail
actionnetwork.org
37 Upvotes

r/Wildfire 11h ago

Five water bombers in a row loading up

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

48 Upvotes

r/Wildfire 18h ago

Gallery Me too, buddy

Thumbnail
gallery
153 Upvotes

r/Wildfire 1h ago

Wildfires: Options And Obstacles To Expanding Canada’s Waterbomber Fleet

Thumbnail
dominionreview.ca
Upvotes

r/Wildfire 5h ago

Contract crews

6 Upvotes

Why does everyone hate on contractors everyone is there to do the same job


r/Wildfire 1h ago

Video Waterbomber Mitigation of Wildfires and Smoke: My Recent Interview on Toronto TV

Thumbnail
youtu.be
Upvotes

r/Wildfire 33m ago

Region 8

Upvotes

I applied for a seasonal wildland firefighter position in the George washing national forest based out of Virginia i was wondering if I would be deployed to the west coast or the midwest or would i only stay in region 8


r/Wildfire 7h ago

Question Shirts

2 Upvotes

Whats yalls favorite brand/kind of shirt to wear under your nomex?


r/Wildfire 5h ago

Discussion Any Career experts in here? What’s your best tip you want to share with others?

Thumbnail
0 Upvotes

r/Wildfire 22h ago

Akawa Butte from Sisters

Post image
22 Upvotes

r/Wildfire 17h ago

Boot sizing

2 Upvotes

Anyone know if whites sizing is similar to other brands? Both of my whites just took a shit and they have been no help at all so rushing to find boots but all the brands giving me different sizes? More so leaning to Nicks


r/Wildfire 1d ago

Somewhere near Post

Post image
24 Upvotes

r/Wildfire 16h ago

Biscar fire

0 Upvotes

Soooo any of you bums on this fire from initial attack? Let’s hear it! Did you get any meals? Did you get water or Gatorade? Did you hear one division got lunches while others got nothing? Let’s vent! No breaky, lunch or dinner oh and go find a spot off the highway to camp when there’s a town with hotels 30 mins away 🥰


r/Wildfire 1d ago

Question Thoughts about jumping contractors during the season?

5 Upvotes

I’m working for Miller Timber in Philomath OR, which seemed like it would be great, I respect everyone that I’ve met and all the bosses are people I wouldn’t have an issue following just purely from how safety oriented and knowledgeable they are, this isn’t a management complaint I WANT TO WORK even if the work I get is shit. But what do I know it’s my first season. I haven’t gotten called out yet which I don’t think a lot of us have. I’ve been think about sending in some applications to Grayback bases to see if they’ll put me to work asap. I’ve been living out of my car for a month now waiting which isn’t the end of the world, I just don’t want to go home with nothing to show for it. The moment I ask for my red card from miller however I know I’m toast so I’m just kind of in debate right now. What do you guys think?


r/Wildfire 18h ago

Riddle me this

0 Upvotes

Why doesn't fire camp have drinking water? Am I going to the wrong camps? I've never seen drinking water at any fire camp I've been to. If I'm coming off the line, I don't want to drink juice, iced tea, or milk. Where is the water damnit?


r/Wildfire 1d ago

Discussion I’m stuck

66 Upvotes

I’ve been in fire in general since 2010, and this is my eleventh season working for my state. I feel stuck. I’m now a perm, but don’t want to be here anymore; however, I don’t know what else to do, and I’m honestly afraid to leave. Every time I’ve looked at leaving, I start to feel attached to my captors (the agency) and I don’t leave. I no longer want to do campaign fires, only fuels and land management work.

Is it Stockholm Syndrome? Am I just too chickenshit to take a chance? Am I addicted? I’m not sure, but I know I’m not the only one.

Let’s normalize talking about this. Let’s normalize recognizing the fact there are those of us who are here because we have no other transferable skills. Let’s normalize recognizing that sometimes we’re not okay.

Check on your buddy, and let’s support each other through this shitshow of a season.


r/Wildfire 23h ago

Swap in career

1 Upvotes

Hey guys, have been thinking of making a move to the west and hope to get into post fire hazard falling. Quick backdrop, im in NH currently as a tree climber and do occasional felling work of any degree.
Hoping to find out what is the best course of action to make is, and if your FAL certs are necessary depending on route? Thank you in advance


r/Wildfire 23h ago

FERS Benefit statement

0 Upvotes

Did everyone get the updated FERS statement in EPP? Or am I the only one that didn’t get it yet?


r/Wildfire 1d ago

Calfire Burnover incident 18 July

Thumbnail
youtu.be
20 Upvotes

Vina Helitack. Happened July 18th on the Brook Fire. luckily everyone was treated and released. Video has a good breakdown but no concrete details.


r/Wildfire 3d ago

Humor What the US doesn't know were secretly doing up here in Canada. Our woke trans windmills are blowing the smoke south.

Post image
5.0k Upvotes

r/Wildfire 2d ago

Humor PL5, July 20th, Agency Employee, I haven’t been out once & still disregard contractors, AMA.

35 Upvotes

Pour one out to all the divisions & task force leaders not able to get agency resources because R6 regional leadership are a bunch of cucks.


r/Wildfire 1d ago

OWCP stories

9 Upvotes

Hi all. Brianna from the Post again.

In 2021 I wrote this story on how wildland firefighters were relying on GoFundMe's to survive after getting sick or injured because of workers comp hell. If anyone has been dealing with OWCP lately, or liaisons with DOL/OWCP and is open to chatting, I would love to hear from you about your experiences.

My email is [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]); cell is 310 924 5924; or you can DM me here.

Thank you and take care,

Branna