jaycocreek wrote:
A lot of mis-understanding of how it all works.Having been on multiple fires as a volunteer(Logger shut down from fires),you do not go on the actual fire line.To do that,you have to be Red Carded as my wife is/was.Go to fire school and take there courses and finish there pack test in the allotted time,then you get the Red card.
Most likely as a volunteer yu would do minimal jobs that release other qualified people for more dangerous work.I mostly fell timber and drove people around or delivered supplies..This now requires a CDL,used to be just a Chauffeurs licence.
Many people in the community I lived in(McCall Idaho) hired there pickup trucks out to the Forest Service for a decent wage.It does have to pass there vehicle inspection.Others worked food concession/helped in the warehouse and office and did driving,if qualified.None worked the fire line.The loggers did fall hazardous timber for them without a card but were well qualified.The FS rented the loggers saw and sometimes furnished a guy to carry it and be on watch,basically a Red Carded employee to keep the volunteer out of harms way.
If qualified a volunteer can make some good bucks...
Our son was a paramedic, then a first responder, fireman.... and a wildfire fighter (never a smoke jumper)
He and another guy formed a company called "Wet Net" that trained and tested Wildfire fighters (in East Tennessee)for the forest service and other governmemt agencies. I built the step boxs for them.
Most people that applied to be wildfire fighters were in pretty good shape for the physical part... but there were still a lot of failures. All were huffing by the time they got through.
I can remember many of the qualified wildfire fighters being hired by the Forest Service and I think even the BLM... The agencies would pick them up in Knoxville and fly them west... they also fought the big fires at the east end of I-40 in the Florida swamps... and the big ones in the Appalachians. A lot of the wildfire fighters spent Thanksgiving in the Mountains of western Virginia (west of Staunton or Harrisberg) one year... they were excited when they finally got home.... they made enough extra money for a big Christmas that year.
Our son continued his education and training, he is now a Fire Protection Engineer... over seeing research projects...
He also serves on State and Federal code committees, etc
I still say... even at a great risk saving lives counts... all of the homes in the USA aren't worth the value of one firefighters life.
People that aren't in Harms Way are often the people that send others into life threatening danger.Tim, thank you for your service.... for all of those deployments... for bringing your troops home, for being the best of the best.
And yes... after 3/4 of a century I am now basically just a computer key pounder.... but I promise you, I have proudly served in many ways.
