Firefighting

As many of you know I am a firefighter. I just returned from a short assignment of 4 days on the Red Canyon fire in Carbondale, CO. The above shot is from a ridgetop.

I feel like I should share some of what I do when I am not working on building SV Sojourn or sleeping.

Normally we are assigned to a fire and have a 14 day commitment at minimum. Many times  there is an opportunity for reassignment or continuing on the same fire for a few more weeks.

We go out on a type 6 engine with a 3 man crew. Normally an engine boss, a crew boss, and a firefighter. We are all firefighters but that is the chain of command for our crew.

Normally an engine crew is assigned tasks around the engines capability such as putting water down on hot spots, structure mitigation ahead of the fire and structure protection. However on a national incident or wildland fire, we can and will do it all. From digging handline to patrolling at night watching for hotspots.

It is not just the work that is challenging but the accommodations also. Most times base camp consists of sleeping in a tent for 4-5 hours after working a 14 to 16 hour day. Usually logistics has everything we need for success and comfort. They bring in bathrooms, showers, hand washing stations, chow hall run by caterers. There is communications, supply, medical. pretty much everything you need. Still it is not home and one needs to adapt to such living by so many people.

Sanitation is top priority but on some incidents one little bug from someone and the whole camp gets infected.

First day it is really hard to deal with all the ash, smoke, and dust. Pretty soon you just accept it. Not only do your boots, Nomex pants and shirt get black and dusty, but then when you undress for the night you realize you have  totally black legs haha.

Given all of that, One can make decent money working fires. There are lots of positions from the boots on the ground firefighters to logistics who bring in everything for the firefighter support, to a base camp manager and all things between. I can tell you a beginning firefighter 2 (Wildland) gets about $17 per hour. It may not seem like a lot for the dangerous work but after 40 hours it goes into overtime. Working 14-16 hour shifts adds up quickly and overtime is paid until 7th day then starts over. A new Firefighter 2 can make about $4,800. for two weeks work. Many work all summer during fire season and then take winter off without needing to work any other job.

Well that is just a little of what I do. When I am not out on the fire lines, I am at home and I volunteer at our fire station. It is very rewarding helping our community and even though we are thought of as heroes, we are just doing our job.

Until next time folks take care of yourself and each other,

Scotty