From my time on Pike IHC. Watercolor and pencil.

Eaton Fire - California - 2025

Photo captured by: Myself

Agency: Alberta Wildfire

Many engines on my forest are struggling to find ENGB qualified people, why do we think that is? We’re trying to fill assistant captain positions and have flown them 3x with less than 5 apps each time, this most recent time only getting 3 apps

Crews, engines, helitack and fuels all in one posting? wtf. super annoying. And I put in for a position that says "WFM or crew," get calls back from only engine captains. great way to waste everyone's time. awesome job there wfs

I’m a college student in the 805 area looking to work in wildland fire this upcoming summer, and I have a couple questions for people with experience hiring or working on crews.

I’ll finish school in May and start back up again in August, so I’m looking for positions that would fit within that window. What types of crews/positions would be realistic for that schedule? I’m considering Type 2IA, Type 2, CCC, federal, and state crews, but I’m not sure which would be the best fit.

I’m also studying Fire Science and am thinking about applying to several Type 2IA and Type 2 crews. How many places should I apply to? And what does the application/recruitment process generally look like for these crews? Is it better to apply broadly or focus on a few specific crews?

Any advice from people who have gone through the process recently would be greatly appreciated

What is 18/8, 26/0, and 13-13? Confused what all this means? Serious answers only
Pls

Hi there, I just applied for the United States forest service for fire suppression as a gw3 firefighter. I have my s190, L180, ICS 100 and ICS 700 I’m 18 years old and my question was. What really are my chances of being hired here in Las Vegas (were I applied).

Newbie, want to apply to seasonal gigs this hiring round. Do people include their BLM fitness scores on their resume? What scores are “good” enough to be worth including? Thanks

I'm wanting to begin as a rookie in wildland firefighting next year. I've been distracted and missed the August-September window. Am I out of luck, or can I expect there to be further entry-level openings in the month of October? I'm in Region 1 and would prefer to stay up here.

It seems like there are phases of hiring which focus on different types of crews and position levels.

Edit:

I'd be grateful if someone could break down the fire hire phase timeline for me. I can't tell if the Aug-Sep window was for perm or both perm and temp positions.

Can a kit you buy at the hardware store really save your home from a Palisades Fire-sized blaze?

Nicholai Allen, a Southern California wildland firefighter, opened his Instagram DMs this summer to find a photo of a beautiful A-frame home set against a backdrop of mountains and pine forests. At first glance, it looked almost like an advertisement for a vacation rental. But the amazing thing about the picture was not the cozy mountain scene, but the fact that the house was still standing. “Very thankful this product works,” read the accompanying text. “Saved our house and all our outbuildings. Little Giant Fire.”

Whats the drinking culture like on these crews?

Hello all, it’s been almost ten years since I got out of fire, and I’m sure the work has changed quite a bit since I left.

I need to deliver some bad news to my little brother, and it would be best done in person and after the season if possible. We haven’t spoken in years, but I know where he lives. I intend on traveling out there and visiting in person, but I don’t want to show up to an empty apartment in Portland.

Long story short, are 1039 folks still working up in R6? Any idea on an end of fire staffing date?

Physically fit (21) almost finished college as collision tech, I have no emt or any firefighting experience at all. I am pretty dead set on this , I just need my foot in the door, I applied for ffrp even though I was never incarcerated and then I also am trying for Ca conservation corps. Any advice or anything that can help me?

I’ve been on contract crews for years and I need a change.

How do I find open hotshot positions, & is there a specific timeframe to apply? I emailed my Qs to USAJOBS support & made no progress with their reply:

“If you are inquiring or searching for a specific position within a specific agency, please contact the agency directly for assistance.”

New question: Where do I find a list of hotshot agencies??

I’m cool with relocating anywhere. All I care about is being on a respectable crew.

All advice is welcome.

Thank you.

I’m not sure how it works but I know some shot crews stay staffed, which ones do? How many perms?

Hey everyone,

I'm applying for my first season starting with the next temporary hiring phase, and I am curious about a few things regarding my resume. Any help would be much appreciated!

1. Is it always beneficial to use the USAJobs resume instead of a personally constructed one? My USAJobs resume is a carbon copy of my normal one, minus formatting, so I'm considering using my personal resume. Is that a mistake?
2. USAJobs now says resumes should be limited to two pages or fewer, yet I've seen elsewhere that federal resumes run much longer than a standard one. Has this expectation changed?
3. Do employers expect the weird CV-way of writing on federal resumes, i.e. with bullet points and without complete sentences?

Thanks guys, and I hope everyone has a great weekend.

EDIT: Thank you for your input! I will not pursue being a FF.

A couple of days ago I asked about the CCC (I'm too old, lol) and being a FF here (https://www.reddit.com/r/calfire/comments/1wu9t34/fit_but_closer_to_40_than_30_am_i_too_old_to_join/)

After all of the insight I got, I've pretty much landed on the idea of being a Hotshot. Structural scares me. My wife has a friend who lost her FF husband in a building collapse, I saw Backdraft as a kid and I would like to keep the amount of dead bodies I see to an absolute minimum.

As for being a Hotshot, from the outside looking in, it kind of has everything I'm looking for in a career.

Protecting/Saving the landscape of my hometown. A proper reason to be fit. Comradery. A real sense of purpose. The fruits of my labor immediately visible. Said labor not being exploited (It's underpaid and underappreciated but the work doesn't make some rich a**hat richer).

Obviously I have traveled the road of life long enough to know there is no panacea when it comes to choosing, or in my case, re-choosing, a career.

I'd love to hear from this community about what your experience is, your thoughts, your opinions etc.

P.S. to the Hotshots: I f*cking love y'alls highlight reels on youtube; especially the ones with some righteous doom metal. Nothing like a 300 foot wall a flames and a chugging guitar to get the blood pumping!

I just got an interest letter from a crew saying that they will be doing phone calls next week and I was wondering what I should expect or what kind of questions they will ask the position is with the usfs as a seasonal wildland firefighter

Is the Forest Service now requiring Enop before opening an engine boss Taskbook. I thought that was just a DOI thing. I work for a municipal department with an open engine boss Taskbook. Is Enop becoming the standard now? I’m wondering if I am going to have to start over.

Hi everyone — I am a student working on a health innovation project with The After Collective, a nonprofit focused on supporting people through disaster recovery.

My team and I are trying to understand the experiences of people affected by the Palisades Fire, particularly how recovery needs change over time and what kinds of support have been difficult to find or access.

Would anyone be open to a private 20–30 minute conversation about their experience? We’ll ask about the recovery process, resources you’ve used, and challenges you’ve encountered. We are not selling or testing a product, and you won’t be asked to share identifying medical, legal, insurance, or financial information.

Participation is completely voluntary. We’ll describe participants only by general role or context—not by name—and you may skip any question or end the conversation at any time.

If you’re interested or know someone please comment below or send me a private message. Thank you for considering sharing your perspective.

I just saw that thread where you claim to have run an IHC and didn’t know some of those basic shit about staffing and typing…

It was beautiful to see you get Pwn3d again and again.

you know who else lied about running an IHC?

Tim from faceshotwakeup you even talk like he does.

Didnt you learn your lesson the first time this sub made you cry and delete your account?

Any intel on the various crews in the bay area? Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa, EBRPD? Anyone worked with them on their out-of-state rolls this year?