Here's the bad part. You can't make as much money anymore because shifts are supposed to be limited to 12? or is it 16 hours. We used to do the occasional 30 hours on the line which was an exercise in sleep deprivation and boy did I get cranky and whiney! You'll usually be in smoke a lot and can get sensitve to it after a while. In Southern OR and CA they have poison oak and when it burns, the smoke can make some people have to head for the hospital.
You are not in control of your life anymore. You can be stuck out in the middle of nowhere for (I guess they shortened that time also) 2 weeks. This can get old after a while. Not much privacy either. Trying to sleep in camp is difficult--lots of noise. Lots and lots. I used to favor sleeping by a generator as it was a steady noise and would drown out all the other stuff like helicopters during the day, backup alarms, and...some crews bring boomboxes. More sleep deprivation.
Weight loss and blisters. Well, I guess the first one is not bad. I'm a thrifty keeper but lost 15 pounds on the worst 3 week tour. I ate everything. The latter seems to happen and you have to work with it. Part of that might be that our crew wore caulks at home and then switched to our fire boots.
Also, :censored: happens and it gets mighty quiet when the wind changes and you are in the midst of bug killed lodgepole and it looks like you might get "burned over."
Then the final one, that hasn't happened for a while is that you adjust your life to this extra income and then there's a year when it rains everywhere and the season has no big fires so no extra income....not good.
But, if you get on a good crew, that'll make up for some of the above. The best crew I went on was a thrown together one. At first, everyone kind of hid their undies while drying them after "washing them in the shower" and then we all turned into a family, no more hiding the undies...stuck up for each other, went over the fence all together to get to the bar ( on R&R) sat together listening to our faller screaming "5 more minutes and we'd a had er swarped" while flames were shooting up around us-- we were in a meadow...etc.
that sums it up pretty good, when I started in fire there was no daily hour limit, and after 21 days you had the option of taking 2 days off, which we rarely ever took if we were getting good hours.
I never had trouble sleeping, even in base camps, because when you are on your feet in the burn 16+ hours in a day, you are out cold at the end of the day before your head hits the pillow, or rolled up dirty clothes that you are using for a pillow.
I don't envy the hotshot crews because they don't have the water, or waterbomber support that we have where I worked. and their wages arent half what they should be, and I don't work for the glory of it.
I had good summers and bad summers as far as pay, and you are right about that as well, if you have a good summer you have to remember that the next one you might not be as lucky...
and anyone that has worked fire knows that your crew is everything, because when you are working, and living with your coworkers 24 hours a day for long periods of time, and sometimes in high stress, and always high fatique situations, you just have to get along or its hell!
and good boots and tough feet are a must. if your feet arent holding up its torture.
to stay in the fire game you really have to like it, I got out because I need more security and its a profession for the young folks that want the adventure.. I was ready to have some time off in the summer for the first time in over a decade, and there just wasnt enough money in it!
I respect all that do go out there and do it, because somebody has to
Oh well, we don't call them money clouds for no reason. Anywho, drink a few beers, it Sunday and enjoy it!. 
:monkey:
