timbercutter007
ArboristSite Lurker
I am looking for any info. about forest firefighting.
Stories, Red Card certi., Training, Websites, Anything.
Thanks.
Stories, Red Card certi., Training, Websites, Anything.
Thanks.
Last edited:
Forest Firefighting
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bighugetrees
ArboristSite Lurker
G. Bush On our Forests
Did anyone see that George Bush is speaking in Oregon about taking care of the forest? By opening them up, jobs will be created. Maybe the forest service could employ people all year, as an ongoing process, to care for the nations forests. Instead of the joke effort of firefighters for three months in their "off" season. Diminished loss of life fo these people trying to turn back nature. I hope I am on the right track hear and not trying to offend. But I hope that we can get in there and cut a little wood before it all burns up. And that is to the point.
Did anyone see that George Bush is speaking in Oregon about taking care of the forest? By opening them up, jobs will be created. Maybe the forest service could employ people all year, as an ongoing process, to care for the nations forests. Instead of the joke effort of firefighters for three months in their "off" season. Diminished loss of life fo these people trying to turn back nature. I hope I am on the right track hear and not trying to offend. But I hope that we can get in there and cut a little wood before it all burns up. And that is to the point.
swampwhiteoak
ArboristSite Member
timbercutter,
www.wildlandfire.com is a good site.
www.nifc.gov has the national situation report as well as links to NICC and other stuff. You can get the training info if you bump around either site a bit.
bighuge,
I'm sure all the firefighters would love to hear that the fuel reduction projects that they spend months or years proposing, amending, presenting, and finally carrying out are all jokes.
Also if firefighters were employed year round they might expect insurance, retirement, vacation, or somesuch things. Not likely considering much of the work couldn't be done with all that pesky snow around anyway.
www.wildlandfire.com is a good site.
www.nifc.gov has the national situation report as well as links to NICC and other stuff. You can get the training info if you bump around either site a bit.
bighuge,
I'm sure all the firefighters would love to hear that the fuel reduction projects that they spend months or years proposing, amending, presenting, and finally carrying out are all jokes.
Also if firefighters were employed year round they might expect insurance, retirement, vacation, or somesuch things. Not likely considering much of the work couldn't be done with all that pesky snow around anyway.
bighugetrees
ArboristSite Lurker
Point well taken and an education in the process.
Why is there no retirement? If this is something that is going to start changing, let it happen.
I stepped on toes and I can take things back. Snow is huge up there and I think I understand this. Could fuel reduction be where the attention is focused and let the fires burn policey work? Lost friend in the Thirty Mile Fire in Washington State and just trying to contribute.
Thank you for the quick reply.
Why is there no retirement? If this is something that is going to start changing, let it happen.
I stepped on toes and I can take things back. Snow is huge up there and I think I understand this. Could fuel reduction be where the attention is focused and let the fires burn policey work? Lost friend in the Thirty Mile Fire in Washington State and just trying to contribute.
Thank you for the quick reply.
swampwhiteoak
ArboristSite Member
bighuge,
I just read a big article in USA Today that peed me off a bit and you caught a little bit of my rage. Sorry about that.
Federal wildland firefighting jobs are lumped into a few different categories:
Permanent year round - Upper level people, they get benefits.
Permanent seasonal - Middle level, they get benefits but may only work 6-8 months a year.
Temporary seasonal - Ground pounders, no benefits (other than Social security)
Firefighters that have permanent status can retire after 20 years (instead of the usual 30 for normal fed employees). But most were temps before they got their permanent status. Some people have been "Temporary" employees for 10-20 years.
As you might be able to imagine, hiring more permanents cost more money and in a time where agencies are watching budgets, cost increases are sometimes not an option.
Fuel reduction treatments and prescribed burning often meet a lot of resistance in interface areas. Suburban whiners can frustrate agencies so much they eventually stop proposing action. Two or three years ago the town of Show Low, Arizona (hear of the Rodeo fire?) whined so much about a fuel reduction-prescribed burn plan that the forest service scrapped it. I've been in more than one fire with faded blue paint on trees where environmentalists and suburbanites got a timber sale stopped only to have a fire destroy everything a few years later.
The Biscuit Fire was "allowed to burn" through a wilderness area. It's now sitting at nearly a half a million acres and has cost over 80 million to fight. So letting a fire take it's natural course can come back to bite as well.
Sorry to hear about your friend, very unfortunate situation.
I just read a big article in USA Today that peed me off a bit and you caught a little bit of my rage. Sorry about that.
Federal wildland firefighting jobs are lumped into a few different categories:
Permanent year round - Upper level people, they get benefits.
Permanent seasonal - Middle level, they get benefits but may only work 6-8 months a year.
Temporary seasonal - Ground pounders, no benefits (other than Social security)
Firefighters that have permanent status can retire after 20 years (instead of the usual 30 for normal fed employees). But most were temps before they got their permanent status. Some people have been "Temporary" employees for 10-20 years.
As you might be able to imagine, hiring more permanents cost more money and in a time where agencies are watching budgets, cost increases are sometimes not an option.
Fuel reduction treatments and prescribed burning often meet a lot of resistance in interface areas. Suburban whiners can frustrate agencies so much they eventually stop proposing action. Two or three years ago the town of Show Low, Arizona (hear of the Rodeo fire?) whined so much about a fuel reduction-prescribed burn plan that the forest service scrapped it. I've been in more than one fire with faded blue paint on trees where environmentalists and suburbanites got a timber sale stopped only to have a fire destroy everything a few years later.
The Biscuit Fire was "allowed to burn" through a wilderness area. It's now sitting at nearly a half a million acres and has cost over 80 million to fight. So letting a fire take it's natural course can come back to bite as well.
Sorry to hear about your friend, very unfortunate situation.
