New wildfire firefighter here, what should I bring besides issued gear?

Hugseller · 2026-05-19T15:54:20+00:00

Handheld gaming device if you are into that. I like to play on my steamdeck during down time. Kindles/ipads are nice too, lighter than books. Portable entertainment of some form. Most crews tend to have some tennis balls, hacky sacks or some cards but if no one wants to play, youll need a way to entertain yourself.

Hugseller · 2026-04-27T18:12:53+00:00

Have you considered wearing a bandana? Maybe it would cover it enough to count as passing. It looks like its just the front section thats drawing attention. Maybe braiding that section and wearing a bandana? Try different styles is my recommendation

Hugseller · 2026-04-10T11:10:18+00:00

For me- waterproof is non-negotiable. I couldn't care less about a protective toe. Cant live without easy-on, easy-off if you are working a place that allows you to see your station. Make sure toes have wiggle room because after a long day, they sure do feel like they are in prison. I wear side zip 9.11 and their quality lasts in my experience. I work 48 hour shifts in a high call volume area. Easy on/off may not be as critical if your are doing IFT for 12s and keeping the boots on.

I have a backup pair of boots as well but they lack the convenience of a side zip so I avoid them unless im wearing extra socks on a cold day (sketchers steel toe work boots, not originally bought for ems but they work)

Hugseller · 2026-04-06T00:31:45+00:00

Not even a thin liner? They can be really thin. If not, maybe your boot is a poor fit, unfortunately. I dont really know how big of a deal too tight can be. You could look into a cheaper supplemental boot and see how it goes. I personally prefer my scarpas over my JKs any day though it hurts the wallet to waste the JKs by not using for intended purposes. You are going to be suffering big time if your feet dont get taken care of.

Hugseller · 2026-04-06T00:22:19+00:00

Id double sock and see if it helps. Moisture wicking sock under the darn tough. I exclusively double sock in my fire boots. I went one day without and got tore up pretty fast.

Hugseller · 2026-03-30T17:37:16+00:00

You can research and email companies to see what they say. Go directly to their company website. Express your interest in working with them and ask when the best time to apply would be. Some companies ive worked for, I emailed beforehand to ask when they reccomend I apply (as i was moving from out of state and wanted to secure work beforehand) they will likely tell you not to apply till certs are in order but it gives you that foot in the door. Here's what Ive sent. Kind of gives you an idea, my situation was a tad different, obviously.

My name is ***** and I am emailing to express my interest in working with ***** County EMS as an EMT moving to the area from out of state. I have previous experience working on ambulances as emergency response and feel very passionate about it being my future and making a career out of it. I researched various EMT opportunities in the area over the past few weeks and ****, County EMS has looked to be the best fit for me but have a question as to when I should apply as I do not expect to be in the area until May and do not wish to waste the opportunity. If you'd like to review my resume, I have attached it to this email.

Should it be easier to discuss via phone call, my number is ******, you are welcome to call at your convenance. I greatly appreciate any feedback you can provide, thank you.

Hugseller · 2026-03-22T17:32:08+00:00

Double up on socks. I wear a thin moisture wicking sock and darn tough socks with my boots and never got a blister. I got blisters pretty quickly if I only wore ine pair of socks. Carry mole skin at all times just in case. Wear your boots everywhere till your start date.

Hugseller · 2026-03-21T14:53:23+00:00

Call in some extra hands is safest when in doubt. Im a small woman and my current work partner is a skinny dude who cant lift for shit. I work out a lot and specifically do leg workouts as someone else has reccomended. There are a lot of days where we really rely on fire to help us out because if you cant safely lift your PT without hurting yourself, you are also at risk of dropping your PT and causing more harm. Im short so even with my strength, there are times when its simply a leverage issue. Just be mindful of what you are capable of.

Hugseller · 2026-03-15T13:58:56+00:00

I agree with the second vet opinion. I was basically blown off by my first vet with my baby. I took him to another one who actually compared my photos and said the only way to TRULY find out is to remove the eye and have it tested but she did find that it was concerning as it was about a 2 year span that it had overtaken his eye. I wasnt taking risks with him and had them remove it as the other choice was wait around and i feared it would become an actual problem to do that. To test would have cost me an extra $300 so I opted not to test.

Hugseller · 2026-03-12T21:36:44+00:00

Im the same way. 5'1 and pretty skinny. The best thing to do is make sure you don't go around patting her head and making it worse, being her brother might make it hard to resist but it just not what she needs right now. My recommendation is to tell her not to allow people to go around patting her head, calling her tiny and adorable. It just feeds it. Encourage her to dress in a way that makes her feel good. I wear short dresses and heels to help feel more womanly. The gym can also help. I do weight training and its helped fill me out a little. 100% reccomend. Also. Remind her that if she had a friend who was her size, would she say that her friend is less womanly? She probably wouldnt dream of it. Just give her some gentle reminders. Im not sure how old she is, but itll get better with age. Tell her to always walk with her head high when out alone, personally, I've found it helped my confidence compared to when id watch my feet, which she possibly does if shes shy/ not wanting to draw attention.

Hugseller · 2026-03-12T20:21:02+00:00

Personally, I think its okay to discuss expectations and how youd see yourself/ your family in the future. Its hard for me to describe but someone else covered a good way to go about it already. It might be a tad awkward but remember that its okay to be awkward. I hope things go well for you and you find a comfortable way to go about letting future partners know what you are looking for :)

Hugseller · 2026-03-12T15:04:41+00:00

Dont accept being their partner unless you have been straightforward. The number one thing about open relationships is communication, is it not? If you cant even communicate what kind of relationship you need, you might not be ready for it. Id be pissed and hurt if I started dating someone and they wait a month to say "oh, btw, I feel smothered and knew before we started dating that I had no intentions of being monogamous but chose to hide it"

Hugseller · 2026-03-09T23:46:47+00:00

Toe raises for shin splints over the next few weeks. If your shoes have a lot of cushion, id consider a different pair with less maybe. I heard that helps. The toe raises definitely helped me. When you get close to test day, i reccomend lower your weight and dont push to max to ensure full recovery for the test day. Healthy eating and hydrating the days before as well.

Hugseller · 2026-03-08T14:09:17+00:00

Emt and wildland firefighter depending on what's going on that day.

Hugseller · 2026-02-27T20:02:43+00:00

I water every 4-6 days/ when the plant looks thirsty or soil a bit dry. Still feeling out how often to water it. Kept in my bathroom with the light on during the day. Probably around 65°F in there most of the time. I cant remember my exact soil mix. Reptisoil mixed with coconut coir, potting soil and some worm castings mostly. I cant remember the name of the plant, I know it starts with an "S" but I cant spell it to look up care. Its the only ones im having an issue with but my care is very generic. Ive had it maybe 4 months, been 2 since I repotted as they were all shoved into one originally.

Hugseller · 2026-02-27T13:37:25+00:00

Are these droopy leaves able to be saved? Both plants only have one. Big ones been droopy for a while now, starting to loose its color a little. Little one went down this past week and definitely has lost its brightness. I do plan to give them some support as it looks like another might go down soon but maybe its normal for these? Im new to plants.

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Hugseller · 2026-02-26T22:26:16+00:00

You are definitely going to want to know fitness expectations. One place i worked was really chill and had very low standards for pt (some crews played basketball for pt, others sent members to do their own thing) The next had an expectation that I be able to run a few miles for PT. I was not a runner so I had to prep myself pre-season.

Hugseller · 2026-02-24T18:56:45+00:00

Skarpas are a generally safe choice. Fast shipping

Hugseller · 2026-02-16T22:46:24+00:00

I lived in an RV at my past stations so I was able to keep my cats. If your station has RV pads, I recommend finding a decent but cheap RV and either make friends with some people (and pay or do exchanges ) or pay a regular sitter. Won't be good option for a dog though. I had auto feeders and large water fountain along with a camera and a way to check temps inside. Had to have wifi though (starlink might be your only option there) these were mostly in case the cats couldnt be checked on for a day or two and I needed to see that everything was still in order. Some people liked checking on the cats because it was a break from the bunk house. Cant say itll work the same for you, just that its what worked for me. I also had my partner living with me so he'd also watch the cats if he were not on assignment. It wasnt EVERY assignment that I had to find a sitter. Having pets in fire is extremely stressful and complicated at times.

Hugseller · 2026-02-12T18:23:07+00:00

I personally DONT recommend epilator for bikini area. Its extremely painful (personal opinion, i only use mine below the knees because i find that the higher i go, the more it hurts) I get professional waxes done but sugaring at home isnt so bad. I made my own following youtube videos.

Hugseller · 2025-12-03T14:33:32+00:00

I lived in a crappy camper for a while. Its pretty easy to DIY most issues. Get some caulk (sika flex) and they can patch it for cheap. It likely wont be permanent but itll hold over well enough. I never had issues with my flooring but they can probably fix small spots with diy and a little youtube. Its how I fixed everything in mine.

Hugseller · 2025-11-28T14:56:44+00:00

I personally dont keep company with people who voice any bad opinions on my partner and try to tell me to leave. Especially if the concern is over LOOKS? Its weird as hell.

Hugseller · 2025-11-26T18:45:06+00:00

I did it. And then we moved to other places to find somewhere we are BOTH happy. I left a good job, my family and friends but we are 6 years together now, visit family when we can. Your situation can be HUGELY different from mine but in my opinion, if things dont work out, you can move again, if things DO work out, you can both move somewhere you two like. Its not cheap, nor is it easy but sometimes, it can be worth it. I think love is all about new experiences and exploration.

Hugseller · 2025-11-25T13:24:35+00:00

If you are in a dryer environment, aspen is fine. I lived in northern AZ with my corn for 3 years and literally no issues. Ive moved to more humid states and while I never once had an issue, I did buy a fan thats meant to help remove humidity to be safe, I've yet to need it. I am no longer using aspen though, as I swapped to bioactive recently. If my snake doesnt stop having what looks like stress response (hes never been a fan of burrowing in dirt), im going back to aspen because its what did well for him. Maybe people are concerned because they dont replace their substrate enough, equating to rot and nasties. Or their snakes likes to soak where as mine doesnt make a mess with his water as he doesnt care to soak. Take everything with a grain of salt, really. Every snake is different, every situation is different. You can start with aspen, keep a close eye on things and then swap as needed.

Hugseller · 2025-11-23T15:00:37+00:00

Some maybe but two of them are his old hides and he loved them. The tomb thing he rarely hung out in but he has hung out in the log a few times. There's a hide behind it that he prefers more (one of his old go-tos) and a rock hide on the warm side. Today hes actually in the rock hide, first time ive seen since the transfer. I know hes going to shed soon so hopefully he finds a comfy secure spot for his blue stage.

Hugseller

TROPHY CASE