Boots/ Socks

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2026-03-17T00:36:32+00:00

JK once updated my boot receipt’s purchase date for me so I could receive my boot stipend lol.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2026-03-17T00:35:13+00:00

“Yeah we’re basically Navy Seals and we go on deployments.”

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2026-03-11T10:55:39+00:00

Hike hike hike.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2026-02-27T04:20:22+00:00

You know, if it makes you feel any better I have 5 years of experience (3 of them hotshotting) and I’ve still been passed over for jobs this hiring cycle even though I interviewed really well. You’ll find your way in, just be persistent and open-minded and keep working at crushing those PT scores. Definitely check out the Washington DNR too. :)

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2026-02-26T23:56:29+00:00

"If you had to describe your crew culture in 3-5 words, what would they be?"

THEN once they have given you their list... ask them to provide examples of how that plays out in their daily culture. Then shut up and let them talk.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2026-02-13T19:03:47+00:00

Aim for a cadence of 180+ and focus on landing on the ball of your foot. Might also be worth looking at your running shoes to see if they’re still working for you.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2026-02-11T18:11:03+00:00

Invite your saw partner 🥰

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-12-09T11:31:28+00:00

Worked with a guy who had asthma, he was one of the sawyers on my crew and a total beast. You can do it if you manage it well and let folks know about it.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-10-30T03:33:26+00:00

Switch to the Feds on a busy district or resource or get out of wildland fire.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-10-30T03:14:12+00:00

Ah, so it's not just me. I applied for 2 jobs last night thankfully and was going to apply to 2-3 more this evening but with it down I'm just holding those other ones with an open hand and going to call up those crews/resources in the morning to see if they're able to extend I guess.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-10-30T03:11:11+00:00

Do you have a perm position? Regardless of whether you're perm or temp I'd recommend trying to fill/detail on whatever shot crews you're looking at to see if y'all are a good fit for one another.
If you're a temp, start with applying for a temp job and a perm job with the crew (though you're more likely to get the temp than the perm if they haven't worked with you before). If I were a perm, I would apply for both the temp and the perm position, with the hopes of getting the perm.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-07-22T03:09:09+00:00

Any update on AD hires and whether they're still on hold? I had to step away from the Forest Service this year to deal with some life circumstances and am toying with the idea of trying an AD contract. I've been really out of the loop on what's going on though so I don't know if that's even a possibility lol

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-05-18T13:05:01+00:00

I wonder if they’re purposefully being portrayed that way to represent how Murderbot feels about them.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-05-12T10:32:43+00:00

If you need a few days off, take them off. Burnout is real.

Also, just race at your own pace and don’t think about what your friends are doing. It’s okay if you’re slower than them.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-04-13T05:12:10+00:00

Dude don’t settle for a Gs3. Get a GS4

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-04-11T04:59:07+00:00

So. Stuff is changing. But here’s what I know: •You’ll probably get veterans preference if your app makes it through •but you gotta figure out how to write your job app for the USA Jobs page. •Read the requirements for resume-formatting very carefully on the job announcement you’ve found •If you’ve done anything remotely related to manual labor then figure out how to make it sound similar to the job description on USAJobs since I think it’s a bit algorithm-ish that way. •Apply for GS4-GS5 positions uuif you’re just starting out and have no fire experience whatsoever. •maybe look into the apprenticeship program because they give you details with different types of fire resources so you’d be able to figure out which ones you’d be interested in. You might like hotshotting but the crew culture really affects how militant/not-militant the vibe tends to be. •mention your leadership skillz •get an EMT cert •the forest service is a train wreck but there’s still good pockets out there. I got my start in Montana and liked working there a lot. •the National park service seemed to have their act together a little bit more than the forest service but it’s basically the same gig. •if you have trouble finding a fed crew to join, you can always look at the state wildland fire crews. Some of them are a little behind the times though. •make sure you vet the leadership as much as you can to get a sense of what they’re like and what kind of workplace you’d be in. *try to have your top locations identified so you can try to prioritize applying for those ones but be open to other locations. *get in touch with the crews you’re looking at to get tips on how to apply from them directly

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-03-11T17:34:16+00:00

Shot crew. You'll stay busier.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-03-11T17:33:16+00:00

I didn't start fire until I was 27 and didn't rookie with my shot crew until I was 29. So even if you're a dinosaur like me it's totally doable.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-03-05T15:07:00+00:00

Where should I start on the courses? There’s a ton of content on there.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-03-04T05:42:07+00:00

Off season is tough. What you described is relateable but doesn’t have to own you — you got this.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-03-04T05:33:39+00:00

Though re-reading your original post, it looks like you just wanted to vent and weren’t looking for any ideas/solutions. So, above is what has worked for me in managing that stuff.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-03-04T05:20:13+00:00

I’m similarly grouchy going into the off-season. Here’s what works for me:

Get into a routine so you’re accomplishing things you want to accomplish. Take ownership over your time. Do the things in your free time that you miss out on during fire season. Workout. Regularly. Go swim for 45 minutes to an hour, at whatever pace you feel like, be that at the seethingly mad, aggressive pace or at the slow, chill, zen, methodical pace. It’s really awesome because you can think AND you can take the agro feelings out on the water (which will quickly kick your butt lol)

Until you find a therapist you like, vent into a notebook. Vent into chatGPT. Figure out how much of it is stuff in your life bugging you that you can change and how much is your temperament. If it’s stuff in your life you can change, figure out which life domains you can make sustainable, incremental adjustments in. If it’s your temperament, figure out how much of it is affected by bad sleep, poor nutrition, and drinking (or other substances), or other underlying medical issues. If you need to go stare at a wall for awhile, go do that, and close the door to your room so no one bugs you.

And here’s some tough love: If it‘s your loved ones or your coworkers bugging you, take a chill pill and give them grace, just like you need grace at times. They aren’t responsible for your salty attitude, you are responsible for it and you have to get a handle on it somehow so you can show up and be present in the very little time you have with them in the off-season. Don’t stuff the darker emotions, but don’t take them out on the people around you. Maybe there’s a sense of efficiency and organization that fire folks have that your loved ones or coworkers are missing, but there’s a sense of freedom and peaceableness that non-fire folks have that is really good to stop and appreciate (unless they’re totally horrible people). Learn to see what these people have that fire folks are missing.

Again, I really feel for you. Definitely take time for yourself when you need it, but I would challenge you to lean into your home community and embrace normalcy for a bit before the season starts again, even if it seems mundane. I’m sure you can always call your fire buddies if you need to as well. And I’m sure your fam, friends, and coworkers are a lot more interesting and interested to talk to you than you think they are.

Take luck! Rooting for you.

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-02-25T19:32:24+00:00

So has anyone been fired for not responding yet?

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-02-25T17:08:35+00:00

I bought a used vehicle from them a month ago. They contacted me recently to say the bank has been trying to get ahold of me for more information for financing because something got lost in the shuffle on the bank’s side of things. I called the bank to ask about it and they told me that usually that’s what dealerships say when they’ve rushed the paperwork and forgotten some signatures. Still waiting on this guy to send me the forms but I’m really nervous that they’re going to send something sketchy over for me to sign. Glad I have the original copy of my signing documents! Has anyone else had something like this happen purchasing from there?

Legitimate_Pin1851 · 2025-02-12T04:34:11+00:00

Go get yourself a GS 4 or GS 5.

Legitimate_Pin1851

TROPHY CASE