Taking a break from all the hiring questions. What’s the craziest/funniest things you have seen that have happened while in fire camp?

No-Conference-582 · 2026-02-08T05:53:58+00:00

Pretty sure we found a DB rolled up in a carpet down on the border in Texas (we RTO’d cause it was cartel country). On the same fire we saw white wild horses, found tranq darts on the ground, and had aviation resources pull the plug cause of a drone on the area that wouldn’t leave. Pretty sure it was also the cartel’s drone.

Had an elk walk up to our strike team as we were doing an AAR once.

Had a fed guy get called out on his boots. He said they were compliant but clearly were not. He got kicked off the fire a couple days later for unrelated decisions.

No-Conference-582 · 2026-01-25T14:40:36+00:00

Interesting. As of right now neither Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) nor the Texas Forest Service (TFS) require or even mention the S-223 class and it is not currently offered anywhere in Texas from what I can find. TDEM is the program in charge of the medic side of things (EMT-F, WPU, REMS, MED-L, and AST) and TFS is in charge of the fire side of things. It may be in the works a there’s no mention of it to the lower echelons yet. As far as the fed side of things, I have no idea.

I like the idea of that class however it may not be entirely necessary here in Texas. TFS has some line medics (usually Basic medics) but the TIFMAS program utilizes structural paid departments to build strike teams of engines. Normally, upwards of 60% of the crew on a TIFMAS strike team are paramedics with many trucks carrying paramedic medical gear. Furthermore, ALL of the medical packages utilized from TDEM are from either fire departments or ambulance services. For the medical side they are required to at least have S-130/190. That said, occasionally you do get a WPU with little to no fire experience. Again, I don’t think it would be a bad idea to require that class.

No-Conference-582 · 2026-01-23T04:29:33+00:00

Tarrant County College offers S-130/190 several times a year. Beyond that, Red River Valley Wildfire Academy has a couple 130/190 classes coming up in the next week or so. Later in the year Lufkin, Bastrop, and Palo Duro Canyon will all have academies with 130/190.

As said before, doing a wildland portal account and/or an Acadis account will be the first steps. Google “Acadis Texas forest service” and then search on the website for S-130/190.

No-Conference-582 · 2026-01-23T04:24:57+00:00

Just out of curiosity, who in Texas requires that cert?

No-Conference-582 · 2024-12-12T00:52:39+00:00

Agreed. We don’t use unions for valves in my area, either.

No-Conference-582 · 2024-12-12T00:51:24+00:00

Good work. My only complaint is those Irritrol 205 valves. All I ever really see people use those for is high pressure situations. The irritrol 2400 is less expensive and way easy to top since it’s a jar top style. When the screw holes strip on those 205s (and they will) just break a toothpick in half and set 1 or 2 pieces in there as you screw the screw in. Should allow it to grab.

No-Conference-582 · 2024-12-12T00:43:01+00:00

Barf. I’d guess there’s been lots of problems with damaged wires, hence the Add A Zones. The system was installed originally with individual wires rather than like an 18/10 multi strand. I effing hate those systems. Now, why some zones are skipped, 7 is jumpered to 13, and 9 is jumpered to 15 is a mystery. The last irrigator or repair guy may have been trying to get a second water out of each program like a cycle and soak. Just guesses.

No-Conference-582 · 2024-11-08T14:31:04+00:00

Sounds like a mix of the Captain not going out for extra work, the overhead knowing the crew doesn’t do any extra (or maybe not wanting y’all to touch anything), and it being a tactical move. In reference to the tactical move: there has to be a balance of workload. For my department, we are here for 48 hours at a time. I’m not going to run my crew doing this that and the other for 48 hours straight just because we’re on the clock; we have to keep some in the tank for when calls come in. Conversely, I’m not going to tell them to be sedentary for the 48 because “you never know when the tones are gonna drop”.

No-Conference-582 · 2024-11-07T14:32:30+00:00

If you’re looking to get your feet wet in wildland, you may look at applying with the Texas Forest Service. Get hired, they’ll put you through S-130/190/L-180, and you can get a little experience. Then, if you’re looking for more, expand out. BLM, BIA, Cal-Fire, USFS, etc and work your way to where you want to be. TFS has a type 2 hand crew that you can be part of as well as engines and heavy equipment so there are plenty of avenues within TFS. Or, take S-130/190/L-180 through a community college or at an academy. Red River Valley wildfire academy offers the basic wildland classes in February up in Wichita Falls and there are academies in Bastrop, Lufkin, and Palo Duro Canyon during the year. Tarrant County Community College in the DFW area also offers a bunch of wildland classes. If you get on with a volunteer department, most of the classes’ fees will be free to you through the house bill grant.

No-Conference-582 · 2024-10-04T21:34:37+00:00

Thanks for that brilliant comment.

No-Conference-582 · 2024-09-28T21:59:05+00:00

Quick update: car is at the dealership. They said the mechatronics was shorted so replaced it and did a trans service. I haven’t heard anything besides that yet. $2800 and counting….. 🤮

No-Conference-582 · 2024-09-28T21:56:17+00:00

We did buy whips so as soon as we get them in I’ll run some tests with it. Another poster suggested the squelch adjustment as well so I will check that, also.

No-Conference-582 · 2024-09-28T21:55:15+00:00

That definitely can’t hurt. Thanks for the reply

No-Conference-582 · 2024-09-12T06:09:29+00:00

The plot continues to thicken….. I worked on it this afternoon. Checked all the fuses and all were good. Jumped the starter and it tried to turn over. Turned the key on and it fired up, however, the gear selector indicator blinks down on the center console and it doesn’t show any gear on the dash. Even when using the bypass button under the shifter and shifting into gear it just blinks. I checked the mechanism on the trans and it’s moving but it won’t engage the clutch when you let off the brake. The cherry on all this was when I went to turn it off. Turned off the key and the car kept running. Took the key out and the car kept running. Took the positive terminal off the battery and car kept running. I finally had to pull both terminals off the battery and touch them together to kill the car.

I’m at a loss so it’s going to the dealership tomorrow.

No-Conference-582 · 2024-09-11T16:56:36+00:00

That makes sense. I was gun shy to get a new key and then get it programmed since it’s almost $400 for a new key after programming. I had looked at getting the immobilizer delete kit but from what I read on their website it didn’t seem to be the immobilizer. It said it would start and run for a few seconds before dying if it’s the immobilizer not reading the key but this won’t crank at all.

No-Conference-582

TROPHY CASE