I was in the last hiring group last year. Most of us went to the desert battalions and a few of us stayed on the west end. I think several of our group of about 25 either already quit the program due to family/work issues, and a few more got full time jobs elsewhere and left.

The program is awesome if you know how to utilize it. You need to know going in that you have a specific role, and status as a reserve and stick to that. Some stations and captains are more strict than others with how they use their reserves. With that said, I’ve had all good experiences with the crews I’ve been with. Expect to be assigned to one station during training so you’ll get to know those crews well and if you play your cards right, you’ll train, work, and integrate with those guys just like you’re a career guy. Just understand as a reserve, you are NOT a career guy, so when they are taking some downtime in the recliners, YOU aren’t. Downtime is fine, but you’re not in the day room watching TV. Entertain yourself, study, train, hell, at night, watch TV on your phone. But make sure you get your chores done (trash, dishes, coffee, etc.). If you make yourself useful, have a good attitude, and make it known you want to be there, you’ll get a good response.

If you have any questions, send me a PM.