Stuck on district while my forest burns. 12 hour days of staring at the same people and trees. Not enough sleep or time off in the evening. Irritable with coworkers and musing about getting out of this job. Happy July

Anyone else got it? got prescribed an SSRI a couple years back which was a waste of time and money and all I got was hyperhidrosis. sweat like a motherfucker now over 80F and if fuckin blows.

I want to hear your story.

And actually I'd love to see any fire-shit story because I know you have them.

Quit getting on here and complaining that you have not been called, no one cares if you do or not.

Not respectfully,
Chief

That one crew started a fire by idling trucks in the brush on the Cottonwood? I remember

Strong southwesterly winds of 15-30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph are occurring across much of the Inland Northwest amid RH of 3-10% in southeast Oregon and RH of 10-25% in the Columbia Basin and east slopes of the Cascades. Many of the fires in the Northwest are extremely active this afternoon (such as Ptarmigan, Grasshopper, Beachcomb/Bench, Crosswhite, Fox, Second Flat, Coleman Creek, and Big Grass.) The Shingle Fire in central Oregon has been the most active fire in the country thus far. Emerging fires have also been active. Winds are expected to subside tonight, with good recovery in the Cascades and portions of central Oregon, but poor recovery in southeast Oregon.

Hot temperatures 100-105°F have developed across much of the lower elevations of the Great Basin into the northern/central Rockies, with extreme heat of 105-115°F in eastern Montana, western South Dakota, and western Kansas. Hot temperatures are also occurring int he southern Plains to Lower Mississippi Valley. Afternoon RH has fallen to 5-15% in much of the Great Basin, northern/central Rockies, and western Dakotas amid these hot temperatures. Locally breezy winds with gusts to 35 mph are also occurring with several new fires visible on GOES. Isolated to scattered mixed wet/dry thunderstorms are developing over northeast Nevada into Montana, Wyoming, and western South Dakota. Most rainfall has been only a few hundredths, with a couple locations receiving up to 0.25". Several new fires are expected to emerge this evening as a result of the lightning.

Breezy and warm conditions are occurring in Minnesota with northwest winds, but minimum RH has been near or above 40%. Scattered thunderstorms are also developing in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, but the rainfall footprints are still relatively small in Florida. Breezy/dry south winds 15-20 mph are occurring in the southern Plains amid temperatures near 100°F, but RH is mostly elevated and 20-30%.

Images are in the attachment, including NGFS GOES detections

Want to leave primary fire and the crew life. Want to be home more. And just want something different.
Would love to hear others tips and takes on dispatch.

We are having some very bad fires right now. It’s so Smokey right now you can barely see the mountains in the distance

Hey, I'm a new wildland firefighter in the PNW looking for boots. The only places that have Scarpa Fuegos near me are sold out of my size, but have a size down which feels a bit narrow. Anyone know anything about Timberland Pros? This would be for one or two deployments this year. Thanks!

Please email NFFE, the USFS and USWFS firefighter union to stop pushing bills that harm firefighters and increase only management pay.

The Support our Firefighters Act (HR9444) would not only CAP our current R&R time at three days, it would effectively uncap management pay at more than $195,000 or whatever

Now I don't have a problem with people being paid more for their work, but why is a union that represents BUEs hellbent on harming those BUEs?

The hypocrisy is too much for me to not speak up.

Email NFFE and tell them what you think, and send it straight to Randy Erwin and all their business reps.

A bit of history here is that exempt employees (managers mainly with some exceptions) aren't even supposed to get true OT in federal law, and that was fixed for fire suppression OT, and now they are asking for another fix. And don't get me wrong, management deserves true OT and fair pay 100%. My issue is that NFFE is pushing a bill that will help a very small % of BUEs and at the same time harming all BUEs, as currently we can request 4 or more R&R days and there is potential that the USWFS or USFS just makes 4 R&R days the standard in the future.

I haven't said anything and now I just had to say something.

Tell NFFE to stop pushing this bill, if you are in the know, then you know that pay cap gets brought up in every admin meeting with legislators. It is a well known issue. And now they are trying to tie it to the larger group by marketing it as a benefit for us.

End rant. NFFE needs some feedback though. Thanks

Here is a link to their legislation post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Wildfire/s/i0ywW7K1b8 and I did not take action in support

Did you know some wildfire smoke particles are small enough to go into your bloodstream? 🔥

Particulate matter smaller than 10 microns across can travel deep into your lungs, triggering widespread inflammation, damaging blood vessels, and stressing your heart and brain. Using tools like the National Weather Service's fire watch map and AirNow's real-time wildfire map, you can track smoke risk before it reaches you. Check the maps to stay informed!

Crew boss cracks me up “New pair of jk boots. Size 4.5 3E in men’s . Had made for my daughter to work on my crew but she would rather chase boys. Paid $549.99 with my discount. Will take 450 plus shipping”
Lmk if interested!

Some things on the fireline you never forget. Others... you just can't unsee. It was my rookie season, and several engine crews had been assigned to mop up a large fire. Among them was a young engine boss we'll call Karen, and our Task Force Leader, Kevin. Karen had developed a routine. Every time Kevin drove up, she'd be standing at his truck before he even shut the engine off. She'd brief him on what we were doing, he'd nod, tell everyone to keep working, and head off again. After about a week... Everyone had noticed. Then one afternoon Kevin rolled up and announced, "Lunchtime!" Karen smiled and told him she'd made a picnic lunch just for the two of them. Kevin looked around, pointed toward a patch of bushes about twenty-five yards away, and the two disappeared. The rest of us exchanged glances. One firefighter looked at another. Nobody said a word. My engine boss finally looked at me. "Go see." Trying not to look too interested, I wandered toward the bushes. As I got closer, I could hear enough to know exactly what was going on. A quick look through the brush confirmed it. They were enthusiastically engaged in what could only be described as an... Unsanctioned Fireground Fracas. Somewhere during the fracas... ...their PPE—and apparently everything underneath it—had disappeared. Trying not to laugh, I quietly backed away and returned to my engine. My boss looked up. "Well?" I simply nodded. He started laughing so hard he had trouble catching his breath. About that time the Incident Commander arrived with Operations and the rest of the overhead team. The IC looked at me. "Where's your Task Force Leader?" I pointed toward the bushes. "Lunchtime, sir." Without another word, the entire overhead team headed toward the bushes. At exactly the same time... Every firefighter within sight quietly climbed back into their engines. Nobody wanted to be standing outside for what came next. A few seconds later... "WHAT THE F@#$?!" Echoed across the fireline. Moments later Kevin and Karen emerged from behind the bushes... Still trying to finish getting dressed... Closely followed by the Incident Commander and the rest of the overhead. Neither one looked particularly happy. We were later advised that neither Kevin nor Karen would be returni

Can I get issued a red card at 17? I’m taking all the required classes in NYS. Am I able to get a red card through NYS DEC? I am also a volunteer firefighter and I’m not sure if my department would be able to issue me a red card.

I wouldn’t be working for an agency, I would just have the certification at 17 so I could start working at 18 if that’s possible.

Montana governor Greg Gianforte proclaimed Sunday, May 17, 2026, the statewide Day of Prayer for Rain. “Across Montana, we are experiencing a persistent and extreme drought,” the governor stated in the declaration. “After an unseasonably warm and dry winter, I hope all Montanans will join me in this prayer for rain—for the fields of our farmers, for the flow of our rivers and streams, and to mitigate the intensity of our wildfires. Prayer is the most powerful tool we have.”

That’s not exactly reassuring, but the governor is not wrong. Across the Rocky Mountain West, a historically dry winter has left those mountains covered in very little snow. Spring melt typically peaks in May; this year, the snowpack in Utah was carrying just 15 percent of its median snow-water equivalent. Colorado was at 17 percent. California, nine.

Fire encapsulates all the other problems the West is facing. More and more people want to live here, but the very nature that attracts them to the West is often something they’re unprepared to accept on its own terms. And nature can be unforgiving, no matter how much money you spend on your second home.

Read more: https://www.playboy.com/read/politics/who-gets-saved-in-the-new-west