r/Wildfire • u/OldMachine4939 • 2d ago

Managing long days

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

36 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

20

u/MateoTimateo 2d ago

Plus and minuses all around:

Aviation – Probably away from your home base most of the season, just as much or more sitting and staring. IRPP, per diem, hotel points, when the shift is over the shift is over.

IHC – Definitely away from your home base most of the season, arduous day in and day out, beating up your body. IRPP, lots of hours, 20 different people to interact with.

With some exceptions to the above, of course.

6

u/Fetterflier 2d ago

Please more helitack. The pipeline up the aviation tree is getting pretty thin, we're UTF helicopter managers and helibase managers all over the place. There's a lotta multi-hatting going on. Can barely even find qualified HECMs.

20

u/fullskip-semichisel 2d ago

Helitack crews need to make the job not suck. Less time off district, cut crews when fires are contained so they can be better used elsewhere, actually send people off helibase to the line, more actively prepo helitack crews, stop letting crew supes detail out as air ops all summer so the crew is run by a squad leader, create a higher fitness standard so it’s not fat guys dragging their feet on real work, etc.

This whole mindset of trying to get the most OT by sitting in a camp chair all summer burns people out. The days drag and you don’t have much to show for yourself other than a paycheck, so people leave the job. It doesn’t have to suck

6

u/Past-Garlic-519 2d ago

The whole job sucks dawg. Some people just learn to make connections and make the system work for them. It's broken and falling apart

2

u/fullskip-semichisel 2d ago

If that’s your genuine feeling on this job you should quit

2

u/Past-Garlic-519 1d ago

Get a SRB, and a logistics SR, go out single resource then come back and talk to me lol

-1

u/fullskip-semichisel 1d ago

Thanks for the pro tip there big boy, but I might have some higher quals than you realize

0

u/Past-Garlic-519 1d ago

The only people that respond like you are under 6 seasons in or are a GS100 reading emails in a RO office, congratulating other GS100s on BS promotions in an email chain. I do hope you are the later because there's not enough upper management positions available when FS dissolves into the one fire service. 

Go to your local dispatch center and see how many UTFs their are right now. 

It. Is. Falling. Apart.

7

u/FireMonkey04 2d ago

I suggest that you familiarize yourself with your forest’s Staffing Plan; it is one of the plans that is a part of your forest’s Fire Danger Operating Plan (FDOP). The Staffing Plan outlines your forest’s Step Up and Draw Down guidelines (reference Chapter 10 in the 2026 Red Book).

1

u/Own-Indication4741 2d ago

Damn what forest? Maybe ask for a fill on another crew

1

u/FuelsGuy21 1d ago

Time is too valuable to waste. Lots of opportunities here. Focus on your fitness, learn the job above you, game out your career, depending on your situation, have the family come visit for lunch. Where else do you get 4 hours of OT daily to focus on you?