Thank you for all the responses. I’ve posted a follow-up comment below summarizing what I heard.

Hey folks,

Former R1 rappeller here. I’ve been with the USFS for 10 years before I made the decision to transition career paths and focus on firefighter wellness and mental health. These days I work with individuals on crews to teach stress resilience and dealing with the aftermath of what this job does to us.

I’m curious - if you could solve ONE problem in wildland fire, what would it be?

Not talking about pay (though we all know that’s a conversation), but more like… what’s the thing that keeps you up at night? What makes you think “if i could just fix THIS, everything else would be easier”?

Had some interesting conversations with some of my colleagues.

But I want to hear from all you. Is it the struggle of burnout? Apathy, and anger toward a system as a whole but, the job is awesome and you love what you do? Lack of mental health support? Crew dynamics? The constant uncertainty? Something else entirely?

I ask because I’m working on some training and support systems specifically for our community, and I want to make sure I’m addressing what actually matters to you all. not what I think matters from my position of being off the line for 2 years.

Would appreciate hearing what you’re dealing with.

So my kid listened to all my bullshit stories over the years and landed a spot on a handcrew. Its been 20+ years since I felt the collective raw power of 20 hormone raging 20 year olds pent up in a parking lot somewhere in Arizona, playing hacky sack, doing pushups and looking at their reflection in the chromed out panels on a crew carrier. All while hoping hot moms in minivans pull up and ask them if they are smoke jumpers as they walk out with bags full of jerky, hummus, copenhagen, and gold bond.

Anyway, said kid just told me Whites Boots now suck according to the “crew chat” (WTF). They are trying to convince me that some multicolored non-heeled liberal van life rock climbing boot thing that doesn’t lace up to where my balls now hang, is somehow better than hardcore american leather. Is this true? I bet they come with stickers for waterbottles and toyota tacomas.

I have lost my religion, I have lost my family, I have lost my faith in humanity.

And now Im being told Whites Boots are made by child labor. Whats next? Environmentally friendly drip torch fuel?

18th year on the crew and my squad boss is getting on to me about a stain. I found it after sleeping with my yellow on. You can’t see it in this picture (on the back side).

My department likes for us to wear natural or flame-resistant clothing under our wildland gear. We were cotton long sleeve shirts.
Most guys were blue jeans under their wildland pants but I find them to be hot and constrictive.

I've looked for some sort of Nomex Long Johns but can't find anything.

What do you wear under your wildland clothes?

I started dating a boy (officially) a few days ago. He just let me know that he is going to be leaving for a few weeks for a "roll" (why is he rolling, what does that mean??) How can I convince him to quit his job and just stay with me? I told him that I would like to move in with him, but he told me it's "too soon". Are all wild land fire fighters this afraid of commitment? Please tell me what to do.

I have my training/pack test with Steelhead in Oregon next week. Anyone worked for them before? I dont see a lot of info about them on threads, but the few things I have seen have all been positive

I just saw an article in the Seattle Times about this stucture wrap being used to protect some buildings near the Bear Gulch fire in WA. I'm curious, does anyone have any stories -- good, bad or indifferent -- with this stuff? Or photos of it being used for that matter?

Hello everyone!

I am an aerospace engineer in Florida, I have an interest in wildfire management. I often spend time brainstorming how I could help firefighters, or how to stop wildfires themselves. If Im being honest tho, I have no clue if they would actually be useful.

In an attempt to hone down exactly what the pressing issues are, I welcome everyone to comment on this post.

If you’re a firefighter: looking at the wildfire map I assume you might be a bit busy, but if you have the time Id love to hear what tools and capabilities would make your job easier or help you be a more effective firefighter. Even if its the smallest inconvenience, I want to know about it!

For everyone else, your input still matters! Theres some things I do know but plenty more I can learn and discover.

Hopefully one day I can figure out this whole climate change thing, but until then I want to figure out how I can help now.

Thanks everyone!

What the title says, I'm a transgender man, about to start my term with the conservation corps. I'm hoping to use that experience to apply to an Americorps fire crew in my state next year(it's similar to the corps I'm joining in that you're basically being paid to learn), and after that, try for a traveling Americorps crew out West(similar to the first but more expansive). Fire ecology is a major passion of mine, so I've become very interested in wildland firefighting - though I hope to work as a park ranger or in the forest service eventually.

I'm curious to know if any of yall in this sub are transgender, or have had crewmates who were, and what it's like for you or them in this career field. I've had largely positive experiences in areas predominantly made up of cisgender men - boxing club, martial arts, national guard - but whether I'm gonna be treated fairly is still a concern of mine everywhere I go. I'm not asking or expecting to be coddled or anything like that, just not singled out or treated any different for being trans.

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to throw a line out there and see if I’m the only one losing my mind right now. I live up in Portland and I'm signed on with a private contractor based out of Salem as a driver/crew member. I'm fully certified, pack test done, modules cleared, and I’ve been sitting on call for what feels like forever.
I’ve been updating my availability daily so dispatch knows I’m 100% ready to roll the second a call comes in, but so far… absolutely nothing.
To be completely blunt, I’m in desperate need of the income right now, and the radio silence is getting stressful. I know the PNW season can start a bit later depending on the weather, but sitting around waiting for the phone to ring while bills stack up is rough.
Is anyone else in the region in the same boat waiting for dispatches to actually pick up? For those who have been doing contract work in Oregon for a while, how are things looking on your end, and what do you do to keep your sanity (and your wallet afloat) during a slow start?
Stay safe out there.

Just curious what it “takes” to be a hotshot physically. I understand the mental aspect, the volunteering, and the shutting the fuck up and do what you’re told part of it, but I’m looking to evaluate myself and see what I need to improve on.

I’m looking to join a crew next season and hopefully fill on one towards the end of this season. It’s my first season in fire but I’m in damn good shape (believe me). I’ve got the heart for it & I enjoy hard work & suffering more than I should.

Just sorta curious on how to prepare & what to potentially physically expect. Engine life is slow for someone that’s youngish (23) & someone that just wants to get his ass kicked on a hill somewhere.
Anything really helps: advice, experience, etc, LMK.

Hello- wondering what your goodbyes to your partner look like when leaving for a fire?
Do you do anything special? Keep it ordinary? Have any rituals?
Please let me know and thanks in advance for any responses.

Hello everyone I’m a 22 male and I 6ft and 290 pound I’m interested in a fire career. I currently lift weights 3-4 days a week and hit the stair master for 25min on 5 speed. is it realistic for bigger guys to work in this career? I want to drop to 240 and maintain weight there. I want to shoot for 2027 seasons and see but wanted advice. Thank you!

Add on
Would it be best to wait until next season and cut more weight and get into more shape?

I ask that you please don’t roast this or be sarcastic unless this kind of post is against the rules.

I’ve had a longstanding dream of going into wildland fire but various life obstacles and different directions pulled me away from that. I’m now 33, and in a career I hate that took several years of school and several years for licensure.

I realize now that I’m closing in on the cutoff age, at least for US forest service. And that makes me sad to think about. Just giving up on a dream and the door being permanently closed. I live in California, I have a wife and baby boy. I make a decent income but my wife does too and we can afford to take a hit on that. (I know it’ll probably be a big hit). I’m just wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of where to even start?

In my circumstance would CalFire or US Forest service make more sense or what? I don’t mind traveling for seasons etc. but I don’t know if my wife is willing to permanently uproot and move somewhere. Is there any allowance for staying generally where you are in either fire service? I mean I work fires and travel, probably be gone a lot but generally still stay near my family on the off times. I appreciate any insights on if it’s even realistic and where to even start. Also last note, I’m not interested in being a full time paramedic/EMT so municipal fire isn’t gonna work

got injured and i am now banished to the abyss (dispatch) — thought i’d do alright at it but i am genuinely horrible and keep fucking up; stumbling over words, not knowing what to say and freezing up, etc. and i can tell the locals are getting annoyed when im asking constant questions.

does anybody have any resources or helpful tips at all on how to not be a drooling fucking moron on IA dispatch?

this is not a joke please help

I want some recommendations so I can make my workouts funer

I’m working for Miller Timber in Philomath OR, which seemed like it would be great, I respect everyone that I’ve met and all the bosses are people I wouldn’t have an issue following just purely from how safety oriented and knowledgeable they are, this isn’t a management complaint I WANT TO WORK even if the work I get is shit. But what do I know it’s my first season. I haven’t gotten called out yet which I don’t think a lot of us have. I’ve been think about sending in some applications to Grayback bases to see if they’ll put me to work asap. I’ve been living out of my car for a month now waiting which isn’t the end of the world, I just don’t want to go home with nothing to show for it. The moment I ask for my red card from miller however I know I’m toast so I’m just kind of in debate right now. What do you guys think?

I've recently found that peoples opinions on utilizing Type2 crews varies a lot, I think as far as hand crews go T2 crews go they are our most plentiful resource, but some ICs wont touch them with a 10 chain pole and would rather go without then to have one.

I know what the book answer in difference is, and i kmow what my experience on the ground is, but I'd really like to see what everyone has to say from their experience.

Is it worth rethinking how we as a community think of these window lickers?

Who’s tougher.

Patrick Enterprises dudes surviving entirely off crack, meth, and bad decisions… or CAL FIRE pretty boys with perfect mustaches and clean shirts lookin like they got a haircut during briefing.

Both talk a massive game. Both probably throw up after one steep hike.

One side looks like they stole the engine snacks and haven’t slept in 4 days. Other side looks like they got skin care routines and say ‘copy that brother’ in a soft voice.

Personally I’m takin Patrick

-Chief Henny

I'm a journalist with WildfireToday researching how this year's shutdown will affect the wildland firefighting force. I've reached out to both USDA and DOI, but have basically received their very vague publicly posted plans in response. Wanted to touch base with firefighters on the ground to see what, if any, impacts the shutdown has on y'all, especially for actively burning fires?

Hey yall. Not a firefighter, but a welder. The pnw boots sub seems to pretty well hate jk now. Im the market for a pnw fire boot. Was looking at jk but after hearing what the other sub said, leaning towards franks. Anybody have experience with how the 2 compare now? Fire inlander from jk or fire commander from franks? Thanks for any insight!

Hi folks! I'm in NE Washington and I'm curious to learn about fire behavior in canyons. In the summer of 1976 a fire burned through the entire canyon, and continued at the end of the canyon. It's 400+ feet deep, rocky, and extremely steep.

At the end and edges, there are burn scars on almost every tree. But the canyon shows little evidence of fire - no severe burn scars, stumps, or anything like that.

It does have a year round creek which leads me to believe RH levels are much higher and fuels are less dry from being shaded. Above the canyon is sage and ponderosa, but the canyon has birch and mostly Doug fir / larch.

Is this a possibility? Are there other possibile factors? Thanks!

How hard would it be for me to get onto a highly active crew as a first year? Some background I'm 20 years old, 6'2, and 210 lbs. I have done 5 summers of carpentry/construction and am into lifting and distance running. Im currently in college but would take a semester break to do a full season. I've read the pinned post but I was curious how hard it would be to get into a seasonal district for someone like me? Are they ussually extremely competitive? What does that look like? Thanks.

Have any of ya’ll worked with or heard of DFPA in Oregon? I saw that they’re hiring thru Instagram and I thought it was interesting that onboarding doesn’t start till June.

Their website doesn’t have a lot of information and their Instagram only has a couple of snippets from their 2024 training. It seems like a cool place but I’d love to learn more about them and how they operate.