Career Seasonal

Happy Tuesday, I've missed you. Apologies for the long break, life is busy (as we know) and I had to put my writing on hold for a while to prioritize some other things. But I'm back now! I hope everyone reading is having a wonderful August and I can't wait to continue sharing my story with you. Without further ado, let's begin...

Picking up where I left off, the year is 2013, it was a hard summer of loss, I felt like I was officially 'in it' now, living in Utah and immersing myself into the wildland fire community. I still had a lot to learn about Josh's job and how my role as a WFF partner would play such an important part in our lives.

In order to fully understand how we got here, let's zap back in time to talk about how Josh entered the wildland fire world. The year was 2001 and his dad, Kevin, was Deputy Chief for a small Rhode Island town who just-so-happened to have some experience with wildland fire. He worked (and still does!) for the volunteer department during his spare time while Josh was growing up.

In a little impromptu 'interview' with Kevin, I asked if Josh had ever expressed a desire to be a firefighter as a child. His response:

Throughout Josh's entire life, he has been heavily exposed to the fire service. From the moment Josh entered this world through the time he moved out of our house, I have been actively involved in my local volunteer fire department. When asked if Josh (as a child) ever expressed an interest in pursuing the fire service as a career, Josh never really wanted to follow my lead in the volunteer fire department, although he would have been a welcome addition. Many of his fellow students at the high school served as junior volunteer firefighters, but Josh and his brother Jonathan both never pursued the local fire department. I wondered why they leaned away from volunteering, but as a parent, certainly supported all their decisions. In fact, when other volunteer firefighters would ask me why my sons were not in the department, my answer was always, the door is always open.

So I asked Josh, why the change of heart and why wildland fire? He simply stated that school was over and it was time to get serious. He remembered his dad talking about wildfire and it had piqued his interest in the past. He was intrigued by the risk and adrenaline involved in fighting large, wild blazes in the mountains out West.

Kevin recounts:

I will never forget the phone call from Josh inquiring about getting certified in the wildland. I was pleased to hear him asking about moving into the fire service field. I explained to him how he could get his credentials and he jumped right in. His courage, resilience and willingness to serve certainly make his mother and I PROUD.

Like many others, Josh 'inherited' his career, fighting fire really was in his blood. Kevin provided the guidance and networking necessary to acquaint teenage-Josh with the requirements of getting into the Wildland Fire profession. With his dad’s help, Josh then obtained the basic training and qualifications he needed to start and was bestowed his very first ‘red card’ as proof.

Come 2003, at the early age of 20, Josh accepted his very first order and reported to a fire called the Blackfoot Lake Complex in Glacier National Park, Montana. He had a front row seat to the forest fire that burned through nearly 30,000 acres that August. That’s about 47 square miles, the same size of land that Disney World sits on here in Florida. He admired the camaraderie of the crews, their hard-working nature, and the dangerous yet exciting challenge of helping contain such a vast blaze. This pivotal moment in history planted the seed that would become a full-blown fascination with wildfire. Josh was hooked.

Josh fighting fire with fire circa 2008

Now here we are in our story, 10 fire seasons later with countless hours of off-season studying and training under his belt. He had achieved his first goal by earning a spot on a Helitack Crew in 2010 and had gained a slew of new skills including his Helicopter Manager qualification this past season (2013). But, he was still a Seasonal worker. His income for the year would filter in over the span of a mere 5ish months and that number was never a guarantee. It all depends on how busy the fire season is, which nobody has any control over, right?

On paper, Josh's title was 'Forestry Technician' at a GS-5, step 1 level. It's a misleading title. Behind the formality he was working as a 'Senior Firefighter' with his Helitack Crew. He was making under $15.00/hr at that time. It's the overtime pay that really sustains Seasonal WFFs, which is 1.5 times the base hourly pay (still not THAT much more, if you ask me). Hazard pay (an additional 25% of hourly base pay) is also a way to make more money. WFFs are entitled to hazard pay when performing certain duties that are considered 'hazardous', such as working an uncontrolled fireline. But, if the season was slow, they may be faced with picking up a second job to make ends meet. See how much dedication, passion, and commitment it takes to be in this career? Most people would look at the numbers, weigh it against the risk, and probably say 'ha! no thanks!'. Josh is not like most people.

Federal applications for advancement within a Seasonal position follow one hiring process, while a specialized procedure is used for hiring Permanent positions. It’s called 'Fire Hire'. Nowadays, various phases are rolled out in an effort to backfill positions that become vacated as a result. But back in 2013 when Josh was applying for the 2014 season, this wasn’t the case. Fire Hire was still a one-step process meaning you either get it or you don’t. Permanent vacancies would remain frustratingly open once hiring was concluded.

Our hopes were set high that Josh would get the permanent position next season, this would be a big step forward for Josh’s career and would provide extra stability for our future. We dedicated multiple days to the application process. Our sessions typically ended in frustration and we’d vow to go back to it another day. Everyone applying for a federal advancement in wildfire had to use the same online platform in those days, and everyone discovers (or at least I think they did) that if you leave the screen up on your computer for too long, the system times out and all your progress is lost. We learned the hard way more than once and it totally sucked.

It was the first time in our relationship I had laid eyes on Josh's credentials or had any personal interface with the application process. I found it all surprisingly overwhelming. The built-in resume was clumsy and hard to navigate. Josh would spit out random abbreviations like HECM or ICT. I'd stare at him blankly, no idea what that meant. He had gained an extensive amount of new experience and it needed to be added. I was stoked to help him, but it was almost like there was a language barrier between us. I didn't speak "wildland firefighting", at least not yet. This probably made the process take that much longer in hindsight, but it helped me learn so much more about the job, qualifications, duties, and responsibilities. I learned so much more about Josh. Now I was really forming a better idea of what he did on a daily basis how he operated and what he'd be doing on assignments.

We worked until the last minute, right up to the deadline for submission. We verified again that all documents were attached, the resume was updated, the questions were answered and all the right boxes were checked. Josh clicked submit. A message popped up indicating our success, the application had gone through. Now we wait.

Wasatch Helitack (Josh is front row, 4th from the left)

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I wanted to include some some additional answers by Kevin to end this post.

I asked him what his experience was in wildfire at the time that Josh showed an interest:

Living on the east coast, I have always been intrigued by wildfires and the efforts to combat them. Being a firefighter for 20 plus years, I began to investigate how one could serve as a wildland firefighter. Being a school teacher, I had the summer off and would be able to assist. I worked my local networks and connected with the Massachusetts Wildland Crew and obtained my certifications. I then was assigned to a New Hampshire crew and was placed on the board for deployments. Although wildland firefighting is a young person's business, I was in my early 40's and was the senior on the NH crew. I was welcomed and worked extremely hard over the next 5 summers. I would have the opportunity to travel to those western states that were burning with significant force. I learned much through my training and my experiences were ever lasting. I enjoyed the bonds of friendships I made throughout my wildland career and treasure the beauty of the vast regions we worked.

I love that he pointed out that wildland firefighting is a 'young person's business'. It was then, and still is now, especially those entry level positions that require so much physical exertion and risk. The job takes an enormous toll on the body, it's no joke.

I inquired, did Kevin and Lee Ann (Josh's mom) have any knowledge about the risk and scheduling demands the job would present, did that make them worry? I loved his answers:

Serving as a firefighter, the toll on family is intense. I recall the first time I missed a wedding anniversary, I was on a wildfire out west. That was an awkward feeling, but a realism as well. LeeAnn has always supported me throughout our marriage. My emergency response, drill nights, fundraising efforts and deployments were a major part of my life. Obviously with all those hours away from home, there were so many gaps. The household chores, time together, family obligations and the general life expectancies are all interrupted and placed on hold. Sometimes for only an hour or so, other times weeks at a time. The time away certainly drains family members, but there is also an effect on the firefighter. Feelings of not being there for those birthdays, holidays, family functions are all tear-jerking moments. Feelings of guilt fall into play and loneliness draws in. You find yourself thinking of family members just before you fall off into a much needed sleep.

The demands of the job pull families apart and it is the tensile love and strength of the family members that keeps all in check. Those families that have a wildland firefighter are perhaps stronger-loved individuals. Their resourcefulness and love connections keep them close. I find that contributing in some meaningful way in mitigating those wildfires and ensuring the safety of those people and their communities is most rewarding. I believe that family members feel the exact same way. They are proud of their wildland firefighter, and they know the time away is well served.

Now that Josh is a wildland firefighter, knowing first-hand the dangers of the destructive force, I always have a worry in the back of my mind . My knowledge allows me to know that wildfires are demanding work and requires much specialized training. I know for a fact that the USFS has safety of their personnel as the highest priority. I also know that training is essential to mitigation and proper training keeps firefighters safe. I have come to realize that Josh takes his training seriously and I know that he always falls back on his training. His training allows him to effectively manage the challenges and risks associated with those wildfires.

His words resonated with me, there is so much truth behind them. All firefighting couples are presented with such a unique set of challenges. It is my belief that we are all stronger, more resilient, and perhaps even a little hardened as a result. It takes a special kind of someone to be the partner of a WFF. We are 'home', we are 'comfort' and we are 'safe', we carry a heavy load ourselves, we are STRONG.

Thank you so much for sticking with me. Until next time,

Erin