The Davis Fire Crew will be accepting applications for the 2010 fire season at our recruitment meetings (see homepage for schedule).  Each meeting will have an hour-long presentation on what the Davis Fire Crew is and does, and how you can join us to be a wildland firefighter this summer! We will also answer any questions you might have. Applications will be handed out at the end of the presentation. Those interested in applying will have the chance to complete and submit the application at the conclusion of the meeting.

Do I need to be trained?

Yes. The Mendocino National Forest will hold a mandatory basic wildland firefighting course on weekends in late March, April and early May. This will be six days of all-day classroom training at the USFS Wildland Fire Training Center in McClellan, CA, plus an additional day of hands-on field training in the Mendocino National Forest.  You must apply at a Davis Fire Crew recruitment meeting to be invited to this training.  No walk-in applicants will be accepted at any of the training sessions.

If you are familiar with chainsaws and want to make an extra dollar an hour, you may consider being a sawyer. Potential sawyers must go to an additional saw training to be certified. There is a required saw training classroom session and field certification.

What physical requirements do I have to meet?

The requirements to be a wildland firefighter for the US Forest Service are minimal, but you do have to be in reasonably good physical condition. You must:

1.        Be at least 18 years of age by the time of your first dispatch. If you turn 18 in July, that's fine, but you will have to wait until then before you can go on any fires. You also cannot be an active member of the United States Armed Forces.

2.        Pass the Pack Test. You must carry a 45 lb. backpack for three miles in less than 45 minutes. We will administer this pack test during the basic wildland firefighting course.

3.        Attend at least one Fire Crew Physical Training session per week. We will start running PTs in April at Toomey Field on the UC Davis campus. Our PTs are about an hour of aerobic activity; usually some body circuits, stair workouts, or runs ranging from 1-6 miles. PTs will be held on several weeknights, and you should attend at least one a week.

What is the time commitment?

The Davis Fire Crew works on an on-call basis. Before the beginning of the season (which usually starts for us on ~June 17th, the last day of finals at UC Davis) you must get a pager (or cell phone). You must be ready at all times to respond to a fire dispatch within 2 (two) hours. To go out on a dispatch you must be willing to give at least a two week commitment (that is, you must be willing and able to be gone for up to 16 days). Some dispatches will not last that long. If one does last that long, then you will have the option of returning home after 16 days if need be.

If you can't be loaded up and ready to hop on the bus in Davis within two hours (i.e. your visiting your aunt in San Jose that day), or if you can't give us two weeks (i.e. you are the best man in a wedding next Saturday, which is seven days away), then you have the option of going "off-call". We can be flexible with your summer plans, but we ask that off-call time be held to an absolute minimum, since we always need at least 19 people on-call at any given time in order to qualify for dispatch. If you go off-call for more than 72 hours, you will be dropped in the rotation and may not make it onto the next crew out of town when you come back on-call. And if the crew leaves while you're off-call, you're stuck in town until they come back and are dispatched again.

Do I have to pay any money?

You will have these initial expenses:

• Crew Dues ($75): You will receive three crew shirts and crew sweatshirt.
• A pair of fire boots ($90-$350): These must be a pair of all-leather workboots that meets the USFS standards for firefighting. They must have:

1.        at least an 8-inch leather upper, and

2.        a Vibram® sole.

It's up to you how much you want to spend, but good boots are perhaps the most important piece of equipment to a firefighter. See our boot buying guide.

How much money will I make?

If you complete and pass the seven days of classroom and field training listed above, your training will be paid. To be paid for training, you must completed all of the training. This will help defray the cost of your initial investment (dues, the physical and your boots.) The compensation you receive will be between $700-$900.  Expect it to take several weeks to receive your training paycheck.

Once you set foot on a fire bus, you start getting paid an hourly wage in excess of $13.00 per hour (actual wage depends on Forest Service annual wage rate revisions). Putting in anywhere from 8 to 24 hour days, including paid travel time, the average dispatch pays roughly $1300-$1500/week. A ripping season could see some of the more available crew members out for 60+ days. A slow season (like the 1997 "El Nino" season) may result in fewer than 9 days out, total for all our crews.

We encourage crew members not to rely on income from fires, but get an additional summer job with the flexibility to pick up and leave at a moment's notice for weeks on end. Those jobs can be difficult to find, but it is a good idea if you can get it to work out.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Yes. There is absolutely no illegal drug use, no alcohol consumption, and no sexual harassment tolerated by the Davis Fire Crew on a dispatch. Using drugs, drinking, or harassing anyone on or not on the crew will result in immediate termination of employment. Fired employees must turn in all of their gear to the crew and provide for their own transportation home.

If you have a question that was not answered, please email us at davisfirecrew@gmail.com. If you do not have access to email, you can call us at 530-574-6344 and leave a message, though your best bet is by email.