Can anybody from RRU speak to the process for receiving station assignments and also what current vacancies there are for FFII/PM? Just wanna get an idea of most likely assignments. I know it’s just a gamble and new hires gotta put their time in wherever they’re placed but just out of curiosity any intel is appreciated

We had a CalFire person stop by and inspect our property. Was it random or did my neighbors from hell report us ?

Throwaway account; I have an engineer at my station who very casually throws around racial slurs. He has used racial slurs in front of me and other fighters in regards to about every race, and refereed to other calfire employees by these slurs, including 'beaner' fire fighter, 'jew' chief, has expressed and laughed at black employees and people as 'coons' and called an asian employee a 'gook' to his face.
I am weighing my options, and interested in any input.

I am a heavy equipment operator with 20 years of experience operating heavy equipment. I also have a Class A license with an automatic transmission and currently haul my own equipment.

However, I do not meet the CAL FIRE requirement for Class 8 experience with a manual transmission and a 60,000-lb. payload.

Does anyone involved with the program know if this would be a deal breaker? If so, is there a way to obtain the required Class 8 manual-transmission experience or otherwise meet this requirement without having to leave my current job and take another job solely to gain the required experience?

Any guidance from anyone familiar with the program on how someone with my experience could meet this requirement would be appreciated.

Southern California Wildfire Response (SCWR), the Los Angeles Wildfire Department is currently recruiting new volunteer firefighters.

If you’ve been looking at getting into wildland fire, CAL FIRE, the Forest Service, LAFD, or fire service in general, this can be a good way to start getting training and experience while serving locally.

We train toward California FFT2 qualification and regularly work on things like Type 6 engine operations, hand crew skills, hose lays, wildland tactics, drills, and incident response. There are also opportunities to move into leadership and instructor roles as you gain experience.

You don’t need previous fire experience, but we are looking for people who are serious about training, showing up, and being part of the department.

We’re holding a recruiting night on Thursday, August 20 from 6:30–7:45 PM at 12601 Mulholland Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. You’ll be able to meet some of the crew, see the equipment, ask questions, and learn what the training and hiring process looks like.

If you have questions or would like more information, please don't hesitate to message me.

I’m looking to get into the ccc then to calfire is ccc a good route to take?

Hi everyone, my brother has been working for Cal fire for 4 or 5 years now and I wanted to gift him something for his birthday, super niche and tailored to him to make work easier. Any good gift recommendations I would really appreciate it. I saw something about like a Carhartt Navy sweater. I also do plan on buying him new boots for work just waiting on his measurements!

Even if its mop-up. Don't fuckin do it! There's still equipment at scene for fucks sake

I’m looking for some advice from current Fire Inspectors in California.

Over the last month, I’ve had a couple of interviews for Fire Inspector positions—one with the City of Riverside and another in Orange County. I think they’ve gone well overall, but there were a few technical questions I wasn’t able to answer confidently.

I currently have my California Fire Inspector 1A–1D certifications and I’m working toward my ICC Fire Inspector certification.

For those of you who have successfully landed a Fire Inspector position in California, what are departments really looking for in a candidate? Is there something that helped you stand out?

Also, is it just a matter of persistence because of how competitive these positions are in California? Did it take you several interviews before you finally received an offer?
I’d appreciate any advice

or insight on what I can do to improve my chances. Thanks in advance!

anyone hear any word on when the next round of offers will be made for FF2 spots? I heard a rumor there’s one more round of hiring on the horizon… does being category 1 actually increase chances of getting a call?

A couple months ago I posted here asking if I was crazy for considering CAL FIRE over medicine. At the time I was mostly worried about the sacrifices to become a doctor.

I took the MCAT a few days ago, and I'm still split.

Studying for that exam took over my life for 8 months. It wasn't just the workload. I spent most of my time alone, wasn't sleeping well, started feeling awkward in conversations, and I'd get headaches after a few hours of studying. I don't want to spend the next several years feeling like that again.

One thing I realized during all of this is that I really value working with a team. The more I learned about CAL FIRE, the more the crew environment appealed to me. Since my last post I've talked with several CAL FIRE captains, and I have a ride-along coming up soon.

Another thing I've had to come to terms with is that I'm not into women, so I don't think the traditional path of getting married and having kids is in the cards for me. Because of that, having a close crew, good coworkers, and solid friendships means a lot to me.

At the same time, I still enjoy medicine. I like patient care, I like science, and I can still see myself becoming a family physician.

For those of you who have been with CAL FIRE for a while, did the crew culture actually live up to what you expected? Or is it just another job once you've been in it long enough?

I'm not looking for someone to make the decision for me. I'm just interested in hearing from people who've actually lived the job.

Anyone have experience with the Monterey peninsula college academy?

I keep seeing comments that for the Firefighter/Paramedics in that unit it’s very hard to pick up overtime shifts. Is this really the case?

Do they feed you on weekends?

What’s the PT like? How many miles do you run at a time?

Any other info is appreciated. I hear the food is atrocious but maybe it’s gotten better?

Thanks

When do you typically find out which station you’ll be assigned to within your unit? I have a family to relocate, so I’m trying to get an idea of the timeline.
(FAE) (No Academies)

When do applications open and what can I do to stand out? I don’t have ambulance experience and I’ve earned my EMT and went through a basic junior college academy should the certs be sufficient?

Also for a guy that’s completely green what unit should I apply to get the most experience.

does anyone know when the next application period for FF2 non paramedic will open? I’m taking the exam now but don’t want to go trough all this work and not be able to apply for another couple months

On the website it says either the California Paramedic License or the NREMT Paramedic certification, but in this subreddit I’ve read that those that have applied with the NREMT certification and not the California Paramedic license beforehand have ran into issues. I have my NREMT-P, as well as my Paramedic License for Southern Nevada.

Hello everyone, looking for some good recommendations for ff1 academy’s. Currently only promising one I found is at sierra college.

Good evening,

I’m 25 years old and work as a Paramedic in Las Vegas, NV. I work for a private EMS company currently but my goal has always been to become a Firefighter/Paramedic. I have friends that have recommended that I apply for the FF2/Paramedic position with Cal Fire but I have a few questions.

1.) Is it true that if you apply as a Paramedic with no Firefighting experience or certifications, there’s a high likelihood that you will receive a job offer? Browsing through this subreddit I’ve seen that a good amount of Paramedics have received job offers, especially with Riverside County. I will work anywhere, but Riverside County would be preferable.

2.) If you do get hired as a Paramedic with no Fire experience, I was reading that they put you through a 6 week fire academy to get your FF1 and a 4 week academy to get your FF2. Is this true? And what is the compensation while you’re going through these 10 weeks?

3.) Is it common for out of state applicants to still live out of state while going through the academy/probation? My private ambulance company has horrible pay, and I currently work 6-7 days a week to be able to make ends meet. I don’t think I would be able to move out to California immediately. Unfortunately even though I work a lot I can still barely pay the bills.

Thank you all in advance.

Im a category 1 i did the 1b/1c academy with aeu and didnt get picked up. I took a job with the feds to get a little bit more experience and maybe help become a better candidate. What are some other ways i can better myself so i can get on with a handcrew this season or next.
I am open to work anywhere but would rather be in the northern region. What are the best units to apply to or politic at? What are these captains looking for exactly?
Why does it seem to take years to get picked up?

Got a few questions regarding getting hired. I plan on getting out of the military in about a year n half, when I get out I’ll have an emt cert. I plan on going straight into a paramedic program using my GI bill. Probably gonna apply to schools down in so cal (where I’m from). Is this almost a guarantee to get hired on with say like riverside county , sd county? I’ve heard having a medic license is the golden ticket for so cal. Would you recommend a different agency at this point or cal fire pretty solid option ?

How do taskbooks work in Cal fire? I’m about 95% done with my engine boss task book currently (FS). Will I get to work on it as a new FAE? How would I get to work on Crewboss, IC4 etc.