Fire

[2dogs]

JJ, how lucrative is the mobile saw shop thing?

There was a mobile saw shop guy from south of here, like maybe San Luis Obispo, somewhere near the LPF anyway. I think he did OK chasing fires. You would have to be ready to be gone from July till November. You would have to have a contract with USFS I think.

 

[Jacob J.]

JJ, how lucrative is the mobile saw shop thing?

It depends on what you're licensed to sell and repair. The Stihl guy on the Castle Rock fire was grossing around $1900/day. That was about $600/day in sales, $3-400/day in service, and then the $900/day rate for availability and having his equipment committed to the fire. How much did he actually make? He wouldn't say. The daily rate means you're staffing a service trailer and you're available or you have someone available to the firefighters for 15-15.5 hours every day. Most of the sales are small parts, chain, air & fuel filters- rinky dink stuff. He did sell a few units though on the fire over the course of 24 days, probably 20 units; ranging from MS-260s to MS-660s. He had one partner and they staffed the trailer in rotating shifts.

The Husky guy on the Tiller Complex wasn't quite making as much on sales but he made a lot more on service. It was a bigger fire with a longer-term rehab plan and he was there for 45 days. He also got many more unit sales, around 110. He also sold about 60 rolls of chain total. He had two full-time guys on the fire with him. He said he grossed about 70k for the one fire.

The set-up on the Tyee fire in 1994 was much different; that was a huge campaign fire and with rehab, lasted almost three months. The Forest Service set-up self-service stations with solvent tanks, work benches w/vises, and air hoses for the sawyers. They had both a local Stihl shop and a mobile Stihl/Husky vendor from Wenatchee on the fire. Those sold a lot of new saws, especially during the rehab. It was like cutting on Mt. St. Helens after the blast.

There was a mobile saw shop guy from south of here, like maybe San Luis Obispo, somewhere near the LPF anyway. I think he did OK chasing fires. You would have to be ready to be gone from July till November. You would have to have a contract with USFS I think.

Yeah, you do a pre season agreement like the fallers used to do. There's set rates for everything and you provide a list of services, repairs, and sales you're capable of.

 

[2dogs]

IIRC most of the guy's sales and service were chain related. Lots of grinding.

 

[2dogs]

Last night I had to drive another 40+ miles to sign the new radio usage agreement. While we were there Cal Fire informed us CHP would be checking runners and other vendors for their Motor Carrier Permit. So if a runner, driving her Ford Explorer, delivers a part to an agency or vendor they will be stopped (and searched) for an MCP check. This is on an active fire. No MCP means a citation and a fine. Apparently CHP is jealous of Cal Fire and will watch fires very closely.

In addition water tenders will likely be stopped and their water level will be checked. If the WT has no level line painted on it then it will be weighed. Any WT better have balls in the tank. Citations will be issued and fines will have to be paid.

I don't think Cal Fire will pay for a pilot car for dozer transports. Next year they probably will. I think any pilot cars will have to be a Dozer Tender with a sign. I could be wrong here.

Fallers are still a module of one person. I will only go to work with a second faller or a swamper. The swamper only gets $20.00 an hour so they are fairly easy to sell to Cal Fire.

The State government here in California seems to want to destroy business with constant new laws and regulations along with permit fees, citations, and fines. If you move to California don't ever own a flatbed truck like a pickup or a 1 ton dually. You will get stopped and cited. And in my experience you will never find a CHP officer who can explain the MCP process.

BTW fallers are issued radios by Cal Fire. Otherwise you can spend nearly $1.5K on 1 portable.

 

[Gologit]

Last night I had to drive another 40+ miles to sign the new radio usage agreement. While we were there Cal Fire informed us CHP would be checking runners and other vendors for their Motor Carrier Permit. So if a runner, driving her Ford Explorer, delivers a part to an agency or vendor they will be stopped (and searched) for an MCP check. This is on an active fire. No MCP means a citation and a fine. Apparently CHP is jealous of Cal Fire and will watch fires very closely.

In addition water tenders will likely be stopped and their water level will be checked. If the WT has no level line painted on it then it will be weighed. Any WT capable of carrying more than water than legal load weight better have balls in the tank. Citations will be issued and fines will have to be paid.

I don't think Cal Fire will pay for a pilot car for dozer transports. Next year they probably will. I think any pilot cars will have to be a Dozer Tender with a sign. I could be wrong here.

Fallers are still a module of one person. I will only go to work with a second faller or a swamper. The swamper only gets $20.00 an hour so they are fairly easy to sell to Cal Fire.

The State government here in California seems to want to destroy business with constant new laws and regulations along with permit fees, citations, and fines. If you move to California don't ever own a flatbed truck like a pickup or a 1 ton dually. You will get stopped and cited. And in my experience you will never find a CHP officer who can explain the MCP process.

BTW fallers are issued radios by Cal Fire. Otherwise you can spend nearly $2K on 1 portable.

I'll be taking the F-step class on March 3rd. I'll snoop around a little in the meantime and see what the CHP policy is over here. If the runners have to get a MCP it's going to eliminate most of them.

My sister runs her pickup on FS fires...she says it's a better deal than CalFire. CHP, over in this area anyway, has always had a hands-off policy on any vehicle working an active fire.

As far as water tenders being weighed...most of our stuff runs on private ground for water source and delivery. I can't see water tenders as being a high priority for the CHP but stranger things have happened. If the vehicle is patently unsafe or if the driver isn't qualified I can see an area for concern. Otherwise it shouldn't matter.

If they start harassing runners, tenders, and equipment haulers on an active fire I imagine there will be quite a bit of screaming and yelling going on. Our area is still a big enough player in the timber industry that there are many influential voices willing to speak out against such foolishness.

Let's hope for the best...and an equitable solution. But let's keep our eyes and ears open, too.

 

[2dogs]

We were also told that the IMT situation will be different this year. The North, my county and above, does not play well with the south. Each zone does things differently but now will have to work together. I don't know how this will play out but stuff flows down hill and vendors are at the bottom.

BTW if more than one runner uses a vehicle they will have to have proof of WC insurance.

 

[2dogs]

Ericson Air-Crane is buying Evergreen for $250 million. I wonder if the price of helos will go up?

 

[madhatte]

Stand by for Sequester impacts.

 

[Gologit]

Ericson Air-Crane is buying Evergreen for $250 million. I wonder if the price of helos will go up?

Of course. If you need S-64 parts Erickson will be setting the price.

 

[Jacob J.]

Stand by for Sequester impacts.

From NMAC (National Multi-Agency Coordination group):

All indicators are that government will reduce in size, to match pace with budget reductions, during the next
few years, perhaps at a rate that we’ve not experienced for some time. Agency fire and aviation programs
will not be immune from the cutback measures. The reality is that reduced budgets will impact our
ability to deliver the same level of critical fire management resources as we may have been able to
deliver in the past.

It is likely that fire managers’ requests for resources will not be filled to the same extent as before, as NMAC and the Geographic
Areas make allocations based on a broader landscape perspective.

 

[2dogs]

The Marine Corp is being gutted. Cody is being transferred to San Jose to be a Motor T Mechanic, which is good news. The bummer is he is being recalled to active duty for 3 months to attend another MOS school, Mechanic. He was told of several options that the Marine Reserves are being "given". One was that the Corp would just drop you and you would lose any and all VA benefits and you would lose the GI bill.

The middle of May he ships out to either North Carolina or back to Missouri.

 

[Metals406]

From NMAC (National Multi-Agency Coordination group):

All indicators are that government will reduce in size, to match pace with budget reductions, during the next
few years, perhaps at a rate that we’ve not experienced for some time. Agency fire and aviation programs
will not be immune from the cutback measures. The reality is that reduced budgets will impact our
ability to deliver the same level of critical fire management resources as we may have been able to
deliver in the past.

It is likely that fire managers’ requests for resources will not be filled to the same extent as before, as NMAC and the Geographic
Areas make allocations based on a broader landscape perspective.

What does this mean for your job JJ? :msp_scared:

I just heard that the contractor I was gonna try and sign with lost his HUB status, and will be put dead last for calling. :msp_rolleyes:

 

[madhatte]

These are interesting times, friends... and you know what that means.

 

[2dogs]

I tend to think fire will be OK.

 

[madhatte]

^
that too

 

[2dogs]

Yet another nut case volunteer firefighter setting wildland fires. This time pretty close to home for me.
DA: Ex-firefighter set blazes for kicks - SFGate

 

[2dogs]

BTW it looks like the Fed is finally going to award contracts for VLATs and others. It has been 484 days since the Fed began the bidding process. Disgusting. We all can thank the uproar in Colorado for finally pushing for the contracts to be awarded.

 

[StihlKiwi]

Anyone seen this before?

Common Errors in Fighting Forest Fires (~1942) - YouTube

 

[2dogs]

Anyone seen this before?

Common Errors in Fighting Forest Fires (~1942) - YouTube

I never have but I like it. The union would have the makers snuffed nowadays.

 

[Ruster22]

I am trying to take my S-130/190 course this spring/summer. I am a NYS resident, volunteer fire fighter, full time student, and aspiring land manager.
What route do y'all recommend? I know it's late for any real gigs for this summer, but I know of at least one local conservancy that I can do volunteer work.
Who and how do I get to sponsored? Feds, state, nature conservancy?

Thanks,
Ru