>>2843345I was in fire from 2012 to 2021 including 8 years on a R6 IHC. It’s great when you’re a young guy. It’s definitely a lot of work and requires some extreme endurance and physical fitness - especially if you want to be on a type 1 module. I was usually middle of the pack in terms of fitness but I could still run a mile and a half in 9-930 minutes.
When I started in fire I was on an engine and desu I have really fond memories of that experience - maybe even more so than being on the hotshot crew. It was a very chill environment and I don’t think I got more than 500 hours of OT in either year when I was on the engine. Obviously that meant I was poor and so I ended up working in timber during the winter instead of getting laid off.
When I went to the hotshot crew, it was completely different; I don’t think I ever got less than 1200 hours of OT. But that meant I felt comfortable enough to get laid off and I ended up traveling a lot which was an awesome experience. But working that much burned me out and 2021 was a brutal year for me and I ended up quitting fire altogether. If I could do it again I probably would have gone back to the engines or rappelled, something that allowed more of a work life balance.
