>>2696383outdoor experience. they also want to know that you aren't a schizo since a lot of lookouts can be unreliable. drinking and pot use is a bit higher than you think and i've heard some weird stories of lookouts kind of losing it.
heard one about a guy that started hunting and using the tower to skin his animals or something. i just don't let anyone in my tower because i'm a social retard, chose the job to be left alone, and after the first season you get tired of answering the same questions.
They will tell you you can take weekends off, but they always have a mentality that you need to fall on your sword for them. This is especially true in the forest service. BLM is best and treats it like a job.
You want to work as much OT as possible. Cumulonimbus clouds are 'money clouds' in wildland fire terms because they guarantee that they will max the fuck out of the time sheet.
I have worked 4 10 hour shifts in beginning and end of season when basically the snow is falling to 21 days on 1-2 days off. We got rid of our relief last season and they just had me working a zillion hours.
Pay really depends on season.
GS-03 is like $13-$14, GS-04 is like $15 or $16 now, and GS-05 (highest) is like $17-$18 now. It adds up when they start to give long shifts though. I've gone weeks of 10-12 hour shifts. I've ended one season with about $12,000 for 4 months and at GS-05 it is more like 25-30k because I chose a higher volume area.
I've had wolves, bears, rattle snakes, black widows, scorpions, etc in my areas. It's eerie first season, but people are really the only thing you occasionally see weird ones. You can't carry weapons on private property, but at least bring pepper spray or a dog. I use an air rifle for varmints that I can leave up in the tower. Some supervisors are more chill but if nearer civilization, expect them to suck societies cock more.
I got offered a comfy position of 7 days on 7 days off with 12 hour shifts. Probably the best you can get for a life
