New USFS firefighter recruitment video

On September 23 The U.S. Forest uploaded to YouTube this video that appears to be a new firefighter recruitment tool. Like any advertising campaign asking people to apply for jobs, it certainly glamorizes what firefighters do.

One person is even shown saying:

Our job is better than your best vacation.

The video strongly emphasizes smokejumping and rappelling, as if those jobs make up a large percentage of the firefighting work force. And it shows a lot of women, as if they comprise more than 10 percent of the work force.

I only noticed one firefighter with his shirt sleeves rolled up and that was on screen for about 1/4 second. I wonder how much footage they had to discard that showed firefighters with safety or personal protective equipment infractions.

The production values are very high, perhaps the best I have seen coming out of the USFS or the folks at the National Interagency Fire Center. It gives producer credit to the Creative Media and Broadcast Center, USDA Office of Communications, Washington, DC.

It is a little over the top at times, but I give it a…thumbs up

Typos, let us know HERE, and specify which article. Please read the commenting rules before you post a comment.

Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.

11 thoughts on “New USFS firefighter recruitment video”

  1. The Forest Service doesn’t have any fire fighters. We’re forestry technicians. End of story.

    0
    0
  2. Joseph, I didn’t think Bill used ‘As If’ to minimize jumpers or rapellers. I take it as a comment on the amount of publicity jumpers especially get in comparison to other firefighters. I’m a former jumper and I’ve heard plenty of comments from other firefighters about the attention jumping gets. I didn’t see a slight there.

    I thought it was a well-made video, but I am concerned by the focus on saving houses. I don’t think that’s the wildland firefighter’s first priority, and I think focusing on structure protection can put firefighters at risk.

    0
    0
    1. The wildland fire fighting community remains adrift while management is still clueless. Their political appointed bosses and the congress continue to preserve the illusion that we can put out fires that have escaped initial efforts. The reality of this drying landscape and the uncontrolled growth throughout the western USA is not registering. Protecting homes, pure nonsense, we continue to not learn the lessons of Yarnell Hill and this recent deployment/sprint at the ongoing King incident. When all hell breaks loose, screw the homes, get the hell out of the way. Fighting fire while something below you is stirring…we continue to make the same stupid mistakes.
      These residents are now part of the fuel complex and must be treated as such. The reaction to Yarnell Hill was to pounce on every start, which proved to be lucky. It seems to me that we continue to be inconsistent on a number of public land management fronts, while the fuel loads, including homes and businesses continue to pile up. Listening to the amount of retardant that was dumped on the King incident before it cobbled a 15 mile swath was dumbfounding. The time is now, to have an adult discussion about our public lands and the ever increasing wildfire threat. Of course we should have discussions concerning issues that confront / confound our public lands.

      0
      0
      1. Bob,
        You’re spot on. Policy makers should make it clear that we don’t change protocols in order to protect structures. Publicity and recruiting efforts should remove structure protection. Why tell recruits this is a significant part of the job? If it can be done safely, fine; otherwise, let’s remember that’s what insurance is for.

        0
        0
        1. I agree with SunilR and Bob as a policy matter. However, there is a moral hazard involved in terms of the money side of wildland fire. Being credited with saving a subdivision creates a lot of good press and goodwill, and long-term those things can be integral to more funding, even for projects of very limited utility. Tell the good people of a subdivision that they need to create defensible space around their homes and they may question what they are paying for. That recruiting video is in part PR, just as with the Armed Forces ads, and telling people that WFF are all about saving lives, property, and “protecting” the forests from an enemy of over 50,000 fires a year sells. That does lead to moral hazard and unfortunately that likely will get worse when we actually have a bad fire year again.

          0
          0
  3. What I read, in glaring clarity, was the modifier “AS IF” following the statement on women and rapellers. “As if” purposefully minimizes their contribution and this is unfair. The film seeks to attract firefighters of all types, to all the jobs shown. It isnt a statement on how many firefighters each branch has, just how each branch has dedicated people. I don’t glamorize the crews I work with, but when firefighters are put into a hostile terrain, inaccessible by any motorized means, put out a fire with limited resources and pack out 100+ pounds of gear after they are done it deserves special recognition. There is no “AS IF” qualifying their effort in my eyes.

    0
    0
    1. Sunilr is correct. And, and your “glaring clarity” is a bit murky. As I said in my comment, “as if” simply compares the NUMBERS of jumpers and rappellers in the film to the ACTUAL NUMBERS in the real world. It does not describe or “knock” individual firefighters in any way.

      0
      0
  4. Well said Bill I would also add that Smokejumpers and Rappellers are not new hires but 2 or 3 year fire fighters before they are accepted on those crews.

    0
    0
  5. I see the thumb at the end, which is good, but why the downer comments? I think the video hit many of the key points of why individuals do this largely thankless job. I work as a rappell and helitak pilot and I’m constantly impressed at the dedication and intelligence and selflessness that is exhibited by our crew and the other boosters that we work with. As a whole they have amazing fitness and a work ethic that is totally apart form the slacker mentality that seems to pervade among their age peers. Women firefighters may be a minority, but their presence in the workforce has a huge positive effect on moral and output. It takes a VERY special woman to do this job and they should be featured as the have earned their place in the workforce.. Rappellers and smokejumpers are the underwhelming force that has an overwhelming effect on keeping fires small ( or putting them out) with very limited resources.
    Opinions may be valid concerning trucks carrying firefighters and the effects of global warming, but to knock the efforts of firefighters as depicted in this film is misplaced and out of touch with what this special group of young people and their supervisors are doing today.

    0
    0
    1. It is interesting how two people can witness the same event or read the same text and later recount what they saw or read completely differently. Joseph, you said I “knocked the efforts of firefighters” and described that as “misplaced and out of touch”. That is completely false.

      Comparing the number of jumpers or rappellers in the film to the actual number in the real world does not “knock” firefighters. And, firefighters having their sleeves rolled up is common on some crews, such as the crew that perished in Arizona last year.

      My remark about discarding footage that is unacceptable in the finished product reflects my interest in what happens behind the scenes. During my experience as a videographer on an independent film I learned how much footage is shot versus how much is used in the final edited version. And I had an image submitted to a photo contest rejected outright because a firefighter in the distance who was standing around watching the fire about 100 feet from the camera, was not wearing safety glasses.

      Having been a full-time wildland firefighter for over 33 years, I have earned the right to provide suggestions and constructive criticism on how to make wildland firefighting a safer occupation. It was a passion I had then, and it continues today. And having been one, I don’t view them as heroes, or have allusions of grandeur about what they do. Most of them are tough, fit, well trained, and like the military, serve in ways that the citizens they work for can’t even imagine.

      I understand that since I assume the risk of stating opinions on this web site, that not everyone will agree with those opinions. And that’s fine. I expect that. But it is unfair for someone to make an accusation about something that did not occur.

      0
      0

Comments are closed.