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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on July 8, 2010 at 8:33pm

WHAT SHOULD I BE EXPECTING?

I'll echo Tommy's comment, but for some more insight....
Boot Camp
discipline, training, cleaning, watches, cleaning, working parties, cleaning, training, cleaning, testing, cleaning, training, some more cleaning, more testing, some more training, then a bit more cleaning.

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Permalink Reply by Jay Nicholson on July 8, 2010 at 9:59pm

Been there-done that. Info is always changing so I'll give you what dated info I have. At 16 I doubt you can even DEP it. I was talking to a USAF recruiter a couple of month ago. Unless you ace(I don't remember the exact # but it was high-95maybe) or have a BA/BS degree, you must put down a list of 10 jobs you would consider.

A recruiter won't lie to you, but may not tell you the whole story either. If it's not in writing, it doesn't count.

If you make it that far, then what to expect will depend on your duty station. Vandenburg is huge with a lot of wildland fires. I was stationed at Dover and until a mutual aid contract was signed, the only fire we saw was when someone lit up their cigarette.

Make the most of your tour. Even if you only plan on staying 4, avail yourself of every training, educational, etc opportunity you can.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Z on July 13, 2010 at 7:51am

I agree with Tommy, the AF is cutting more and more each year making firefighting very competitive. Also there are more and more places going with contractors to provide firefighting coverage.

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