USAKA Fire Dept Information!




**This is a VERY UNOFFICIAL view of USAKA F&ES. This is *MY* opinion only ... please don't confuse my opinion with an official anything ... **

USAKA Fire and Emergency Services consists of 3 stations. Kwajalein, Roi-Namur, and Meck. Kwaj and Roi are staffed 24/7 and Meck is staffed during the work week, usually Tuesday through Saturday. "Technically", our schedule is 48 on / 48 off. I think that has happened for maybe 2 months of the almost year I've been here! Due to staffing issues (we don't have enough people!) we typically work 72/24's or 96/24's. If you are looking at this website thinking about coming out here, don't be discouraged ... it is pretty damn good money for the amount of "real" work we do. Yeah, it sucks being at work for 96 hours, but you have plenty of time to work on side projects. I'm 5 classes away from finishing my AS in Fire Science ... I'll have it finished by the time I leave here in December 2005! Update to last statement: 2 days until the end of 2005 ... I'm still here. And I don't have my AS in Fire Science yet ... I missed the deadline to apply for graduation by a couple of days. Ooops. May 2006 ... Michelle will have a frickin' degree!! Also, we are so staffed right now ... loads of 48/48 happening right now! Lots of time off ... sadly, less money! :(

Ok, so another update ... It is May 2006 and I am still here. Why? The Gods only know! No, I'm kidding. The last part of the last update stands true, we are very well-staffed now ... lots of days off. That means more diving, less $$$ in the paycheck. It'll get better ... once we fire some people! Yeah, kidding about that too ...

And yet another update: it is September 2006 and I am STILL here! Well, I did just get promoted to lieutenant, so it just wouldn't be right to run off now! My current plan is to stay through December 2007. So much for a year ... Oh, an dI still don't have a frickin' degree, because I need to take a stupid speech class. You would think I hadn't been speaking in public for the past 15 years already!! Oh well ... they will eventually offer one on-island ... eventually .........

The greatest thing that has happened to the Fire Department lately is the departure of the last USAKA Commander. I'm sure it is written on here somewhere about how she hated us and wouldn't let us take our fire trucks to the chow hall for meals. Well, the meal immediately after her departure marked the return of the fire trucks to the chow hall! YAH! NOw chow is back to the way it used to be ... almost ... it used to be the two engines and the ambulance on first chow, then the crash truck and the alarm roomoperator on second chow, but now rather than 8 people and 4 people, it is 6 and 6 for both chows. Works out well ... better naps for 2nd chow anyway! :)

As far as the shifts go, here's a rough breakdown of what we do everyday:
  • 0800 - Roll call, (sometimes) shift change.
  • 0810 - Truck check-out. Trucks get checked out everyday, even if you've been riding/driving/checking out the same one for the past 7 days.
  • 0830-ish - Depending on what needs to be done, hide somewhere until lunch or take care of business. The amount of "real" work we do around here is minimal. FOr the love of all that is holy, don't whine about having to do a few extra things every once in a while. I'm sorry you are missing a football game or whatever, but you are in fact here getting paid to do work. Yes, sometimes it is completely asinine things you are being asked to do. There really is a reason, even if you don't know what it is. Some people make this a difficult place to work sometimes .... don't be that guy. :)
  • 1100 to 1300 - Lunch.
  • 1300 - Tuesday through Saturday we have training. Sometimes it is hands on (all the classes *I* teach are), sometimes we sit in the dayroom and listen to someone give a class. Sunday and Monday is the weekend and we do pretty much nothing all weekend!
  • After training - back to hiding, or taking care of business.
  • 1630 - Dinner rotation starts.
  • After dinner, the rest of the evening is pretty much yours to do what you will. Some of the guys work out, some of the guys continue to sit on their butts like they have been all day!
  • 2200 - Lights out in the bunkroom.
  • 0600 - Wake up call. (0630 on weekends and holidays)
  • 0630 - Breakfast rotation starts (0700 on weekends and holidays) ... I realized, two years after creating my site, that I had left breakfast off. Yes, they feed us breakfast too! :)
  • Shampoo, rinse, repeat.


    • It really isn't a bad gig. The line officers are pretty good, some better than others, but you get that everywhere. Same with the personnel. We have some dunderheads and some really great ones. All things considered, despite the long hours, this actually is a decent place to work.

    As far as training goes, we do quite a bit of it. Some of it is just for numbers, but some of it is really quality. Last year, we did Rope Rescue and Confined Space Tech training. We are about to do all the DoD "one's" ... Instructor, Inspector, Officer ... You can do as many DoD certs as you want while you are here. The department is really pro-active about getting people certs.

    Because this is a contract job, there is opportunity to move up the food chain pretty quickly. It may not be an officer spot, but if you take on extra responsibility and put forth a bit of effort, you will get noticed as someone who does stuff. You may get no recognition on the floor, but if the Chief thinks you are doing a good job, you'll know it.

    Still reading? Haven't run away screaming yet? Seriously, this is not at all a bad place to work. If you want to come out, check out the KRS website www.krsjv.com. Look under the Chugach Logistics job listings.

    They prefer DoD certifications, but will accept IFSAC and ProBoard and once you get out here, they'll work with you on getting DoD reciprocity. Preferable certs are: FF I/II, ARFF, and EMT. If you don't have all of them, apply anyway! Like I said, they'll work with you on getting DoD certification. I came out here with ProBoard certification, so you shouldn't have a problem!

    UPDATE: I believe they (those in power that hire) are requiring people to have all the required DoD certifications now. There was an incident a few months ago where a worker died and they could not prove he had the training required to be doing what he was doing. You may still get a call if you have ProBoard of IFSAC, but if you don't, that's why.

    I guess they are requiring 2 year contracts now ... if you want to come out, you have to commit to 2 years. That came down from the commander I guess. The HR people out here and the HR people in Huntsville all think it is stupid, so who knows, it could possibly change!

    Vacations are one reason I'm still out here. I was going to leave 3 months after my original contract date, but that was 9 months ago! The company gives you a great annual leave "bonus". They give you the money for your plane ticket from here to Honolulu and $1500. They also give you 4 paid travel days and 5 admin days. If you plan it right, you can end up with a month off and only use 8 hours of vacation (PTO) time. Last year (April 2005) I went to Australia and New Zealand. This year I am going home to see my niece, the cutest baby on the planet. I'm also going to NYC for a few days, then down to FLorida to see my house and my crew and to go to Burn Camp.

    If you have questions, shoot me an email and I'll answer what I can. If you have worked here before and think something I've written is incorrect, please email me with corrections, I don't mind! Like I said at the beginning of this big ol' blurb ... this is my opinion only!!!
Clicking this link will open up your email editor (Outlook or Outlook Express or whatever)! If you want to send me mail via Yahoo! or Hotmail, copy and paste!!
michelle@firefightermichelle.com