Anyone have any connections for oil rig jobs?

[leroy jenkins]

I'm looking for wildland firefighting stuff for this summer, but I'm thinking oil rig jobs too. Sick of customer service and making ski shop money. Honestly my resume is less than impressive because I spent my early 20s skiing and having fun, but I'm not an idiot and am serious about working diligently and making some better money. I don't smoke meth, haven't been drunk in a long time, and value the safety of myself and everyone around me.

[ill-advised strategy]

If you don't have a fire job by now you're probably too late.

You usually need to get those jobs worked out Mid-winter at the latest. Most crews are getting started pretty soon.

Try to get in touch with DK_Alaskan about oiling work. He should have contacts. If he's not on here, I can relay info.

[N1CK.]

Go to Williston, ND.
You could show up drunk AND smoking meth and land a good paying job. Live in a camp and you can save enough to ski through all of next winter.

[F#*k you cat]

^^^ ND is off the hook right now.

or head to Pinedale WY with more teeth than the average Joe.

[leroy jenkins]

Ya thats kind of what I figured Yeti. I'm still trying for a wildland gig, some life stuff came up and I didn't get it figured out in time. Day late and a dollar short. You really think its for sure too late? Probably about 40 crews are still hiring, according to USAjobs. I've been searching around and finding more at the state level too. I've got my 130/190 and WFR.

I'll shoot DK a pm, and if he doesn't answer I'll send you one.



Pinedale seems to have lost 1200 oil/gas jobs in the past few months, doubt they're going to be hiring anyone new. I'll look into williston.

Thanks guys. Kinda having a late-20s/early-midlife crisis holy shit I need to figure out something and not be broke my whole life kinda thing going on right now.

[Colorado_Freeskier]

I was up in Watford City, ND and Williston a couple of months ago...I was blown away but how much activity is going on up there. Of course housing can be difficult to come but at least some of the companies are contracting with housing providers and picking up the tab...at least in the projects our firm was looking to invest in.

[Kevo]

Ya thats kind of what I figured Yeti. I'm still trying for a wildland gig, some life stuff came up and I didn't get it figured out in time. Day late and a dollar short. You really think its for sure too late? Probably about 40 crews are still hiring, according to USAjobs. I've been searching around and finding more at the state level too. I've got my 130/190 and WFR.

I'll shoot DK a pm, and if he doesn't answer I'll send you one.



Pinedale seems to have lost 1200 oil/gas jobs in the past few months, doubt they're going to be hiring anyone new. I'll look into williston.

Thanks guys. Kinda having a late-20s/early-midlife crisis holy shit I need to figure out something and not be broke my whole life kinda thing going on right now.

As Yeti said, it might be too late for fire, but it can't hurt to try- for Fed fire jobs, apply to jobs in the PNW, since they often start later.

For non-Fed jobs, Seems like the Nevada Division Forestry always needs engine dudes to fill spots in remote locations. I'd call around.

Also, try every non-fed fire job in your area- call up Utah County, Salt Lake Unified and State of Utah DNR at Lone Peak and see if they have any last minute spots they need to fill. It's a really long shot, but they aren't as bound as the feds when it comes hiring rules. You should call them ASAP.

I believe that depending on the location, feds can only select applicants that applied by a certain date. So, if they need someone last minute, they have to chose from a list of people that applied whatever their particular date is, even if that date has long since passed.

Also, FWIW I remember the Ashley NF actively recruiting people at fire camps to apply the next year. At the time they had a Helitack crew and a FUM as well as a couple engines. They are in the middle of nowhere, so I guess they don't get a lot of applicants. It can't hurt to call them too. You never know.

[claymond]

I'm in a similar position as you, Leroy. Seen lots of ads for oil rigs in Vernal area on Craigslist.

And fire guys, what's contract work like? I know nothing about it, but it seems like a way to get started in fire. Also seems like a big risk of sitting on your ass waiting for a call.

Good luck man!

[leroy jenkins]

There were a whole bunch of openings on USAjobs.com for wildland firefighters that only closed on the 31st, and some that have yet to close, do you really think its that hopeless yeti man? Still got my fingers crossed and making some calls etc. Contractors seem to be hiring still as well.


Been looking into the oil thing a bit more, are there any entry level positions? Everything I can find seems to be requiring experience in various skilled trades.

Go to Williston, ND.
You could show up drunk AND smoking meth and land a good paying job. Live in a camp and you can save enough to ski through all of next winter.

If you don't have a fire job by now you're probably too late.

You usually need to get those jobs worked out Mid-winter at the latest. Most crews are getting started pretty soon.

Try to get in touch with DK_Alaskan about oiling work. He should have contacts. If he's not on here, I can relay info.

I was up in Watford City, ND and Williston a couple of months ago...I was blown away but how much activity is going on up there. Of course housing can be difficult to come but at least some of the companies are contracting with housing providers and picking up the tab...at least in the projects our firm was looking to invest in.

Sending pms...

[huckbucket]

Don't know if this helps, but this is the job board I use;

http://www.job-search-engine.com/job...ghting&l=&r=20

[waxman]

lj, seriously show up in ND with a pulse and a smile and you should be good to go
my wife was an HR mgr for a canuck company there and the stories she tells are insane
think kindergartners with money and fetal alcohol syndrome

[leroy jenkins]

Yea, while being told all I have to do is have a pulse and show up to get a good paying job is comforting, it is a tiny bit disconcerting that you guys say I'll be working with complete morons in a field where your safety depends on your co workers.

[concretejungle]

Yea, while being told all I have to do is have a pulse and show up to get a good paying job is comforting, it is a tiny bit disconcerting that you guys say I'll be working with complete morons in a field where your safety depends on your co workers.

That's why you get paid.

The other issue is that not only are most of them morons but they're sleep deprived morons who are trying to work as much OT as possible. If you want I can ask my buddy who worked out in ND for a while but from what he's said to me the pay is good, they'll allow you as much OT as you can handle and you might die at any time.

[skifishbum]

got a few bros over 3 corners way who gave up guidin for roughkneckin will ask 4 you

I don't smoke meth, haven't been drunk in a long time, and value the safety of myself and everyone around me.

work on those adressin those prerequisites or go fire fightin.

[skibum193]

For USAjobs, I know that you go through two computer screens before an actual person sees your resume. Try contacting the hiring manager directly to have a shot. Found this out after I tried applying a few summers back.

[LightRanger]

CalFire just posted this today...

[ill-advised strategy]

I'm in a similar position as you, Leroy. Seen lots of ads for oil rigs in Vernal area on Craigslist.

And fire guys, what's contract work like? I know nothing about it, but it seems like a way to get started in fire. Also seems like a big risk of sitting on your ass waiting for a call.

Good luck man!

I worked two summers with Grayback back in 97 and 98. On the one hand, those times were a key developmental stepping stone to the rest of my life, in fire and otherwise. Specifically, it was the set and setting for me to be in really deep water and totally on my own for the first time. I worked with sketchy assholes, I watched guys smoke crack and snort meth working in the woods. I was regularly scared...scared of people driving like assholes, nearly burned over twice, cut on the boot by a saw, scared of police coming after the drugged-out creep coworkers I was living with in some flophouse apartment. I learned how to manage my mind while working very hard for very long. On the other hand, I wish I had never had those experiences; because I went into it a happy young neo-hippy and came out sort of hardened and rednecky...and that's stuck....and sometimes I wish it hadn't. It was helpful for developing a working summer persona, and learning to stand tall and take care of myself out there. That was important a few times later on when I had to stand up for my own safety and stuff. In a lot of ways I think I was a better person before Grayback though, and if I could take it back I would...without a doubt.

It's been a long time since then...and a lot has happened to Grayback, between the fatal van crash and the helicopter going down I wouldn't be surprised if they're a bit more squared away now than they were back then.

Anyway, I really really really wish I had just known how to get started with a hotshot crew. That's what you want to do. They're probably going to be hard on you when you're new, but you're going to be building a career and learning things the right way while making decent money...and the people you work with will be a lot better than the scuzzbags I had to deal with contracting.

I also worked for an engine contractor in NM, which was a lot better deal. It was a 2 or 3 man operation with one truck...and the owner/operator was an old guy who had been a smokejumper before going to Vietnam. That was a much better job, but not much money, and not very stable in terms of income. In this case I gained a ton of knowledge...he would IC type 3 fires and I would run the engine. Unfortunately my red card didn't gain much, and all the documentation and paperwork you need to do in order for that experience to mean something if you transition into a real job never got done. So I got a bunch of valuable experience in terms of understanding fire and engine operations, but when I went to work for the BLM I had to start over building qualifications...which felt like a 3 year setback. And again, I really wished I had just found a federal job and did it right.

All things considered, if I had avoided contractors and handled my career right I would be in way better shape now. I wouldn't recommend working for contractors whatsoever. You can get a real job, just suck it up in January and apply to everything. Call everybody. Don't wait until Spring.

[claymond]

Thanks Yetiman for taking the time to write that response. That's good to know. I ended up getting hired on to a Type 2 IA handcrew on the Boise National Forest, so looking forward to that.

And Leroy, in the past week I've had a couple forests in California contact me asking about interest/setting up an interview, seems like they must be ramping up hiring. I'd try calling out there, even though it seems really late in the season for them to be hiring.

[ill-advised strategy]

Cal probably has severity money...gearing up.

Go go go.

[leroy jenkins]

Thanks for the update guys, glad you have had success. After looking into oil stuff I pretty much decided thats not for me. Glad to know there are still some openings.

[Meadow Skipper]

Keep working the phones, Leroy. Somewhere someone is doing some late hiring. I guarantee it.

[Hugh Conway]

Cal probably has severity money...gearing up.

California definitely has a bad fire season gearing up.

[ill-advised strategy]

Keep working the phones, Leroy. Somewhere someone is doing some late hiring. I guarantee it.

Better be running every day too because the last thing you need if you're some late-hire is to show up and drag ass the first week of PT.

[char]

I worked two summers with Grayback back in 97 and 98. On the one hand, those times were a key developmental stepping stone to the rest of my life, in fire and otherwise. Specifically, it was the set and setting for me to be in really deep water and totally on my own for the first time. I worked with sketchy assholes, I watched guys smoke crack and snort meth working in the woods. I was regularly scared...scared of people driving like assholes, nearly burned over twice, cut on the boot by a saw, scared of police coming after the drugged-out creep coworkers I was living with in some flophouse apartment. I learned how to manage my mind while working very hard for very long. On the other hand, I wish I had never had those experiences; because I went into it a happy young neo-hippy and came out sort of hardened and rednecky...and that's stuck....and sometimes I wish it hadn't. It was helpful for developing a working summer persona, and learning to stand tall and take care of myself out there. That was important a few times later on when I had to stand up for my own safety and stuff. In a lot of ways I think I was a better person before Grayback though, and if I could take it back I would...without a doubt.

It's been a long time since then...and a lot has happened to Grayback, between the fatal van crash and the helicopter going down I wouldn't be surprised if they're a bit more squared away now than they were back then.

Anyway, I really really really wish I had just known how to get started with a hotshot crew. That's what you want to do. They're probably going to be hard on you when you're new, but you're going to be building a career and learning things the right way while making decent money...and the people you work with will be a lot better than the scuzzbags I had to deal with contracting.

I also worked for an engine contractor in NM, which was a lot better deal. It was a 2 or 3 man operation with one truck...and the owner/operator was an old guy who had been a smokejumper before going to Vietnam. That was a much better job, but not much money, and not very stable in terms of income. In this case I gained a ton of knowledge...he would IC type 3 fires and I would run the engine. Unfortunately my red card didn't gain much, and all the documentation and paperwork you need to do in order for that experience to mean something if you transition into a real job never got done. So I got a bunch of valuable experience in terms of understanding fire and engine operations, but when I went to work for the BLM I had to start over building qualifications...which felt like a 3 year setback. And again, I really wished I had just found a federal job and did it right.

All things considered, if I had avoided contractors and handled my career right I would be in way better shape now. I wouldn't recommend working for contractors whatsoever. You can get a real job, just suck it up in January and apply to everything. Call everybody. Don't wait until Spring.

This. Kevo is dead on as well. There are a few places still doing call when needed firefighters as well. Poudre Fire in CO comes to mind.

I'm out of this world now, but like Meadow Skipper says, someone somewhere is hiring.

Whoever mentioned Vernal... I think it is close to impossible to afford to live in Vernal on FF wages due to the drilling, same in Rawlins from what I've heard. Lots of people fleeing those places for cheaper locations.

[leroy jenkins]

Better be running every day too because the last thing you need if you're some late-hire is to show up and drag ass the first week of PT.

Honestly I don't do much running, but I've got about 70 days this year BC skiing, with an average vert of about 4k a day, and another 15 days in bounds. A typical week sees me spending another 10 hours rock climbing and a few hours doing yoga, as well as lifting at least once. When I do run its uphill with a pack with 20ishlbs of water in it for an hour then i pour it out and walk back downhill. I'll be honest I'm not in the best shape of my life but I think I should be able to hold my own.