Kwajalein Fire

[Jetsettingfire1]

The Department is 5 Firefighters short. A LT. and another firefighter just put in their notice and wont renew contract. Best of luck.

http://www.krsjv.com/

[armyfiremn]

good luck in getting anyone to fill the positions. part of probably is the 2 year commitment and the company pays you low, low, low wages. i'm only guessing that it's still between $9 and $10 a hour? loved the scuba diving and wind surfing though.

[Jetsettingfire1]

The $9-10 an hour statement goes to those who are basic payed firefighters. If you want any kind of income in this profession go for more certs and be an EMT, or officer. EMT-B with OT was huge and your making about 60-70K tax free.
Island life is dwindling, many people are leaving from lack of funding by the govt because of the war. Tolerating contract life is a challenge. Especially these days. Go to Chugach website for more job listings too, if interested. They've been looking for a Captain out there to work B-Shift as well.

oh, also. Your being payed to do pretty much nothing but train, do rig checks and run calls that 90% of the time seem to be alarm activations caused from heavy rain messing up grounding wires.

[lou4612]

Yep I got a call by the AC there a week ago. Ill be turning in my application here soon.

[armyfiremn]

jet
i was there from 04 to 05 up on roi and that's all we did after it rained was to run transmitted alarms. loved it when the rocket guys came out to visit, i didn't know anything could be so damn loud. if it wasn't for the pay and the two year commitment i'd go back in a heart beat, to roi of course kwaj had to many little chiefs and not enough indians.

[coop29]

I read on they're website that the applicant must conform to GS-0081 requirements...being the 37 age cut off, is this still the reg or is it flexible based on mission needs? Just curious, could possibly use a vacation...18+ calls ems days getting old! LOL, Thanks

[Jetsettingfire1]

Its the good life. Especially now, at home I pay 80 bucks to fill up my car. On Island, I never had to pay to fill up my bike.
I was there from early 06-late 07. I heard the positions are filling up fast. The minimum age reguirement says 35 or 37. But its fine to apply if your older as long as you pass your physical.

[FFPCogs08]

I read 37 is the cut off as well. I'm 44 but no prob with the physical. Is it worthwile to apply or a waste of time??

Cogs

[Jetsettingfire1]

Its fun out there, but you can fall into that mentality of thinking you have it rough living so far away, and no calls to run. I'd have to say the time is worth what you put into it.
You can fish, snorkel, dive, powerboat, ski, travel to other places. Golfing is a big deal there, and so is big game fishing. Just have to work at having fun. I learned how to make my own beer while living out there. I still do it. Some people even make thier own wine. Just buy the equipment online and make it at home. Its great for beach parties.

[Abbruzzese651]

I've got to get myself the AS in Fire Science to substitute for my lack of paid experience.

How much EMT work do they do there?

[armyfiremn]

I've got to get myself the AS in Fire Science to substitute for my lack of paid experience.

How much EMT work do they do there?

you mean besides helping to pull fish hooks out of peoples hands and delviering two babies. what emt work?????

[Jetsettingfire1]

You've delivered two babies? At once, or just in a matter of years? Fish hooks belong stuck in the dumb asses who get them stuck there in the first place. And the women who are pregnant deliver the babies. No one else.

[armyfiremn]

You've delivered two babies? At once, or just in a matter of years? Fish hooks belong stuck in the dumb asses who get them stuck there in the first place. And the women who are pregnant deliver the babies. No one else.

i the year i was up at roi i helped deliver two of them and no not at once.

[devildog4]

The 4 1/2 years I was up on Roi I delivered 4 of 'em, and one of those was on the Dash Flight down to Kwaj! Gotta luv those third island girls!

[rsqman]

Does Kwajalein still have the same crappy equipment as when I was there in 1975-77? Two old Navy MB-1 crash trucks that on a good day with the wind could throw foam 65 ft from the turret, an old Army 530-C structural/crash truck, a protein foam tanker for foaming the runway for belly landings....lol, and a AFFF PKP quick attack truck that we were required to open the top of the PKP cylinder weekly to "fluff" the PKP with a broom handle.....hmmm....wonder what the weekly exposure to salt air did for it's anti-caking properties.

Plus black canvas gear on the structural side that was so stiff from salt spray that it would stand up on its own, no gloves, baseball caps instead of helmets because the helmets were so deteriorated they were unusable and silvers that were missing big patches of silver due to age. It was ok though because our drug dealer Captain used Krylon silver spray paint to cover all the bare places in the gear.....WTF!!!!

An interesting place to work indeed. Except for idiot officers, I had a great time there.

Mike Dunn

[Lasko189]

i put in my app like a week ago, just waiting to hear back. Does anyone know if there is positions over there that let you bring your family?

[MNFF30]

Same here Lasko. Anyone have an Idea of how the kwaj hiring process goes?

[lou4612]

i put in my app like a week ago, just waiting to hear back. Does anyone know if there is positions over there that let you bring your family?

Ive been processing with them since June just waiting on the final review decision. I guess thier waiting on my background check to clear.
Yes there are accompanied positions there.

[armyfiremn]

Ive been processing with them since June just waiting on the final review decision. I guess thier waiting on my background check to clear.
Yes there are accompanied positions there.

no accompanied positions as firefighter, lt's or capt's. if my memory serves me right you have to be the asst chief or chief in order to have an accompianed status.

[Lasko189]

With Kwaj how often do you get to go home?