Raytheon, Antartica

[Allin4it]

I got these guys knockin down my door 1 day after i sent my app in.... was wondering if anyone ever did some time out on the ice...They pay isnt all that great, but im lookin to obtain more certs while out there, boost my resume and ultimately make connections to get me out too the middle east in the future. Would appreciate the feed back on some people who have been out there or currently out there!. thanks

[fire49]

you might do a search, I think there are some posts

[fire49]

http://www.firehouse.com/forums/show...ight=Antartica (McMurdo Fire Dept, Antarctica)

there are other posts if you search Antartica

[Jmason66]

Hey Bro I had them all over me also, until I told them I didn't have Emt. But April asked me when I could get it and I told her that I'm taking it in Jan., I guess it is hard for them to get people to go there because of the pay and the conditions

[Allin4it]

Thanks fire49,
jmason66, they arent playin around I applied, next day got phone call to set up interiew, had my phone interview , got the call the next day sayin i got the job......all in a week.,

[Jmason66]

nah man I believe you, They was contacting me until I told them I didn't have my Emt, April told me to get it and call her back... But I think it will be a cool gig, and when I get my Emt I'm going to apply again. Are you taking the winter over contract?

[sflaff]

and what's the process- pack up and go over, or you have to go to some kind of boot camp? If you do more searching, you will find various sites with photos describing life there, and pictures. How is the pay? You doing the 4 month contract?

[jalli1978]

I applied, interviewed and got the job also. One of the first questions I asked was obtaining more certs while on the ice. According to the person I interviewed with, they don't offer any certification classes whatsoever. Its not like being with a middle east contractor. Outside of an opportunity to be a firefighter on the south pole, there isn't much to offer. If you are a science geek or a loner its the place to be. If not, it may not be worth the money for 5 months.

[jalli1978]

There were a few videos on life down there. Some videos are on Youtube.com and there is one called "Encounters at the End of the World". The movie makes life on the ice look interesting.

[Allin4it]

jalli78, so are you headin out?......yea, i been '' youtube'' and googling all i can about out there., ....being former millitary being away from home for four months is nothing, especially when being able to talk to your loved ones pretty much all the time......i guess the biggest thing for me to head out there is to make sure i get something out of it. '' connections '' to othere contract gigs.

[LtMedic35]

The pay just went up if you look at the new flyer on dodjobs.com.

[nwfire17]

Not sure if LtMedic has been there or not...

I was there for two separate contracts, most recently in 2004-2005.

Its a great contract, pay is pretty comparable to a starting fire job here in the states (40k per year and you don't pay for food or housing). I've done both Antarctica and Iraq, and truthfully I would go back to Antarctica first. Yes Iraq pays more, but Antarctica was more enjoyable.

No, you won't earn any new certs while down there, but you will have a great time and have many experiences that no one else will ever have a chance to replicate.
Per an above poster, no I'm not some science geek or a loner...

All in all, this was a very enjoyable contract for me, and is one that I would consider going back to in the future.

[Allin4it]

Thanks for the input guys......I noticed Ratheon contract is up in March, right after the summer contract is over up there. I spoke to someone who says Ratheon is not even in the running for the contract to re-up.....I was told KBR, lockheed M and another 1 forgot the name will be awarded it come march.....Soooooo.....i wonder if the current employees will get grandfatherd in or what?...If KBR gets it i would be stoked cause dont they still have some gigs overseas?....and thats were i ultimately wanna go.

[Jmason66]

If thats the case I won't be surprised if it gets all Jacked up down there!!! Not to sure about Kbr but with lockheed its a lot of who you know to get a contract.

[Jmason66]

Done a little digging around and the other company with a bid in is CH2M Hill, I have a friend that works for them in the oil fields and as far as he says it is a good company... But who knows. But for you guys going please keep us updated.

[philfirerescue]

I got these guys knockin down my door 1 day after i sent my app in.... was wondering if anyone ever did some time out on the ice...They pay isnt all that great, but im lookin to obtain more certs while out there, boost my resume and ultimately make connections to get me out too the middle east in the future. Would appreciate the feed back on some people who have been out there or currently out there!. thanks

There are a couple people from "the ice" on this message board.

I went in 08/09 and 09/10 Summer and Win-Fly + Summer.

I worked with Raytheon and I worked at both McMurdo and South Pole.

The pay has gotten better I heard, as they raise the requirements to go down there. You won't be able to obtain any certs down there, just bragging rights, as the Department down there doesn't do DoD certs or any certifiable training. There are a couple former Middle East people there, but not a whole bunch. If you have any other questions let me know.

[sflaff]

yes, who to call. I'd like to call first to see if I'm eligible due to my age (44) before I go thru filling out all the paperwork.

also- the guys that got hired- going straight over, or training/academy/bootcamp first?
thanks.

[jaydenloose08]

So what certs are mandatory for employment with Raytheon? And is it worth it? Please reply to my email if possible. Jaydenloose08@yahoo.com

[Jmason66]

Hazmat ops, FF1, FF2, ARFF, Emt. and a vaild passport.

[philfirerescue]

Hazmat ops, FF1, FF2, ARFF, Emt. and a vaild passport.

I got grandfathered in without ARFF, but you do need it down there now, just to confirm that. It was funny, I went down my first season, spend almost all of it out at the airfield and I wasn't ARFF certified, but that is ice logic for you.

Also, make sure you aren't in any legal trouble; that you can't travel to New Zealand. They don't take felons and such (but if you have that kind of legal trouble you can't really be in the fire service)

They had one guy on my flight who got in trouble in Australia (a while back) and since New Zealand and Australia have a legal agreement, they had to fly that guy back to the states, because they refused to let him enter the country.

But yea, good luck...Antarctica is wicked cool