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I'm getting really interested in doing this. Anyone wanna give me a brief 411 besides what's on raytheon's website? Someone wanna tell me if it's fun, how much you get paid, if it was worth it, if its better to do the 13 months, summer or winter, if NYS hazmat ops would cover the hazmat first responder, and other information you guys might have?
if u go to the thread titled contract fire all of this info is covered in there.
It was a blast! I did a couple seasons there, and one in Iraq...Antarctica was way better. I had a ton of fun.
If you have any other questions not covered in the Contract Fire Protection thread, ask away.
Benefits and pay, living conditions. Was it a hard contract to get hired on?
For those of you who are currently, or have been to the Middle East on contracts...Antarctica's pay will sound quite low. 1st year Firefighter pay is $600 per week. Lt is $675. The crappy thing is that Antarctica is not considered a foreign country, so you still get taxed. :mad: You do get performance based bonuses at the end of your contract though. Overall, I made just over 40k in a year.
Common contract lengths are 6 months, and 1 year, but you can stay different lengths of time if you wish. I didn't have any dependents when I went, so I didn't pay too much attention to benefits, I think they're pretty comparable though.
Living conditions....the best description I can give is that its like living on a university campus. You will have roommates (either two to a room, or four, depending on what building you get). The nice thing for firefighters is that you room with someone on the opposite shift, so if you're off duty, your roommate will be on duty and you'll essentially have a room to yourself. Food is cooked for you and served buffet style in the galley. Its pretty decent food usually, but you get tired of the same stuff after awhile. (I must say, its MUCH better than the crap I had in Iraq though!)
They work 24 on, 24 off. One of the nicest schedules there is down there.
It was a piece of cake for me to get hired on. Others have had different experiences however.
Overall, I had a blast and would do it again. I'd much rather make less and enjoy myself than put up with all the nitwits and BS in the sandbox. Besides...how many people do you know who've been to Antarctica?
I've been appling for 3 years now and haven't even gotten a call for a interview. Thats with my degree, and volunteer experence whats the trick?
How was the fire duty in both places?
I'm not interested in working down there, but is there a website for the Anarctica FD?
PersistenceQuote:
Originally Posted by firefighterbeau
I kept calling until I finally got a-hold of the chief, then from there it was smooth sailing. I've heard rumors that there's been a recent change in their administration, but I don't know anything specific about it yet. Just keep trying though!
i'm really stoked about applying for this job. is there a cpat or anything like that for it?
besides eating, cleaning apparatus/the station, working out, training and inspecting buildings, what else is there that you guys do on shift?
what do people usually have a choice of doin off shift? do the scientists really look for help at the firehouse often? what did y'all find most fun to do?
is the winter-over just pretty boring and repetitive?
do you have to submit your yearly taxes while you're down there? how long does mail take to get back to the states?
does it matter if i'm just a volunteer and not looking to go career? does it help to have a few years experience and not be right out of the academy?(i heard that its alot of people that are fresh out)