THE JOB
The crew’s primary mission is aerial-delivered initial attack. In addition, we provide recon flights, support for logistical, prescribed fire, and medical operations on and off forest, and helibase management. Our crew is typically very busy from late June to early October, with opportunities for crewmembers to extend their typical tours with shoulder season work.
THE BASE
The Malheur Rappel Crew is based out of the Grant County Regional Airport in John Day, Oregon. Surrounded by the Strawberry and Aldrich Mountains of Eastern Oregon, John Day rests within minutes of some of the best fishing, hunting, and hiking in the state. We are centrally located to several small communities in the John Day Valley, including Canyon City, Prairie City, and Mount Vernon.
Although John Day is not a large city, it has a full-service supermarket, a golf course, several parks, and a small bustling downtown. For anything not found locally, John Day is only a few hours west of Boise, and a few hours east of Bend. If you love the outdoors and hate traffic, you’ll fit right in.
Although John Day is not a large city, it has a full-service supermarket, a golf course, several parks, and a small bustling downtown. For anything not found locally, John Day is only a few hours west of Boise, and a few hours east of Bend. If you love the outdoors and hate traffic, you’ll fit right in.
HOUSING
The crew offers government housing to our detailers and temps when able. There are also rental opportunities in town and in each of the communities mentioned above, although options can be limited. Seasonal employees can expect local rent to cost between $400 and $800 per month. Crewmembers in the past have opted to go in together on a house for the season to offset the cost of living.
PHYSICAL FITNESS
The Malheur Rappel Crew places huge emphasis on physical fitness. Rappellers are expected to perform at an exceptionally high level, working through long shifts on the fireline and regularly completing 110 pound pack-outs. All rappellers in our program must pass the Work Capacity Test (WCT) at the arduous level as a condition of hire; three miles carrying 45 pounds in under 45 minutes. We also require every employee to complete the BLM fitness test annually.
The BLM fitness test includes the following exercises:
- 1.5 mile run (target time : sub 11 minutes)
- Push-ups (target : over 25 reps)
- Pull-ups (target : over 7 reps)
- Plank (target : 2 minute hold or more)
As aerially delivered firefighters, we are often expected to pack ourselves and all our gear off of our fires once the job is done. Because of this unique demobilization process, as a new crewmember, you can expect to complete the following additional pack tests during rookie training:
- 85 pound pack test (3 miles) in 90 minutes or less
- 110 pound pack-out in typical terrain
New crewmembers will find that the expectation is for these numbers to be exceeded as the demands of our rookie training program are far above and beyond these basic fitness tests. These should act as a starting point, not the end goal.
Rappellers are expected to show up in shape and continue their physical training throughout the season. Typical PTs include running, hiking, and cross training to improve cardiovascular endurance and strength conditioning. Showing up in excellent shape helps reduce the risk of injury and increases your chances of making it though our arduous rookie training.
Parting words of advice: be honest with yourself about your abilities and how long it will take you to reach the required level of fitness.
Start early. Develop a plan. Be persistent. Give it all you’ve got.
RAPPEL TRAINING
We begin our rookie training in late April. The first five weeks on the crew are dedicated to extensive physical, classroom, and field training geared towards assessing our trainees’ ability to perform under pressure.
Running is a staple. Expect crew runs up to 13 miles with heavy circuit and weight training mixed in. Our average crew run pace is 8:30 min/mile. You will find that most days will feature double PTs that build upon themselves. Once rookie training is over, you’ll find that the crew sets aside up to two hours daily throughout the season for PT to maintain and improve physical fitness.
Rookie training also includes mandatory refreshers and helicopter crewmember class (S-270, S-271). Our training program culminates in participation at the National Rappel Academy.
There is no down time during the training and all trainees must demonstrate competency in all aspects of the training to remain with the program. More training opportunities will be provided throughout the season to further each crewmember’s qualifications and career development.
Running is a staple. Expect crew runs up to 13 miles with heavy circuit and weight training mixed in. Our average crew run pace is 8:30 min/mile. You will find that most days will feature double PTs that build upon themselves. Once rookie training is over, you’ll find that the crew sets aside up to two hours daily throughout the season for PT to maintain and improve physical fitness.
Rookie training also includes mandatory refreshers and helicopter crewmember class (S-270, S-271). Our training program culminates in participation at the National Rappel Academy.
There is no down time during the training and all trainees must demonstrate competency in all aspects of the training to remain with the program. More training opportunities will be provided throughout the season to further each crewmember’s qualifications and career development.
TOUR OF DUTY
Work for our seasonal employees typically starts in late April and ends in early October. Temporary employees are hired on as Not-to-Exceed (NTE) with a cap of 1039 base hours per year as GS-04s or GS-05s. Our permanent senior firefighters are hired as 13/13s. Apprentices and Detailers do not have imposed limitations.
Please see our hiring page for announcement numbers.
Please see our hiring page for announcement numbers.
