[Overpaid Slacker]

FF/EMT in upstate NY, as a volunteer... until (1) I got too busy at work and (2) got too bored w/ the lack of "real" calls. Though I did respond to two small-to-mid sized wildland fires while volunteering.

The New York State protocol requires that basic firefighters have wildland/wilderness training, and courses are offered reasonably frequently for those interested.

Yes, you wear different gear (I can't imagine hiking through woods in bunkers), and you use different tools and skills, but it's not rocket surgery. If a trained FF were placed on a team of wildland-specific FF, there really shouldn't be a problem. The wildland guys would be keeping the eye out for wind changement/slope/etc., and the noob would be raking and putting out spots. Point is, he could take some of the load off of the wildland-trained guys.

My instructor was a FF in California for 10 years before coming to NY, and he's got a LOT of wildland experience. His prognostication --> look for a fire of epic proportions in the Adirondacks at any time. Too much ground cover, DEC doesn't allow clearing, and it's ripe for a mega-fire.

Re: your neighbor... if he just doesn't want to go into the woods, I can't blame him too much. There are a number of not-very-obvious-to-the-layperson specialties in firefighting, and whatever his is, he may have chosen it specifically b/c he doesn't want to go into the dayum woods. As long as he is serving in the capacity he is assigned (which I don't know, and don't know if you can know) then he's a firefighter, IMHO.

I'm sure Ron will have two cents when he sees the thread, but those are mine.

JP