Looking for a spot on a feller team to learn the ropes. Have experience running saws, have class A, cal fire vendor safety card, hard working.
My goal is to have my own gig as an owner operator next year and want to gain more experience.
You can text or call me at 925-285-8869
Most faller modules are going to require a FAL3 or 2 Redcard to participate. Take the S212 class and get that cert
Is that true for hired vendors?
For Fallers, yes
Why does the hired vendor packet state that you only need a letter from an employer, etc attesting to your ability to fall and buck a 24” tree and nothing about a red card? Also, looks like you need to be a FF2 in order to get a FAL3
I will repeat what I said originally, most faller modules require their people to have the FAL 2 or 3 cert. that isn’t a requirement for a Contractor to be certified under the Handbook guidelines, however, in order to meet the requirements, most do require a FAL 2 or 3 cert. FAL3 Entry Level; FAL2 Intermediate and FALI Advanced. If you don’t like my answers do some homework and you might find something different or somebody who doesn’t require it.
I wonder if one of the bigger veg management companies would be helpful? Davey or something comparable that’s gonna be big enough to have a large service area and lots of networking opportunities, as well as diverse training programs to build the resume and get experience without needing to be a firefighter…
This is what I was going to say. Work for a tree company.
I own a vegetation management company and we fell a ton of trees, we just aren’t arborists. Looking to get on with a feller module for a short term thing to learn how the calfire hired vendor position works and how working on the fire line looks. Have 10 years prior fire fighting experience so not completely new to cal fire just want more on the hired vendor side.
By no means the final word, but virtually all of the falling modules I’ve worked around were professional lumberjacks by trade, so in reality, probably at the Faller 1 level - they fall trees all day, every day, for a living. And that really makes sense, since most engines and crews have at least one qualified sawyer on them who can drop and buck the “normal” trees, the falling modules are often called upon to drop the more complex or hazardous trees, so it only makes sense that they are made up of people for whom that is their daily job, and probably better at it than most of us in the wildland fire world will ever get to be.
How are the private sector guys getting signed off on NWCG task books? I thought this was reserved for government employees or am I wrong.
Contractors are responsible for certifying their personnel. Hopefully someone from the contract side of the house can chime in with more detail as to how that works, but they are supposed to meet the same training and experience requirements as agency personnel, they just certify it through different channels.
Your a private contractor, your good to go sounds like by your experience, get a letter stating your quals and experience from another certified vendor that you’ve worked with on the state list or an employer that you have worked under. If your planning on working for yourself with your own contract, talk to your local Hired equipment tech in your unit, ask around or look it up at the CALFIRE website. They might ask you to wait for a open contract year (every 3 years).
I have plenty of friends and there are dozens of contract fallers on CF’s list that are private contractors that only have the letter and the required insurance and such. Good luck take care
Thanks for the info. Would love to work for someone else for a few weeks to see what it’s about before I enroll and start sending our guys.