Dickies at Work The Conservation Corps
On the whole, it seemed just right. I was still out in time to start a career, did some work for my country, got to travel all over the state and see practically every acre of forest land it had, and even got to roll on a couple of forest fires. It was half vacation and half job, with the occasional dash of adventure. My second year I buckled down and got some career training started anyway.
The Corps dresses it's members in such a way that they cannot forget they're in a program started during the "New Deal" in a democratic society. All uniforms are Dickies, brown pants with tan shirts, all the way through the ranks, with only colored hats as the sole sign of rank. The ranks by hat colors run blue, green, red, yellow, orange, white, and black. There's only one "honorary" black hat, and a white hat is a center director.
The California Conservation Corps works closely with other state departments such as the California Department of Forestry and Caltrans. If you visit Yosemite and take a trail up a mountain, chances are good that a CCC crew cut that trail. Or if you notice that a dirt hill that was eroding is now sprouting shoots that help retain the landscape, that might have been some CCC handiwork. The CCC also does the biggest part of disaster relief when needed, responding to floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and forest fires. If you've heard of "smoke-jumpers" who go into a forest fire by helicopter to fight it, those are also usually recruited from the CCC's ranks.
By itself, the CCC is a good leg up in a career of civil service for the State government. It also offers job training in a variety of fields, and some paid college while attending. It's a good pit stop for the very young adult, wishing to get some adventure in before settling down to the car loans and mortgages of the suburban life.
Which isn't to say it's fantastic. A sizable proportion of those who join are screw-ups, but they sort themselves out after a month. The conditions are rugged, particularly in the back-country projects where you're off in a camp without any contact from the outside world for months at a time. The pay… hey, I said I deliberated between this and the Peace Corps, right? Whatever you do, don't do this job for the money.
The Dickie uniforms. Do it for them. No, but anyway about the uniforms, you sew patches on the sleeves for whatever center or department you're with. That's the other distinguishing feature. You keep these patches around even after you've tossed the uniforms. With your other keepsakes, like the pictures and the work gloves and the T-shirt they sold you at the fire camp.
Fire camp! See, fighting forest fires is largely a matter of depriving them of fuel. So you go around the fire and cut line. If you're lucky and the wind is right, you got the line to go all around the fire and it dies out. If it got away, you have to cut more line around where it is now. If you think a crew of people armed with axes chopping their way through a tall pine forest for a ten mile radius are no match for a fire moving through the trees at the speed of wind, you're right. It's impossible. And every fire ends just that way: we accomplish the impossible and kill the fire.
The planes and helicopters make "air drops", bucket dumps of slurry on the fire to retard the flames. This is a strategic attempt to douse just one area at the perimeter of the fire; the equivalent of attacking a house fire with a thimble full of water in an attempt to hold it back one second until you can close the door. These are called in by radio. Even if we had one hundred of these, they couldn't put out the fire by themselves. Largely they douse an area to keep it from catching.
This would be difficult enough on flat ground. But forest fires often happen on mountainous terrain. Hills and gullies have to be navigated, often where trucks can't go. Fires like to rush up hills and devour the trees there, then creep down into the next valley. Get too far from the fire and you'll never catch up. Get to close and, well, you got to close to a fire. The fire camp goes for days like this, moving and fighting, sixteen hour shifts of exhausting labor in the woods, plopping back unconscious at camp and waking up and the first thing you ask is "Where is it?" You get an answer something like "Three-thirty, heading east, 60% contained." And that's enough to get you running to catch up again. Sixty percent isn't anything. Sixty percent means you're failing.
After the fire's out, there's the cleanup. Going back to retrieve equipment, put out hot spots, and knock down snags. The area freshly burned from the fire might as well be on another planet. No noise, no birds. Hazy gray sunshine through smoke. Black spikes that are all that's left of trees, some still standing. Knee-deep ash everywhere. Hot spots; sometimes when a tree burns, the root stay on fire for a few days afterward, burning away deep in the ground, and these are hot spots. They look like miniature volcanoes in the ash, with a plume of smoke within.
But then you visit town when the fire's over, and make a stop for supplies on the way home. The town, nestled amongst the woods, was saved. The people of the town greet you like heroes, even if your role in the fire fighting wasn't that major. They recognize you, the distinctive brown and tan Dickie uniforms with the ash and smoke streaks on them mark you as one of the crew. Little else distinguishes you after you lift the goggles from your eyes and there's so much ash on your face that the goggles left an impression. The Conservation Corps is democratic, it does not matter who outranks who. There is no rank then, only team.
Related Tags: career, job, dickies, work uniforms, california conservation corps, ccc
Freelance writer for over eleven years.Work Shirts Formal Wear Dickies Medical Scrubs Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- Ideas For Finding a Nanny Job
Looking after the welfare of children is a very important job. The role of caregivers in the present - What There is to Know About a Temp Agency
A temp agency is a place were skilled office workers can go to get work. There are a number of diffe - Discovering the Many Ways a Temp Agency Can Assist in a Down Economy
When out of money and unable to find work, often times can look hopeless. However, for many who have - Careers That Require Financial Responsibility
Keeping your finances in order is important for any adult, but if you want to work in certain career - What You Need To Know About Resumes And Cover Letters
If the ways of getting employed is composed of steps, the first task would be to come up with an imp - How To Increase Your Chances Of Getting Hired
In trying to get a job, the person that you are going to impress, aside from your would-be boss, wou - Tips on How to Get Hired in a Flash
Unemployment rate all over the world is undeniably huge. But, the bigger problem that professionals - Tips and Techniques on Finding a Job Quickly
There are three ways on how you can get employed at the soonest possible time- that would be, knowin - Securing Your Lifetime Starts Now
If by the time you're 30 and you still don't know what you want to do with your life, it should alre - Occupational Therapy Jobs For a Career in Nursing
Occupational therapy jobs are undertaken by individuals who are willing to engage their skills in he
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Hollow Eyes Are Not Dark Circles Under The Eyes
Many people of all ages complain of dark circles under their eyes. The phrase "dark circles under th - Career As A Hairstylist
Hairdressing is an art that involves arranging hair for aesthetic purposes, participation in formal - Life After West Point Military School
West Point exists to educate and train Cadets who are commissioned as Officers in the US Army upon G - Work Experience In Fashion - How To Get A Great Opportunity In Fashion Work
Work experience in fashion can be one of the most challenging positions to find. It's a simple equa - Tips for Job Hunting in Today's Market
In order to be competitive in today's job market, you must stand apart from the competition. Just h - Who are the EMTs
You'll find them at Denny's. At least I always do. Denny's, Coco's, Perkin's; any all-night restaura - Hiring A New Assistant?
More and more small businesses and even larger companies are turning to virtual office assista - You Too Can Start an Independent Record Label
It's no big secret, the trick of how to start a record label definitely involves some cash and most - Increased Salary with a Medical Degree: Consider the Options
Physicians are probably one of the highest paid professionals in the world. They make a lot of money - 5 Steps to Becoming a Virtual Assistant
Here are 5 steps that I went through in becoming a virtual assistant. These aren’t official by