How has the Economy treated you ?

[Kakato]

According to the news last night BC says they may have to bring in people from Australia and the USA to help fight their wildfires.
Well,with all the rain in Alberta my crew are sitting at home unemployed along with a dozen cats and hoes sitting on trucks only 5 hours away from their fires.
We are all trained and most have us have been on a few fires including the big lost creek fire that lasted over a month.
Theres no ads in any papers or on the HRDC site looking for peeps.
We have loggers here that are losing their ass because of the pine beetle yet they want to bring in peeps from Australia?
Man that pisses me off.

 

[AnnaG]

My husband told me they already have Americans helping, as well as Albertans, Saskabushers, and Manitobans. (He's busy cutting breaks with a cat)

 

[Kakato]

Not any albertans I know of and I know allmost all the cat bosses from central to southern Alberta as theres only a handfull of them.
I know of at least 100 guys sitting at home that are all very experienced on fire breaks.
I typically work with about 7 different outfits and they have a total of 5 man up days this year so far so someones feeding someone a line somewhere.
Just from memory I can think of close to 70 cats,40 hoes and a dozen water buggys,couple dozen skidders,mulchers and other equipment thats just sitting.
With construction,drilling and roadwork pretty well at a stanstill here in Alberta theres is probably a few hundred pieces of machinery sitting idle.

 

[AnnaG]

Perhaps you should give our lot a dingle on the phone and let them know. I just heard on the radio today we are getting help from all over the planet soon:

Hundreds of fires continue to burn across B.C.

Try calling someone: Contact Us - Protection Branch - Ministry of Forests and Range - Province of British Columbia

I think it bloody ridiculous that our Martin Mars planes are splashing around in California when we need them:

California requests Martin Mars aid

 

[Kakato]

I dont need to call anyone,I know of at least ten big contractors that are on the list in Alberta forestry and on call as I type this.They know where we are,you have to understand that Alberta and BC's forestry is a huge hierarchy and beauracracy and they dont like their toes stepped on or for anyone to rock the boat and albeit their jobs. Thats why on one of the links you posted they are asking for fire pics and not people to help with the fire.
Hope that doesnt surprise you but it's on your link and proves my point big time.
Theres peeps in this country that actually want to fight these fires and do whats right and there's people who just want to say they went on a fire and play the hero card.
I see it all the time on the fireline,you would think some of these forestry guys were in the stan or something.
Big ego's in forestry and they know how to work public sentiment.
The forestry is like the army except they dont have guns but wish they did.
Just check out the uni's they still prefer to wear.lol!

 

[Kakato]

Water bombers are pretty well useless once a fire hits a critical level except for putting retardent on the fire breaks or houses that are in the path well ahead of a fire and thats usually done long before the fire gets close to any peeps.
When we had the lost creek fire here it was the same time as the big ones in Kelowna a few years back,I went to bed everynight for a month and could see the top of turtle mountain burning through my window a few miles away,it was like a war zone with 2 chinooks and 7 other choppers along with the old b29 bombers hitting that fire along with thousands of ground peeps and about 400 cats.

 

[miniboss]

Still got a job. Probably won't get a bonus this year, but that's understandable. Something to remember in these times, don't be too demanding for things like time off. I'm lucky, I have a fair bit of seniority, I'm technically allowed 4 weeks of holidays, we're not supposed to take it all at once, but since I'm going to Europe, my boss is allowing me to take it all at once, and to tack on an extra week. So I feel very lucky.

 

[JLM]

Not any albertans I know of and I know allmost all the cat bosses from central to southern Alberta as theres only a handfull of them.
I know of at least 100 guys sitting at home that are all very experienced on fire breaks.
I typically work with about 7 different outfits and they have a total of 5 man up days this year so far so someones feeding someone a line somewhere.
Just from memory I can think of close to 70 cats,40 hoes and a dozen water buggys,couple dozen skidders,mulchers and other equipment thats just sitting.
With construction,drilling and roadwork pretty well at a stanstill here in Alberta theres is probably a few hundred pieces of machinery sitting idle.

You must know my brother-in-law in Drayton Valley........intitials R.B.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

I'm lucky, I have a fair bit of seniority, I'm technically allowed 4 weeks of holidays, we're not supposed to take it all at once, but since I'm going to Europe, my boss is allowing me to take it all at once, and to tack on an extra week. So I feel very lucky.

You will enjoy Europe, we have visited Europe several times, it is a great place to visit (but I wouldn't want to live there). It has plenty of culture, history, tradition that we lack in North America.

 

[Kakato]

You must know my brother-in-law in Drayton Valley........intitials R.B.

He German and about 7 feet tall?
When did he get his cat boss ticket?
Ask him if he knows Curly,Paula or John M.

 

[JLM]

He German and about 7 feet tall?
When did he get his cat boss ticket?
Ask him if he knows Curly,Paula or John M.

Nope he is about 5'6" and fairly stocky and probably of English extraction. His business card says "Ron's Cat Services".

 

[Kakato]

Nope he is about 5'6" and fairly stocky and probably of English extraction. His business card says "Ron's Cat Services".

I think he was one of the guys with me at longview a few weeks ago on man up.

 

[sirlorenzo]

So far I have been lucky and things haven't changed too much. My dad on the other hand owns an electrical engineering company, and has lost a lot of work and has had to lay off many employees due to the slow down in the automotive industry.

 

[Cristiane]

The crappy economy forced my friends to move across the Atlantic...

 

[Cliffy]

I have lived so far below the poverty line for so long that I didn't notice there was a recession. I'm still waiting for the rest of you guys to come down to my level, then there might be some hope for the future of the planet.

 

[Cannuck]

I won't be joining you Cliffy.

The economic downturn has been positive for me personally.

 

[JLM]

I have lived so far below the poverty line for so long that I didn't notice there was a recession. I'm still waiting for the rest of you guys to come down to my level, then there might be some hope for the future of the planet.

And I'll bet you are just as happy with your life as the "high rollers" are during good times. When the economy is bad a smart guy just quits spending. :lol:

 

[Cliffy]

I won't be joining you Cliffy.

The economic downturn has been positive for me personally.

Well, actually, I could say the same thing. Weird how that happened. Although I am still far below the norm, I am more flush than I have ever been.

 

[DaSleeper]

And I'll bet you are just as happy with your life as the "high rollers" are during good times. When the economy is bad a smart guy just quits spending. :lol:

Governments should learn that:lol:
To use Obama's car analogy...especially for health care .....you fix the old car.....you don't buy a cadillac;-)

 

[Cliffy]

And I'll bet you are just as happy with your life as the "high rollers" are during good times. When the economy is bad a smart guy just quits spending. :lol:

Probably more so. I don't have to worry about someone trying to take it away from me.