WA DNR

[Flying Pig]

In all seriousness.... what's the deal? Why do you continually see recruitments for pilots and even a Chief Pilot for WADNR? I know the pay is pretty low, but not as low as some state fire agencies... like the FL Forest Service (those poor guys....wow.) Is the turn over that high? Are they a revolving door for building huey and fire time?

[AS350 pilot]

I haven't seen the job posting but I found this article:

 

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/pilot-shortage-idled-some-wildfire-fighting-helicopters-2/

 

One pilot stated in the article that he made as little as $42,500 one year. For a qualified and capable pilot to fly that mission that is horrible pay. I don't know anything about the organization other than what that article said, but the pay is so low that if I was looking (fortunately I'm not) that I wouldn't even bother applying.

 

That being said, fighting fires in a medium is very rewarding and incredibly fun….but literally everyone pays better than that lol!

[Dragbrace]

The state of Washington is having many problems in the area of pay scales among it's many agencies. They are losing State Patrol officers and are having trouble recruiting replacements due to substandard pay scales. The current administration seems to be more focused on welfare issues,social programs, and promoting 15.00/hour minimum wage than keeping the agency pay scales competitive.

As a result morale is low among longtime state employee's. There has been a lot of press on these issues and hopefully changes will be made.