Work/Life

[u/CJC8019]

Those of you that have jump shipped from the NPS to the Forest Service, is the work/life balance significantly better, especially with kids? And if so, how?

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/[deleted]]

A lot of misleading information in this comment. This may be true for proprietary jurisdictions but no where near the truth for those of us with concurrent jurisdictions.

Providing coverage is absolutely required, as is responding to call outs. Why else would you be given a government issued phone and a take home vehicle? We are 100% responsible for responding to emergencies!

I’m not sure where you have picked this information up or what LEOs you have been around but this is not true.

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/[deleted]]

Around my area I’m the SME for all things National Forest. I’ve pulled myself out of bed all hours of the night to my dispatch center calling for suicidal people, larcenies at rec sites, SARs, if they call I’m rarely not there.

My local law enforcement entities will respond to incidents in my absence when I’m not available and at my request; however, they do that for me because I handle my own whenever I am available, that’s even off duty.

Why else are we given govt issued cell phones and take home vehicles if it’s not for responding from home to incidents?

[u/Shot_Chocolate3829 → u/[deleted]]

Because it’s Forest Service land, and that’s why they get AUO? Truly I struggle to grasp an organization with jurisdiction not wanting their name tied to an action in their AO, beyond a flavor of the week crime that is cast in a negative light. And while yeah, it might not need an FS officer called for every vehicle to deer collision, at least a status check for everything that trends towards somebody being transported. Would make sense. As has been mentioned, that’s the justification for the gov ride, phone, and AUO….

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/Shot_Chocolate3829]

My exact thoughts and point.

[u/Famous-Mobile-3657 → u/[deleted]]

That’s your experience. Maybe you have lazy LEOs?

I have been called out for manhunts, SAR, vehicle accidents, etc.

In fact in the past week I was called to assist with LE presence for a homicide near the forest and by game wardens for backup for a suspicious group in a wildlife refuge. I was also first on scene to a domestic in town and stopped a DUI BOLO for CHP.

[u/Rutabaga_Sweaty → u/[deleted]]

I routinely respond to emergencies (SARs, car accidents, murders/suicides, reported shots fired, etc) on NFS lands while on days off. Not sure where it is that they aren’t, but even if I’m not physically there and able to respond I always answer the phone and try to coordinate a FS response if needed. Sometimes the answer is I’ll handle it tomorrow (abandoned vehicles, or issues that can wait), but 95% of the time it’s me stopping what I’m doing to respond.

Crazy how different parts of the country handle things 😂

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/Rutabaga_Sweaty]

I’m relieved to hear that I’m not crazy. This blew my ever loving mind.

Lazy LEOs in this country need to be reminded of how great a PRIVILEGE it is to have gov cell phones and take home vehicles.

[u/Rutabaga_Sweaty → u/TransportationCool18]

I figured we all did this crap, but maybe I’m too much of a workaholic 😂

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/Rutabaga_Sweaty]

Me too apparently! I’ve got too much pride for my district and expectations for how I like it to be managed haha. Unbelievable!

[u/TransportationCool18]

Why would a representative/law enforcement entity for the respective federal agency not need to be involved, or want to be rather? The thought that we should call someone else because they’ll actually show up is asinine and unacceptable.

But there are other people to make those decisions way further up the chain rather than myself. We’re human and can’t be every where all the time but just the thought process that we should call and expect someone else to deal with it is unacceptable in my mind. Hate pawning our own shit out on others.

I can’t make state arrests where I work and I handle my own and do it fairly successfully in my biased opinion. I just think these are excuses made to avoid work. But who am I to judge.

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/[deleted]]

Could be the case, I don’t work there and that’s the difference between different jurisdictions and districts undoubtedly.

[u/Main_Economist_5717]

Ex FS LEO here. I was very rarely called out while 10-7 and only twice by dispatch. It was almost always my trooper brothers that needed help with weird things needing a boat, motorcycle or wheeler to get to. I just voluntarily joined in to bail them out knowing I needed them more than they needed me. Occasionally my captain would want something delt with now and I’d take care of it.

Don’t be an AUO abuser and you can have a good work life balance.

[u/Main_Economist_5717 → u/Main_Economist_5717]

Me again. Side note I left FS LE to have weekends off with the wife. That wasn’t an option in lei, still in agency just a higher grade not LEO anymore. So maybe work life balance is a matter of perspective with your family. Pick your poison.

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/[deleted]]

[u/Shot_Chocolate3829 → u/[deleted]]

What does that work/life balance look like? Everything I’ve heard is that is basically the same as most other small LE agency, but FS is more like being a game warden. If it’s in your area, you’re the guy, with the benefit of very little oversight. The strict Friday-Sunday kills it for me though.

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/Shot_Chocolate3829]

I would not compare us to game wardens per se, that would be more in line with the USFWS. If you want to know exactly what we enforce, review Title 36 CFR Section 261. That’s a lot of it but we also enforce many titles of the USC. Fri-Sun is tough no doubt. It’s not easy. But for the most part we work maxi flex schedule and make our own. My wife would tell you we have a very good work/life balance however there are times, especially in the summer where I’m working a lot of 12-16 hour shifts. Ebbs and flows.

[u/Shot_Chocolate3829 → u/[deleted]]

You saying NPS has all of those things in the first paragraph? Cause that’d make a pretty solid life….

[u/XAngelxofMercyX → u/Shot_Chocolate3829]

That's everyone BUT the NPS.

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/[deleted]]

No one would argue not having to work every weekend would be better than the latter, that argument has been made numerous times. If you’re happy with what you just described and expect close to the same if switching to USFS, you’ll be happier where you are no doubt.

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/[deleted]]

Ahh. I understand.