On heat conditioning/acclimatization

[Octave]

Update on the original intent of this thread -

I spent the month of June (which was unusually cool and mild here) layered up, suffering through any opportunity I had to overheat in a controlled manner (i.e. at home, near water and the ability to strip down if needed). I bucked trees, set fences, dug garden beds, mucked stalls...etc. all intentionally in the afternoon heat with a base-layer and a hoodie on, or a heavy flannel and a warm hat. By the time the heat came around in early July I was sitting outside with shirtless friends drinking beer while I was in denim with wool socks and a long-sleeve without breaking a sweat. I kept my neck covered with a bandana all summer to work on forced perspiration around the body's heat-channel.

In short, it all worked quite well. During the months of the fire season not a week went by without a medical evacuation due to heat-related illness. One person from our 20-person hand crew was sidelined for an entire 2-week run due to a heat stroke, while I watched hotshots in buggies headed off the fireline in California and Oregon a dozen times that I can remember in 3 months. Even on the 110F days I was running chainsaw for 12+ hrs with chaps on my Nomex without ever entering the overheating territory. I sweat like heck, drank more water than I knew possible, but never felt overheated.

Not exactly a controlled experiment, but my first reaction is that the process of controlled heat adaptation worked. I'll be working with a similar protocol next year going into the fire season.

[htwoopup]

I am sure @Octave knows all of this as do some other subject matter experts here...but a layman's terms article about the job for those laymen like me who have been following along on this fascinating thread....

https://wapo.st/3T4GhOS

[Octave]

I am sure @Octave knows all of this as do some other subject matter experts here...but a layman's terms article about the job for those laymen like me who have been following along on this fascinating thread....

https://wapo.st/3T4GhOS

Great article, @htwoopup. Personally, the hardest part of the job is being away from home for 3 months (plus or minus a few weeks). This year I spent a month in California, plus another 10 weeks in southern Oregon. I saw my wife, dog, sheep, and homestead for 48 hours at a time where I basically did laundry, slept, went for a few walks, and tried to help around the farm as best I could (and brewed beer to have when I got back).

The inconsistency of the work from year to year is also difficult to deal with. And finding seasonal employers who are understanding of you leaving for the summer if you need the money to make ends meet between fire seasons is not easy. At the moment I'm slinging lumber for 9-10 hours a day at a local mill - I ride my bike there at 5h15 in the morning and get home around 16h00, it'll make enough money to make us comfortable for the year while I do some training to move up the ladder in the fire world and try to get to a pay scale where I'm able to not work much the rest of the year. For now it's staying in shape slinging lumber off a green chain and sweating my butt off. On that note, the heat acclimatization works wonders when I want to keep my sweatshirt on all day while we're hustling because I'm trying to avoid something hazardous (this week we are cutting Hemlock...).

I really don't mind the smoke, and I love sleeping in a tent at night, spending weeks at a time not even looking at my phone, and of course, there is no better feeling than walking into a grocery store and being greeted by someone who has a home at the edge of the fire line. It makes my heart feel full and gives me the passion to work 16-hour days in the hot sun battling 30ft flames.

Oh, and I do miss bikes in the fire season.

[AngryScientist]

My background is in the maritime/power business and like bigbill, I have spent countless hours in engine rooms and 1960's vintage steam powerhouses where ambient temps in the 120-130's is common. I also have a reasonably extensive background in damage control and firefighting and am familiar with walking into a blaze with an SCBA on knowing fill well I'm relying heavily on the equipment. The fire side has never been my real job though, so I wont pretend to be a professional there.

There has been some good advice offered here, but I think you will find that it's all pretty individual. Everyone acclimatizes a bit differently and you'll need to really listen to your body with an honest ear to know how far to bury the gas pedal. The only other good advice is to foster the best of personal relationships with your mates in the field as you can. When your own brain is fizzled, a close pal will often know when to sound the alarm. The buddy system is critical in intense situations as you may likely see.

Fair winds Octave pal. In multiple contexts :)