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Welcome to the Antarctic Fire Department
- rcdemski 2y agoThe simplicity of this site is so exciting to me. I’m looking through the lens of nostalgia for the internet around 2000, but I often I wish we could return to this sort of world of lightweight and simple web design.
- kijin 2y agoI suppose the internet hasn't been very fast down there, and nobody has time to load dozens of scripts and tracking beacons when their science lab is on fire.
- padolsey 2y agoI was thinking that. And really chuffed to see things like $(function(){ $(".rollovers a").hover(function(){ $(this).children("span").fadeOut(); }, function(){ $(this).children("span").fadeIn(); }) });
- aphantastic 2y agoNow introducing a brand new, declarative framework built for interoperability and ease of use. Forget bundling, transpiring, packaging, dependency management – and don’t even think about worrying about CJS vs ESM vs AMD vs UMD vs SystemJS vs …, just include this one <script> and reference $ to your heart’s content.
- Maxion 2y agoEven better, the JS is now scoped to the current view! And routing is now folder based.
- ErigmolCt 2y agoRaw clarity and focus
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- Cthulhu_ 2y agoWe can, but it involves building your own websites, or volunteering for local organizations / charities / etc to build them, or pushing for simple website designs at your employer. The latter likely won't work due to branding and there being 10-100x as much budget available as strictly needed for an informational website.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- saagarjha 2y agoIs this a division of Lockheed Martin or something? I'm curious why it's in the footer.
- dragonwriter 2y agoIts a unit of Lockheed Martin performing under a contract with the NSF, yes (see the About Us and the Read More in the footer.)
- saagarjha 2y agoUnfortunately the link seems dead :(
- CuriousCosmic 2y agohttps://news.lockheedmartin.com/2011-12-28-Lockheed-Martin-Wins-Contract-Worth-up-to-2-Billion-to-Support-the-U-S-Antarctic-Program https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2011-12-28-Lockheed-Martin-W...
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- the_plus_one 2y agoThe website is out of date. The firefighting contracts used to be owned by Lockheed Martin, then PAE group, and now Amentum. (edit: As proof, here's Amentum's listing for a McMurdo firefighter: https://www.amentumcareers.com/jobs/firefighter-mcmurdo-station-antarctica-68f1d16e-c6fe-4eed-a037-c4abab58a387 https://www.amentumcareers.com/jobs/firefighter-mcmurdo-stat...)
- ryukoposting 2y agoThis is the most badass job on Earth. Nice website too.
- ErigmolCt 2y agoThe website just makes it all feel even more rugged and authentic
- racedude 2y agoTIL that they have a bowling lane in Antartica xD
- kazinator 2y agoYou can use penguins for pins down there.
- Cyphase 2y agoPinguins.
- cozzyd 2y agothat's actually a violation of the Antarctic Treaty, unfortunately (?) (one of the few things I remember from the myriad videos they make you watch before you go down to the ice)
- jasomill 2y agoPursuant to sub-paragraph (b) of article 3 of Annex II to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty[1], a permit to "kill, injure, capture, handle or molest" penguins may be issued "to provide specimens for…other…cultural institutions or uses," which could arguably include bowling. IANAL, YMMV, etc., etc. [1] https://documents.ats.aq/cep/handbook/Annex_II_e.pdf#page=2 https://documents.ats.aq/cep/handbook/Annex_II_e.pdf#page=2
- cozzyd 2y agohmm, ok I'll ask that at the briefing next time I go!
- arlattimore 2y agoNot strictly related to the Antarctic Fire Department, but if you're interested in the remoteness aspect of it - you'll likely enjoy reading https://brr.fyi/ https://brr.fyi/ which is an account of living/working at the South Pole and has been featured on HN several times in the past.
- sgt 2y agoI've seen a lot of posts to that site. Really enjoyable reading. Like another world.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- comprev 2y agoFantastic blog to read - thanks! I sent it on to my father who spent time in Antarctica during the early 80s so it'll probably jog some memories to tell me.
- shiroiushi 2y agoHow do they deal with things like crashed alien spaceships and shape-shifting aliens that can only be destroyed with fire?
- dllthomas 2y agoNot to mention the bigoted penguins.
- Theodores 2y agoI like the idea of penguins starting fires. Recently I learned about cats starting fires. Cat arsonists leap up onto kitchen counter tops and walk across the glass hob with touch buttons to turn the hob on. A chip pan fire then ensues. Because of the rise in fires cause by cat arsonists, the British fire services now carry oxygen masks for cats. Since there is a reasonable chance that a house fire is caused by a cat arsonist, it only makes sense to take the cat-sized oxygen mask. They don't want the culprits deceased if they are to interrogate them. There are two grains of truth in the above tall tale, the fire service do carry oxygen masks for cats and cats do start fires from walking on hob buttons. Put together it sounds ludicrously credible, verging on urban myth. I now need to work on 'penguin arsonists' to combine with the fact that there is an Antarctic fire service.
- Der_Einzige 2y agoA husky famously caused a fire on a physical control stove top when he tried to get pizza which sat on top of the stove top. There’s videos (everyone survived including the dog)
- ErigmolCt 2y agoImagine their training day...
- cmonreally123 2y agoWhy does Antartica use freshwater for fire fighting? Maybe I missed it the article?
- bobnamob 2y agoMy uninformed guess would be corrosion. Salt water will (eventually) destroy everything you know and love
- accurrent 2y agoAs an ex-firefighter not based out of antarctica, you are absolutely right. Sea water is extremely damaging to pumps. We use it as a last resort, and often have to refurb pumps when we do.
- indolering 2y agoEventually?
- 0points 2y agoYes. Not immediately, but eventually like parent said. Is there something lost in (your) translation, or are your single word post just extraordinarily hard to comprehend? If you had a question, please use more words. Seems like you are just being stubborn or otherwise not wanting to add to the discussion.
- iphoneisbetter 2y ago[dead]
- indolering 2y agoI was trying to make a joke about how bad salt water corrosion is.
- fermigier 2y agoI hope they keep flamethrowers handy in case any Norwegian dogs start acting funny...
- jimkleiber 2y agoMy buddy used to work there and brought me a patch from there. I felt and still feel so cool because of it :-)
- pbhjpbhj 2y agoNow that's what you call high specific heat capacity!
- ErigmolCt 2y agoIt's incredible to think of people living and working in such an unyielding environment, committed to both protecting life and safeguarding one of the last untouched ecosystems on Earth...
- killingtime74 2y agoThe positions have no indication of pay. Wondering if it's more than stateside
- Cthulhu_ 2y agoHard to find a good source, but this listicle [0] mentions wages around $150.000 for jobs like refueler, cook, communications officer, plumber, sparkie etc, and over 200K for a doctor or station leader. There's perks, bonuses etc on top of that. I wonder if they pay for their own room and board or if that's one of the perks; given they have a cook I suspect they have communal food at least. [0] https://www.9news.com.au/national/all-the-job-openings-in-antarctica-for-next-year-and-how-much-they-pay/2cb70785-e185-4bb1-a002-51bdd7cb44c8#2 https://www.9news.com.au/national/all-the-job-openings-in-an...
- althaine 2y agoI happen to be in Antarctica right now employed by the Australian program that you linked to. > There's perks, bonuses etc on top of that. No, the 150,000-170,000 pay range for most of us (everyone but the station leader and doctor) is inclusive of all our allowances. There are a few extra duties like deputy station leader and fire chief that get an additional allowance. > I wonder if they pay for their own room and board or if that's one of the perks; given they have a cook I suspect they have communal food at least. All food and accomodation (and utilities, internet, phone calls, recreational equipment and trips, cold weather survival clothing) is provided to us. I have essentially zero expenses.
- Etheryte 2y agoThis is both incredibly cool and also somehow such a HN moment. Of course there's someone here who's currently stationed in Antarctica. Out of curiosity, since I've always had the idea of visiting one day, what do you reckon is the most feasible way to do so, short of stationing there for a living like you are?
- 2y ago
- LandR 2y agoThe opportunities > careers page just links to a picture of a shed.
- Cthulhu_ 2y ago...that's either the best or the worst job advert.
- the_plus_one 2y agoI mentioned this in another thread, but the website is out of date. The contracts for McMurdo firefighting are currently held with Amentum: https://www.amentumcareers.com/jobs/firefighter-mcmurdo-station-antarctica-68f1d16e-c6fe-4eed-a037-c4abab58a387 https://www.amentumcareers.com/jobs/firefighter-mcmurdo-stat...
- spwa4 2y agoDoes Starlink work at McMurdo?
- the_plus_one 2y agoI've looked into this before, and it seems like they got Starlink recently-ish (within the past couple years or so). A google search of "inurl:reddit mcmurdo starlink" brings up a few hits from /r/antarctica.
- shepherdjerred 2y agoHere's the picture: https://www.pae.com/career https://www.pae.com/career
- beloch 2y agoAntarctica, simultaneously, seems like the hardest place in the world for fire to do it's thing (Everything is ice) and the worst place in the world to be a fire fighter (your hose is full of ice).
- Cthulhu_ 2y agoI'm probably stating the obvious, but any human stuff is definitely flammable. What do they do for heat anyway? I'd imagine they use oil or gas, which sounds like a big logistic challenge away from any ports. Anyway, I'd imagine they mainly get oil/gas fires or electrical fires, for which it'd be better to use foam or whatever is best for electrical. If they use water, they'd keep the hoses dry and warm and use a de-icer like glycol.
- althaine 2y ago> I'm probably stating the obvious, but any human stuff is definitely flammable. It is also very dry. > What do they do for heat anyway? Waste heat from the diesel gensets providing our electricity, supplemented by additional diesel burners. > big logistic challenge away from any ports It is, we (Davis station) have storage for about a year and a half worth of fuel, and refuel via icebreaker bunkerage once a year. > Anyway, I'd imagine they mainly get oil/gas fires or electrical fires, for which it'd be better to use foam or whatever is best for electrical. If they use water, they'd keep the hoses dry and warm and use a de-icer like glycol. We use dry chemical extinguishers as a first response. Most buildings have sprinklers and sensitive areas have hi-fog. We have a Hagglund (tracked vehicle) with a water tank and pump and can hook up to the ring main at hydrants around station. Unlike McMurdo we don't have dedicated fire-fighters so we all got a week of firefighting training before departure and a third of the station is on call at any time as the emergency response team.
- gorfian_robot 2y agodry chem first? what a mess! too bad halon isn't A Thing anymore.
- Bluescreenbuddy 2y agoThey can fight fire in Antarctica but they can't seem to solve the rampant sexual harassment
- mindslight 2y agoYes. A fire is a natural threat that is in everyone's interest to address as quickly and forcefully as possible. Sexual harassment is an element of interpersonal politics, which necessarily involves painstakingly slow progress and a lighter touch to avoid going backwards. Of course as we get better and better at preventing natural threats, those too start to transition into the realm of politics. eg "Why do we have so many building codes when structure fires are so rare?"
- SuperHeavy256 2y agoNoob question but I'll ask it: How is it possible for a fire to happen naturally in Antarctica?
- dsjoerg 2y agoIt's not. The fires to be fought are not natural fires but accidental ones relating to human activity.
- SuperHeavy256 2y agoThank you for a good answer that doesn't make me feel dumb. I appreciate it
- ortusdux 2y agoI went camping with an EMS/Paramedic that did a stint at McMurdo station. He rode along with the fire crew, and one of their main off-base jobs was working ARFF on their rather difficult runway. IIRC, some of the planes would intentionally drop fuel pods, which then need to monitored while they burned off. https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/aircraft_rescue_fire_fighting https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/aircraft_rescue_... Ultimately, EMS/Paramedic spent most of his time performing his secondary duty - clearing the runway of penguins. They were not allowed to touch them, so they were instructed to keep their hands in the air and shimmy sideways in order to shoo them to safety. He did demonstrate this penguin shooing dance to us around the fire, which led to him gaining the nickname Zoidberg.
- SuperHeavy256 2y agoLmaoo this is hilarious to picture in my head. I wanna see a video of Zoidberg doing his dance.
- standardUser 2y agoReminded me of this excellent write-up of working and living in Antarctica by a travel writer. She went on to live there again after her first visit: https://wandereatwrite.com/how-i-got-paid-to-live-in-antarctica/ https://wandereatwrite.com/how-i-got-paid-to-live-in-antarct...
- speerer 2y agoUnder "Required Qualifications" on the recruitment page it reads: > "Valid state driver's license is required." hmm. This led me down a Reddit rabbit hole with no perfect answer to the obvious question.
- fragmede 2y agoOf which state? Why would it matter? They just want to know that a regional authority has given you a test to confirm that you know how to operate a motor vehicle and that you passed, just like renting a car.
- jimjag 2y agoI would have assumed that the workload would be similar to what Fred and Barney expected at the Bedrock Fire Department.