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A Hotshot Crew, or Hotshots as they are more colloquially known, is a group of highly trained wildland firefighters. A Hotshot crew is a shared national resource that can respond to any fire emergency. As such, they are organized and funded by different government agencies including the USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service, various Native American tribes, and the states of Alaska and Utah; the National Interagency Fire Center in Idaho co-ordinates on the national level. Hotshot Crews began in Southern California in the late 1940s on the Cleveland and Angeles National Forest. The name was in reference to being in the hottest part of fires.
Their specialty is wildfire suppression, but they are sometimes assigned other jobs, including search and rescue and disaster response assistance. Hotshots not busy fighting fire will also work to meet resource goals on their home units through thinning, prescribed fire implementation, habitat improvement or trail construction projects.
The twenty-member Hotshot crews are often called Type 1 Crews, but are really Type 1 Crews-PLUS since they exceed the experience, training and physical fitness required for a Type 1 Crew. They may be sent anywhere in the United States, and have been to Mexico and Canada, to fight wildland fires. They can safely and efficiently use all fire tools including Pulaskis, chain saws, fusees, driptorches, shovels, pumps, and engines, and understand and practice safe helicopter operations.
The Life
When not on fire assignments, the crew performs project work such as prescribed burning and fuels reduction.
Living conditions while on assignments can be primitive. Hot meals, soft beds, and regular showers are not to be expected. Field assignments away from home can last several weeks with daily work shifts up to 16 hours. Sleep deprivation is probable, as is routine exposure to dust, smoke, poison oak, and other environmental hazards.
Crew Breakdown
A hotshot crew consists of 20 members. A typical crew breakdown, like The Winema Hotshots, have the following members:
- One GS-9 Superintendent
- One GS-8 Assistant Superintendent;
- Three GS-6 Squad Leaders; and
- Five GS-5 Senior Firefighters.
- Ten Temporary Firefighters
More Information
External Links
- Website - Index of all Hotshot Crews
- Website - Winema Hotshots
"Hotshot crew"