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Hotshot crew

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In theUnited States,aShot Crew,officially known as anInteragency Hotshot Crew (IHC),is a team of 20-22 elite wildland firefighters that mainly respond to large, high-priority fires across the country and abroad. They are assigned to work the most challenging parts of the fire and are considered strategic and tactical wildland fire experts. Hotshot crews are considered the most highly trained, skilled and experienced wildland firefighters, along withsmokejumpers.They are qualified to provide leadership for initial-attack and extended-attack on wildland fires. Hotshots are trained and equipped to work in remote areas for extended periods of time with minimal logistical support. They are organized by agencies such as theUnited States Forest Service,National Park Service,Bureau of Indian Affairs,Bureau of Land Management,and state/county agencies; theNational Interagency Fire Centercoordinates hotshot crews on the federal level.

A member of the Ventana Hotshots works to keep fire out of a tree canopy duringbackfiringoperations on theMonument Fire.

History[edit]

Prior to the 1930s, wildland firefighting crews were organized on an "as-needed" basis, hiring firefighters without any formal experience or training.[1]TheCivilian Conservation Corps,which operated from 1933 until 1942, was a work relief program that employed young men primarily in natural resource conservation projects. CCC members were also utilized for fire suppression operations, however, marking the first time that standing crews had been established for that purpose.[2]

At least one of the first crews carrying the name of "hotshots" originated out of a former CCC camp in theSan Bernardino National ForestinSouthern California.[3]Conflicting sources report the first hotshot crews as starting in 1946 (Del Rosa and Los Padres Hotshots)[3]or 1947 (Del Rosa and El Cariso Hotshots).[1]In 1961, the Inter-Regional Fire Suppression (IRFS) program was developed, establishing six 30-man crews across the Western United States.[2]These IRFS crews were stationed near airports for quick transportation to high-priority fires. Due to their effectiveness and value in fire management, the program expanded to 19 IRFS crews by 1974.[1]

In 1980, the terminteragency hotshot crewwas adopted by IRFS crews.[2]In the mid-1990s, an Interagency Hotshot Crew Operations Guide was developed to standardize the training, qualifications and responsibilities of hotshot crews. As of 2018 there are 113 hotshot crews across the nation.

Crews[edit]

The following is a list of all US Hotshot Crews and their agencies:

Alaska:

  • Chena (BLM)
  • Midnight Sun (BLM)
  • Pioneer Peak (AK State)


Eastern:

  • Midewin (FS)


Southern:

  • Asheville (FS)
  • Augusta (FS)
  • Cherokee (FS)
  • Jackson (BLM)


Rocky Mountain:

  • Alpine (NPS)
  • Craig (BLM)
  • Pike (FS)
  • Roosevelt (FS)
  • San Juan (FS)
  • Tatanka (FS)
  • Wyoming (FS)


Northern Rockies:

  • Bitterroot (FS)
  • Chief Mountain (BIA)
  • Flathead(FS)
  • Helena (FS)
  • Idaho Panhandle (FS)
  • Lewis & Clark (FS)
  • Lolo(FS)


Great Basin:

  • Alta (Utah State)
  • Black Mountain (FS)
  • Boise (FS)
  • Bonneville (BLM)
  • Cedar City (FS)
  • Idaho City (FS)
  • Logan (FS)
  • Lone Peak(Utah State)
  • Ruby Mountain (BLM)
  • Sawtooth (FS)
  • Silver State (BLM)
  • Snake River (BLM)


Southwest:

  • Aravaipa (BLM) Black Mesa (FS)
  • Blue Ridge (FS)
  • Carson (FS)
  • Flagstaff (FS)
  • Fort Apache (BIA)
  • Geronimo (BIA)
  • Gila (FS)
  • Globe (FS)
  • Mesa (FS)
  • Mormon Lake (FS)
  • Mt. Taylor (FS)
  • Navajo (BIA)
  • Payson (FS)
  • Prescott (FS)
  • Sacramento (FS)
  • Santa Fe (FS)
  • Silver City (FS)
  • Smokey Bear (FS)
  • Zuni (BIA)


Northwest:

  • Baker River (FS)
  • Entiat (FS)
  • Lakeview Veterans (BLM)
  • La Grande (FS)
  • Prineville (FS)
  • Redmond (FS)
  • Rogue River (FS)
  • Union (FS)
  • Vale (BLM)
  • Warm Springs (BIA)
  • Winema (FS)
  • Wolf Creek (FS)
  • Zigzag (FS)


South Ops (Southern California):

  • Arrowhead (NPS)
  • Arroyo Grande (FS)
  • Bear Divide (FS)
  • Big Bear (FS
  • Breckenridge (FS)
  • Crane Valley (FS)
  • Dalton (FS)
  • Del Rosa (FS)
  • El Cariso (FS)
  • Fulton (FS)
  • Golden Eagles (BIA)
  • Groveland (FS)
  • Horseshoe Meadow (FS)
  • Inyo (FS)
  • Kern Valley (BLM)
  • Kings River (FS)
  • Laguna (FS)
  • Little Tujunga (FS)
  • Los Padres (FS)
  • Mill Creek (FS)
  • Palomar(FS)
  • Rio Bravo (County)
  • Sierra (FS)
  • Springville (FS),
  • Stanislaus (FS)
  • Texas Canyon (FS)
  • Vista Grande (FS)
  • Valyermo (FS)
  • Ventana (FS)


North Ops (Northern California):

  • American River (FS)
  • Beckwourth (FS)
  • Diamond Mountain (BLM)
  • Eldorado (FS)
  • Elk Mountain (FS)
  • Feather River (FS)
  • Klamath (FS)
  • Lassen (FS)
  • Mad River (FS)
  • Mendocino (FS)
  • Modoc (FS),
  • Plumas (FS)
  • Redding (FS)
  • Salmon River (FS)
  • Shasta Lake (FS)
  • Smith River (FS)
  • Tahoe (FS)
  • Tallac (FS)
  • Trinity (FS)
  • Truckee (FS)
  • Ukonom (FS)


Federal Agency Abbreviations

  • (BIA) = Bureau of Indian Affairs
  • (BLM) = Bureau of Land Management
  • (FS) = Forest Service
  • (NPS) = National Park Service

Operations[edit]

Members of the Flathead IHC

A hotshot crew consists of approximately 20–22 members, led by a minimum of one superintendent, one or two assistant superintendents, two or three squad leaders, and two senior firefighters.[4]

Hotshot crews are proficient in a range of fire suppression tactics. Like otherhandcrews,IHCs are primarily tasked with constructing, firing out and holdingfirebreaks,through the use ofchainsaws,hand tools, ignition devices and water delivery equipment. Hotshot crews can engage in all phases of wildfire response, from initial attack to mop-up. They are also trained in specialized operations, such as hot spotting, spot fire attack, treefellingand structure protection.

In order to effectively perform their duties, hotshot crews must maintain a high level of physical fitness. Aerobic fitness is correlated with the time it takes to reach a safety zone. The minimum physical fitness standards for hotshots set by theNational Wildfire Coordinating Groupare: a 3-mile hike carrying a 60-pound pack in under 90 minutes, one and a half-mile run in 10:30 or less, 25 push-ups in 60 seconds, 45 sit-ups in 60 seconds and 7 pull-ups. These are the bare minimum requirements prescribed by policy and most operators far exceed these requirements.

While not fighting fires, hotshot crews typically work on their host units to meet resource goals such asthinning,prescribed fireoperations, forest improvement, andtrail constructionprojects. Hotshot crews can also respond to other emergency incidents, includingsearch and rescueanddisaster response.In 2010, the Cherokee IHC was assigned to clear trees downed by raretornadoesinProspect ParkandKissena Parkin New York City, their first deployment to an urban setting.[5]

Fatal accidents[edit]

1966 El Cariso Hotshots Crew 2

On November 1, 1966, the El Cariso hotshot crew were trapped by flames in theLoop Fireas they worked on a steep hillside in Pacoima Canyon inAngeles National Forest.An unanticipated upslope wind came up in the afternoon and a spot fire was fanned and funneled up the steep canyon. The crew were cutting handline downhill and most of the crew were unable to reach safety in the few seconds they had. Ten members of the crew died on the Loop Fire that day, and another two members died from burn injuries in the following days. Most of the 19 El Cariso crew members who survived were critically burned and remained hospitalized for some time. The Downhill Indirect Checklist, improved firefighting equipment and better fire-behavior training all resulted, in part, from the lives lost on this fire.[6]

On July 6, 1994, nine members of a hotshot crew based inPrineville, Oregon,died after being overtaken by the fast-movingSouth Canyon FireonStorm King Mountainwest ofGlenwood Springs, Colorado.Five other firefighters, threesmokejumpersand twohelitackfirefighters, also died in the incident.[7]

On June 30, 2013, nineteen members of theGranite Mountain Hotshotsperished in theYarnell Hill FirenearYarnell, Arizona.Nineteen of the twenty members of the crew were killed when their escape route was cut off by an approaching fire. All of the entrapped members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots deployed theirfire shelters.[8]The incident was made into a film,Only the Brave.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcAlexander, Martin E. (Summer 1974)."High Mobility: The Interrgional Fire Suppression Crew"(PDF).Fire Management.Retrieved2012-07-17.
  2. ^abcNational Park Service."History of the Interagency Hotshot Crew Program".Retrieved2012-07-01.
  3. ^ab"Del Rosa Hot Shots".Fire Department Network news.2012-06-27. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-06-21.Retrieved2012-07-18.
  4. ^"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2019-06-27.Retrieved2019-09-22.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^White, Rebecca (September 28, 2010)."Urban Turn for Workers Accustomed to the Forest".The New York Times.
  6. ^"Colorado Firecamp - Loop Fire Disaster, A Brief of the Analysis Group".https:// coloradofirecamp /fire-origins/loop-fire-brief.htm.
  7. ^Butler, Bret W.; Bartlette, Roberta A.; Bradshaw, Larry S.; Cohen, Jack D.; Andrews, Patricia L.; Putnam, Ted; Mangan, Richard J. (September 1998)."Fire Behavior Associated with the 1994 South Canyon Fire on Storm King Mountain, Colorado"(PDF).Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.United States Department of Agriculture. RMRS-RP-9.Retrieved2008-03-04.
  8. ^"Yarnell Hill Serious Accident Investigation Report".Google Docs.

External links[edit]

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