In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, a Shot Crew, officially known as an Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC), is a team of 20-22 elite operators which mainly responds 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 experts. Hotshots are a National Resource and their deployment is tightly controlled at the National Level. Hotshot crews are one of the most highly trained, skilled and experienced type of wild land firefighters. 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 the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...
,
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
,
Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Bureau of Land Management, and state/county agencies; the
National Interagency Fire Center coordinates hotshot crews on the federal level.
History
Prior to the 1930s, wildland firefighting crews were organized on an "as-needed" basis, hiring firefighters without any formal experience or training.
The
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...
, 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.
At least one of the first crews carrying the name of "hotshots" originated out of a former CCC camp in the
San Bernardino National Forest
The San Bernardino National Forest is a United States National Forest in Southern California encompassing of which are federal. The forest is made up of two main divisions, the eastern portion of the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernard ...
in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...
.
Conflicting sources report the first hotshot crews as starting in 1946 (Del Rosa and Los Padres Hotshots)
or 1947 (Del Rosa and El Cariso Hotshots).
In 1961, the Inter-Regional Fire Suppression (IRFS) program was developed, establishing six 30-man crews across the Western United States.
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.
In 1980, the term ''interagency hotshot crew'' was adopted by IRFS crews.
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.
Operations
![Wildland firefighters in the United States](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Wildland_firefighters_in_the_United_States.jpg)
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.
Hotshot crews are proficient in a range of fire suppression tactics. Like other
handcrew
Handcrews are diverse teams of career and temporary wildland firefighters. The crews typically consist of 18 to 20 firefighters but can also contain 4 to 6 and 8 to 10. These crews have the responsibilities of constructing firelines – strips of ...
s, IHCs are primarily tasked with constructing, firing out and holding
firebreak
A firebreak or double track (also called a fire line, fuel break, fireroad and firetrail in Australia) is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebre ...
s, through the use of
chainsaw
A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable gasoline-, electric-, or battery-powered saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar. It is used in activities such as tree felling, limbing, bucking, pru ...
s, 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, tree
felling
Felling is the process of cutting down trees,"Feller" def. 2. and "Felling", def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009 an element of the task of logging. The person cutting the trees ...
and 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 the
National Wildfire Coordinating Group
The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) was formed in the United States as a result of the aftermath of a major wildfire season in 1970, including the Laguna Fire.
The 1970 fire season underscored the need for a national set of training ...
are: 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 as
thinning
Thinning is a term used in agricultural sciences to mean the removal of some plants, or parts of plants, to make room for the growth of others. Selective removal of parts of a plant such as branches, buds, or roots is typically known as pruning. ...
,
prescribed fire
A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, is a fire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. A control ...
operations, forest improvement, and
trail construction projects. Hotshot crews can also respond to other emergency incidents, including
search and rescue and
disaster response
Disaster response is the second phase of the disaster management cycle. It consists of a number of elements, for example; warning/evacuation, search and rescue, providing immediate assistance, assessing damage, continuing assistance and the immed ...
. In 2010, the Cherokee IHC was assigned to clear trees downed by rare
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
es in
Prospect Park and
Kissena Park in New York City, their first deployment to an urban setting.
Fatal accidents
![1966 El Cariso Hot shot hist photo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/1966_El_Cariso_Hot_shot_hist_photo.jpg)
On November 1, 1966, the El Cariso hotshot crew were trapped by flames in the
Loop Fire
The Loop Fire was a wildfire in Angeles National Forest, above Sylmar, California. Twelve members of the El Cariso Hotshots were killed: 10 died at the scene November 1, 1966; two died later as a result of their injuries while hospitalized.
Hist ...
as they worked on a steep hillside in Pacoima Canyon in
Angeles National Forest
The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the U.S. Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County in southern California. The ANF manages a majority of the San Gabriel Mounta ...
. 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.
On July 6, 1994, nine members of a hotshot crew based in
Prineville, Oregon
Prineville is a city in and the seat of Crook County, Oregon, United States. It was named for the first merchant located in the present location, Barney Prine. The population was 9,253 at the 2010 census.
History
Prineville was founded in 187 ...
, died after being overtaken by the fast-moving
South Canyon Fire
The South Canyon Fire was a 1994 wildfire that took the lives of 14 wildland firefighters on Storm King Mountain, near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on July 6, 1994. It is often also referred to as the "Storm King" fire.
It was the subject of J ...
on
Storm King Mountain west of
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Glenwood Springs is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat of Garfield County, Colorado, Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 9,963 at the 2020 Uni ...
. Five other firefighters, three
smokejumper
Smokejumpers are specially trained wildland firefighters who provide an initial attack response on remote wildland fires. They are inserted at the site of the fire by parachute.
In addition to performing the initial attack on wildfires, they ...
s and two
helitack
Helitack crews are teams of wildland firefighters who are transported by helicopter to wildfires. Helicopters provide rapid transport, enabling helitack crews to quickly respond and assess a wildfire situation. Helitack crews may land near a w ...
firefighters, also died in the incident.
On June 30, 2013, nineteen members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots perished in the
Yarnell Hill Fire
The Yarnell Hill Fire was a wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona, ignited by dry lightning on June 28, 2013. On June 30, it overran and killed 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Just one of the hotshots on the crew survived—he was po ...
near
Yarnell, Arizona
Yarnell is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population of Yarnell was 649 at the 2010 census. Yarnell's economy is based on ranching, mining and services to travelers and retirees. Peeples Valley, ...
. 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 their
fire shelter
A fire shelter is a safety device of last resort used by wildland firefighters when trapped by wildfires. While such a shelter cannot withstand sustained contact with flames, it can protect a firefighter's life in a short-lived grass fire. Further ...
s.
The incident was made into a film, ''
Only the Brave''.
See also
*
Lone Peak Hotshots
*
Fire use module
*
Smokejumper
Smokejumpers are specially trained wildland firefighters who provide an initial attack response on remote wildland fires. They are inserted at the site of the fire by parachute.
In addition to performing the initial attack on wildfires, they ...
*
Wildland fire engine
A wildland fire engine is a fire engine specifically designed to assist in fighting wildfires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment. Most commonly used by the Unit ...
*
Wildland fire suppression
Wildfire suppression is a range of firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wild land areas require different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated a ...
References
External links
Index of all Hotshot CrewsWildfire Management: Hotshot CrewsCongressional Research Service
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a public policy research institute of the United States Congress. Operating within the Library of Congress, it works primarily and directly for members of Congress and their committees and staff on a ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Interagency Hotshot Crew
Forestry occupations
Wildfire suppression