The Hotshot Wake Up

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Full operational update. Very busy around the nation. Southwest moves to a Preparedness Level 4. New fires in the PNW and Northern Rockies. Texas and Colorado looking to be busy. What is it like raising a family while a wildland firefighter? One Smokejumper and Hotshot’s story. The challenges of work-life balance. PG&E stops trimming tree...

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Oregon and Washington both have major incidents currently. The Newell Road fire went 30,000+ acres in 24 hours. Montana and Idaho became active this week. Colt, Hayden, Bowles, and other fire updates. Arizona and New Mexico still have numerous lightning fires. When Monsoons? Lockheed Martin developing and testing Artificially Intelligent VR s...

On Today's Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ The wildfire season in the United States is here. Oregon, California, and Idaho pop. The Flat Fire will be the first campaign fire in the West. Full operational update. Insurers in Florida pull out due to extreme weather and wildfires. As predicted… The Oregon wildfire dilemma. The Wildfire risk map is back, along with The Council of 19....

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Full operational update. The Pacific Northwest sees multiple new fires. Arizona continues to burn. PL3 in the Southwest. The State of Idaho says 50% of their wildfire workforce are first year employees. Safety concerns arise. An independent study says Nomex contains PFAS and PFAS-like chemicals. We discuss this paper and what these chemicals...

On Today's Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ We chat with Gabriel Mann about his upcoming film,  Hotshot . This is an amazing movie that deserves a large audience. We discuss his work, wildfire culture, media culture, and more. The movie is expected to be out in August of this year. A wonderful and sobering conversation. THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP -  Thank you to all of our paid subscriber...

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ The pay cliff is now 12 weeks away. NFFE had a big week in D.C. The Ambassador to Canada has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Canadian government. This will streamline intelligence sharing, satellites, drones, and cross-border operations. A huge step towards international wildfire response dispatching and cooperation. Ontario...

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ The FBI arrests a California arsonist responsible for the 2022 Oak fire. Over 197 structures and 20,000 acres were burned. The Hotshot Community loses another young fit firefighter. Prayers to Jacob Metcalf’s family. The DIO and USDA put out a joint statement on their “strategic wildfire funding plan.” It includes a plan for wages, diversity,...

On Today's Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ We have a conversation with Pioneer Peak Hotshot Superintendent Kris Baumgartner. The crew just returned from an assignment in Alberta, Canada, and we discussed that experience. We talk about Hotshot culture and everything that comes with it. Old school V.S. new school and what can we learn from both. The importance of grit, tenacity, and...

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ There is a sea of conspiracy and misunderstanding about what’s going on with the wildfires in Canada. We cover all of these things and provide professional insight into what’s actually happening. What is a fire-resilient and fire-reliant landscape? This is important to understand. Is this all unprecedented? Also, and update on the Tim Hart Ac...

On today’s show, we have a conversation with Dr. Melinda Adams. https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Melinda Adams, Ph. D. belongs to the  N’dee  San Carlos Apache Tribe and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Atmospheric Science and Indigenous Studies at The University of Kansas. She is a cultural fire scholar and practitioner on encouraging public participation in pres...

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ I asked the audience to create an 11th Standard Fire Order. The responses are great! A prescribed fire escape in Oregon. I cover the details of this burn. Criminal Charges are dropped in the PG&E Zogg Fire case. Classic California wildfire lawsuits and politics. ANOTHER insurance company drops policies in California due to wildfires. What...

On today’s show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ State Farm stops new insurance policies on homes in California due to wildfires and the climate emergency. What this means for residents in rural areas. Did wildfire risk maps play a role?! Erickson Skycrane can now operate at night after NVG certification. Full operational update. Plus more. THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP - Thank you to all of our paid...

On Today's Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ We welcome Destiny Morris. She is a relationship therapist and works with wildland firefighters, their partners and provides real-world solutions for them. We cover everything no one wants to say out loud. We discuss the wide spectrum of addiction and vices and talk about what wildland firefighters want from their partners and what their...

On Today's Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Arizona starts a satellite tracking program for its crews. We talk about the technology and its integration into their programs. Firefighters burned over in Idaho. Sustained burns on 65% of their body. We cover this incident and talk about common denominators. US Hotshot crews are seeing what Canadian tactics look like. Is one way better...

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Full Operational Update. Florida has multiple large fires. Region 3 activity increases. Are chainsaw injuries on the rise?! We cover the new lessons learned. The people of New Mexico, who lost everything from the Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak Fires, still haven’t seen any of the $3.95B approved for relief. Canada is having a fire season. U.S....

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Alberta is a warzone. A massive lightning bust starts numerous fires and forces the evacuation of thousands. Update on the tanker crash in Australia. New Mexico and Arizona see increased starts. Suspect caught in Arizona shooting range fire. A new study on wildfire meals, catering, and nutrition. An interview with James Shelly. Study link: Em...

On today’s show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Idaho starts training its loggers to fight wildfires. Governor looking to bolster its ranks and heavy equipment contracts. Massive $1.6B wildfire lawsuit against PacifiCorp moves forward in Oregon. Parent company Berkshire Hathaway is back in familiar territory. Montana votes on House Bill 883 to allocate $186M to stage resources locally. Spo...

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Full operational update Multiple States declare Statewide emergencies for wildfires. From Wisconsin to Rhode Island, wildfires rip. When ordering a food unit, the Forest Service prioritizes the cheapest, not the closest. This may incentivize caterers to cut costs and quality. Government Accountability Office audits wildfire agencies . Finds m...

On Today's Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Spring fire season is here. The East Coast, Florida, and the South get busy. The Southwest, Region 3, goes PL2. Forest Service gives job series and wage increase updates. Department of Interior is moving forward with series implementation before FS. A new clear air rule makes prescribed fire more difficult. More Exemptions are needed to c...

On Today's Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Full Operational Update Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Colorado see a busy week of wildfire. New Mexico pops a 300-acre fire. A new Bill was introduced to limit the number of funds available to the Forest Service for wildfire management. We provide details. Secretary of DOI told to “do more with less.” Plus, much more. THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP -...

On today’s show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Olivia Gagliardi joins us to discuss the Women in Wildland Fire Event Coming up. EVENT LINK We also discuss Olivia’s career path from the Conservation Corps to the Flagstaff Hotshots and now Smokejumping in Missoula. Wyoming questions the USDA and Forest Service for being the only Western State left out of the recent wildfire funding. We cove...

On today’s show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ I talked to Dani Shedden, of Close the Gap Wellness. We cover a full array of topics that many firefighters, first responders, and even their loved ones experience in these professions. With the beginning of the fire season coming, it’s well-known that this is the time of year when relationships start to hit a rocky point. We talk about commu...

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ On Today’s Show: We cover the 2022 Fire Season Accident and Fatality summary. Many categories are up. As we have discussed frequently, aviation and helicopter accidents and fatalities are drastically up. Swamper injuries surpass sawyer injuries. Very abnormal. On a 10-year average, overall fatalities are up. Full operational update. Plus more...

On today’s episode: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ I talk to Brian Crowley, Captain of Cañon Helitak. We discuss helitak and drones on prescribed fire, their role in search and rescue, and the qualifications needed. We get into just how many people actually go missing in our forests and parks every year. We also talk about Brian’s experience on the Bridger Foothills fire, where he and his...

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ First Operational Update of 2023. Lost hiker charged for starting a wildfire to get rescued. Firefighter tracking is here. Systems are being implemented to handle the bandwidth. We cover the Presidential report on Modernizing Wildland Firefighting to Protect Our Firefighters . Drones, autonomous helicopters, blimps, balloons, and tracking tec...