Interagency Hotshot Crew

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Members of the Payson Hotshot crew from Arizona during a deployment with the Whitewater Baldy complex fire in New Mexico

The Interagency Hotshot Crews (IHC), also known as "Hotshots" for short, are the best trained and most experienced fire fighting units for forest and land fires in the USA . They consist of 18 to 22 firefighters and are among the hand crews who manually create firebreaks . The term "hotshot" colloquially describes the hottest part of a fire and should characterize the location of the troop. Since they mostly work with other crews and can also be deployed outside their state, admission criteria, training, leadership and working methods are nationally standardized.

There are 114 hot-shot crews nationwide, 60 of which are concentrated in the states of California and Arizona , which have been particularly hard hit by forest and bush fires . Another elite fire brigade with a similar area of ​​responsibility are the smoke jumpers , which often reach their remote areas of operation by parachute.

history

It began with the founding of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s and 40s, which mainly completed nature conservation projects but was deployed as an organized fire-fighting force when necessary. The first units known as Hotshots emerged in California after World War II. Due to the success and the need for standing units to fight wild fires, Interregional Fire Suppression Crews (IRFS) were created in 1961 , which were to be deployed nationwide and were therefore stationed near airports. A total of 15 such crews were created, which were characterized by their effective work in rough terrain, logistical independence and a high level of corps spirit .

In 1980 the IRFS crews were renamed Interagency Hotshot Crews, new units were created and the first women entered the service. In the mid-1990s, an Interagency Hotshot Crew Operations Guide was adopted to standardize crew responsibilities and requirements.

Structure and equipment

A Granite Mountain Hotshot burning out vegetation using a Drip Torch .

A hotshot crew has to consist of seven full-time professional firefighters since 1995, the rest are seasonal firefighters who are only on duty during the respective fire season. The management staff consists of a superintendent, an assistant superintendent or captain, three squad leaders and two senior firefighters, or a superintendent, two assistant superintendents or captains, two squad leaders and two senior firefighters.

The minimum period of availability of a crew is 90 consecutive calendar days a year, on which the entire team trains or works together for at least 40 hours a week. After receiving orders, the crew must be ready to march within two hours. A hotshot crew must be able to carry out an initial attack on a fire divided into groups, create firebreaks and counterfire, as well as logistically self-sufficient to reach any location within the USA with land or air vehicles. Any costs incurred are paid by credit cards or the responsible procurement authority.

Your equipment includes first aid , coordination (e.g. GPS ), communication and lighting equipment, weather measuring devices, fire-retardant protective clothing and fire shelters . They also have a range of hand tools for tilling the soil and removing vegetation, including chainsaws , hand saws, shovels, hoes, chingaderas , McLeods and Pulaskis , as well as driptorches for burning vegetation and setting backfire .

Use and dangers

Mormon Lake hotshots on a bulldozer firebreak.

According to their name, hotshots are used directly near the fire and mostly in impassable and confusing terrain that cannot be reached by work machines such as bulldozers . From a safe anchor point, firebreaks are drawn around a fire in order to contain its spread or to limit it to the extent found. To do this, trees, bushes, bushes and grasses are removed so that only the mineral soil remains. A working day usually lasts between 10 and 16 hours. The length and width of the aisles depend on the local conditions. In their work, the hotshots mostly work with the crews of fire-fighting aircraft or fire-fighting helicopters, which can use their fire-retardant means to increase the effect of a firebreak or to slow down the advance of the fire.

After creating the aisle, it must be monitored and secured against the flames jumping over. The hotshots fight smoldering fires in trees or individual fires triggered by flying sparks. If the conditions permit, a counter-fire can be started on the aisle, which burns towards the main fire and thus robs it of its "food".

In addition to the risk of falling and falling rocks on steep terrain, there is also the risk of falling branches or falling trees. Wind, weather and topography can influence the direction and intensity of a fire within a very short time. These factors have already led to several serious accidents with hot-shot crews in the past, such as the Loop Fire 1966 (12 dead), the South Canyon Fire 1994 (9 dead) and the Yarnell Hill Fire 2013 (19 dead), the latter being under the Title No Way Out - Against the Flames (Original Title Only the Brave ) filmed.

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