“If we’re not actually doing it, we’re thinking and planning about it,” said Eric Marsh, superintendent of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Training is crucial, especially for the four rookies on the 22-member squad. But working in remote locations to get ahead of the most dangerous sections of fires makes knowing how to do so a matter of life and death. Members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, one of 112 Interagency Hotshot Crews around the country, have never had to use shelters during a wildfire. Suddenly the survivors ask playfully if Arollado’s girlfriend is now available. ![]() Walking among the shelters several minutes later, Maldonado and another squad leader, Clayton Whitted, see that first-year hotshot Shane Arollado has made a fatal mistake: His head pointed toward the approaching fire. They clamp down on the edges of their emergency shelters to make sure fire, smoke and heat can’t get inside, and they keep their faces near the ground to breathe cooler air that won’t damage their lungs. That will deflect heat and help protect their torsos. “Get down! Heads toward center!” Maldonado yells, the urgency in his voice rising.ĭiving to the ground, crew members attempt to form a tight circle and point their feet toward the approaching flames. Phillip “Mando” Maldonado, a squad leader, shouts instructions as a dozen hotshots, firefighters trained to combat wildfires in extreme conditions, face a nightmare scenario: flames rushing in from all sides and their survival hinging on successfully unfolding and wrapping themselves in thin sheets of heat-reflecting material. Interagency Hotshot Crews (IHC), the umbrella organization for hotshot crews, was created in the early 1980s.Because of their demanding jobs, hotshots are required to maintain a high fitness level. ![]() Crews are required to remain on call during fire season, which can last up around six months.Crews can be sent across the country, often hiking or taking a helicopter into rugged terrain.The name "hotshot" comes from the hottest part of the fire, the place where these crews are usually work.Hotshot crews were first used in Southern California after World War II.
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