A command vehical used by the crew when traveling to disaster areas can hold up to ten members.
A Job Worth the Risk
Each year from mid-April to early October a team of 21 Hot Shots heads back to their base in the San Juan National Forest in Durango, Colorado to fight fire with fire.
They are a branch of the United States Forest Service.
Lance Martin, Assistant Super Intendant of the San Juan Hot Shots, has been with the organization for 13 years.
For the first two weeks in April the team trains, going over refresher fire skills, taking physical tests, working on team cohesion, practicing with tools, learning first aid and CPR, and working out twice each day Martin said.
Each member of the team is expected to show up on the first day of work in top physical shape for the season.
For the San Juan Hot Shot team’s Squad Leader, Scott McCreary, the best part of the job is the crew dynamic.
“We’re all really close, we’re all friends, and we all communicate well,” McCreary said.
“The job of a Hot Shot in general entails long hours, lots of travel, and working in a team,” Martin said.
When asked who is best fit for the job Martin said he looks for motivated individuals who work well in a group setting, have fire experience and work related experience such as farming, construction, or trail work, have a great attitude known work ethic, and the ability to be flexible and get along with others.
I think we get a lot of thrill seekers, but also people who come from a sports back ground, said Martin.
Being a hot shot is a job for people with active lifestyles who are prepared for anything and willing to risk their lives.
The job entails a wide variety of responsabilities. Members work with range and recreation crews in Durango to aid in thinning high risk fire areas of dense trees, repair trails, and helps to maintain the land.
The San Juan team is type one meaning that they are on call on the national level. They are one of seven teams in region two in the United States. This region consists of Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska.
The team is currently hiring for the 2015 season and accepts both female and male applicants.
Applications for the Hot Shot team can be found on the USA Jobs website.
Those interested in applying should be aware that it is a full time committment for six months out of the year. Current members spend their off season going to school, working as ski patrol members, logging for companies in Wyoming, or traveling.
According to Martin, the people on the team are the best part of the job. "We all come from different walks of life, we all have different experiences, and you get to see a lot of culture in 21 people,” he said.
To be considered for a new member on the 2015 San Juan hot shot crew apply at the USA Jobs website.
For more information on the San Juan hot shot crew click here.
The team travels often, fighting fires throughout the western coast and typically begin the season in Arizona and New Mexico working north towards Oregon. However, they have also been called to Florida and North Carolina in the past as the government will send the team where ever they are needed.
“We always say ‘keep one foot in the black’,” he said. This means that when the team is fighting a fire that they keep one foot in the safe zone where everything that can burn has already burned. This is an assurance for those fighting the fire that they will be safe.
Hot shots are not the only people who can be safe around wild land fires or places where they can start. Head to this website for tips and information on wild land fires.
The team takes three vehicles to each fire. A command vehicle, in which the Super Intendant and the Assistant Super Intendant ride to lead the team to the location, and two trucks which hold ten passengers each.
These three vehicles contain the crew’s tools and supplies including their shelter and food.
On larger fires the government brings in catering trucks to cook for the Hot Shot teams on location, but on smaller fires the crew eats military rations and food they bring with them from local grocery stores.
You have to keep your crew well fed and in good spirits in order for them to work well on the job, said Martin.
The crew takes many tools with them to help them start fires for preventive burns and to help them put out fires. They include various kinds of axes and hoes, berry pistols which can launch fire up to 100 yards, drip torches which contain a mixture of diesel and gasoline, and water packs that hold up to ten gallons of water.
Perhaps the best set of tools the team has however, are each other.
One example of their excellent team work was at the Weber fire in June of 2012.
