tony alvarez’s job takes him to some of the most scenic places in america. alvarez, 34, is part of the black mountain interagency hot shot crew based in carson city. some of the fires are remote, and others, like the hunter creek fire just west of reno in may, are practically in the city. but whether the fire is in a desolate wilderness or just beyond city limits, the hotshots need to carry enough gear to be self-reliant for up to 36 hours between resupplies. it’s a testament to the ruggedness of the western terrain where they work that even spots close to town can require helicopters and long hikes to access. that’s in addition to the heavy, protective clothing and rugged boots they wear, even in extreme heat. on a recent day, alvarez took a break to unload his pack to show what a typical hotshot carries in his or her pack.
despite the importance of the job, the tools are simple. alvarez carries a long-handled shovel, a file to sharpen it and a roll of metallic tape to protect the sharpened edge. alvarez uses the sling psychrometer and a set of carts to measure water vapor in the air. • gps: the one high-tech piece of gear in alvarez’s kit, it uses signals from a satellite to identify and communicate a location. • clothing: in addition to the clothes on their back, hotshots carry some minimal rain gear and a long-sleeved shirt to be ready for wet weather or just for sleeping in the field. • fire shelter: this is one piece of gear no firefighter wants to use. in addition to standard-issue gear, hotshots sometimes carry a select few items of their choice. in his sixth season, he is working to better capture the dynamics of wildfires that are fleeting and rarely seen by nonfirefighters.
secure .gov websites use https a lock ( locka locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. hotshot crews were first established in southern california in the late 1940s on the cleveland and angeles national forests. the primary mission of ihcs is to provide a safe, professional, mobile and highly skilled hand crew for all phases of fire management and incident operations. ihcs are staffed, conditioned, equipped and qualified to meet a variety of strategic and tactical wildland fire assignments.
within the limits of their experience and qualifications, ihcs are capable of providing a disciplined, self –contained and adaptable workforce to meet the needs of incident managers in a variety of situations and during all hazard assignments. all ihcs must meet the same stringent standards for physical fitness, training, leadership, qualifications, and operational procedures, as outlined in the standards for interagency hotshot crew operations. employment is occasionally available during the pre- and post-season depending on weather and funding. for more information on the hotshot program, contact a crew from the hotshot crew list you are interested in working with a hotshot crew. the physical ability of ihcs to perform arduous labor is critical to crew morale, personal health and safety standards.
national fire fighter wildland corp. offers a wide selection of wildland fire gear for teams all across the nation. you can find everything you need to combat mecham and the tahoe hotshots named their 2006 two-wheel-drive crew hauler eight ball. the squad boss drives, the captain rides shotgun, and the eight crew as a premier fire supply store, we have a large selection of wildland fire gear for sale, which includes hand tools, boots, fire packs, helmets, brush fire, .
clothing: in addition to the clothes on their back, hotshots carry some minimal rain gear and a long-sleeved shirt to be ready for wet weather wildland firefighter’s personal protective equipment firefighters must be prepared with proper equipment, training, and protective wear to work on wildfires. hotshot crew. “hotshot” crews because they worked on the hottest part of wildfires. the u.s. forest service, national park service, bureau of land, .
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