The Hotshot Wake Up
A podcast and newsletter by firefighters about wildfire and the world. Crew Supervisor and Ex Hotshot overhead. Call it like it is. Monthly Substack subscriptions go towards supporting this content and helping firefighters in need. https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/
3M To Pay $7.3B Over PFAS In Firefighting Foam. FEMA Continues Grant To Study Wildland Firefighter Fertility. Preliminary Results Show 15% Decline In Sperm Viability After A Season.
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Wildfire updates from New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming.
3M has agreed to pay $7.3B after PFAS chemicals were found in firefighting foam and drinking water. Fines now total $10B, with 3M admitting no wrongdoing.
FEMA has extended funding for a wildland firefighter fertility study. Preliminary results show a 15% decline in sperm viability after a wildfire season, with increased decline for those with more exposure and operational time.
San Bernardino Fire Protection District buys autonomous wildfire drone strike team from Se...
What’s Passed, What’s Pending, What’s Been Defeated? A Current Look At Wildfire Legislation With Founder Of Megafire Action Matt Weiner.
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If anyone knows how to navigate the political soup to pass wildfire legislation, it’s Matt Weiner, CEO and Founder of Megafire Action.
Megafire Action has worked on hazard pay for prescribed burns, the Fix Our Forests Act, and much of the wildfire legislation that recently passed in California. This includes home hardening grants, reducing litigation for prescribed burns, grants for communities in the wildland urban interface, and even a dedicated CAL FIRE unit to test and rapidly deploy emerging wildfire technology.
Be...
Wildfire Tech Meets Wildfire Operators: The Wildfire Technology Summit With Chief Mark Niemeyer. The Summit takes place next week in Salt Lake City.
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The Wildfire Technology Summit takes place next week in Salt Lake City, Utah, where wildfire leaders, operational subject matter experts, and technology companies will come together to discuss capabilities, systems, and requirements in the wildfire space.
It is not a traditional tech trade show, but a 4 day event to bring leaders from all across the wildfire and tech spaces to directly engage around real world operational needs, share ideas, and meaningful ways their technologies can be implemented into wildfire response, pre fire mitigation, po...
A Conversation With Former Hotshot Superintendent, And Chair Of The Alliance Of Retired Forest Service Fire Leaders, Dan Kleinman. Dan has 40 years of wildfire experience and leadership.
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A few weeks ago, a letter went out to wildfire agency heads from the Alliance of Retired Forest Service Fire Leaders, advocating for the unification of our nation's wildland firefighters. That letter can be found here.
I reached out, and the Alliance Chair, Dan Kleinman, agreed to a conversation about the Alliance’s efforts. Dan has extensive wildfire leadership experience, rivaled by few.
Dan Kleinman retired after 40 years in the wildland fire service, including service as a detailed Deputy Regional Fire Dire...
A Wildfire Season Debrief: Director Of The United States Wildland Fire Service, Chief Brian Fennessy. A straight forward conversation about this season and what’s to come.
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The Director of the Wildland Fire Service, Chief Brian Fennessy, started in his inaugural position just 9 months ago, but there is plenty to talk about. We chat about the busy wildfire season, the workforce, and what lies ahead.
We dive into budgets, unification, aviation, contracting, the differences between wildfire agency organizational structures, and the most capable and operationally sound wildfire workforce in the world: the wildland firefighters in the United States. What went well? What can be improved? What does the future of wi...
“The System Is Broken.” Frustrations Inside The Forest Service Boil Over As Fire Supervisors Express Fundamental Concerns. All while fire entrapments hit a 20 year record this season.
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Frustrations have boiled over within the Forest Service as fire supervisors voice concerns about Agency direction, poor facilities, experienced firefighters leaving the ranks, and infighting with line officers.
Wildland firefighter entrapments have hit a 20 year record this season, raising further concern about experience levels in middle management. Unease remains about what the future will look like, and there is urgency to “rip the band-aid off” on plans for Agency change. I cover their concerns as they see it.
This is the time f...
The Politicization Of Wildfire: A Rant. Just Four Wildfires Have Cost Nearly $500M. Wildfire Fatality On The Hawk Fire In Nevada. UTV Rollover Ejection.
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Putting out wildfires is hard enough, but the constant tit for tat political grandstanding is wearing on the workforce. I express what I’ve been hearing from the boots on the ground. A classic rant.
The Hawk Fire in Nevada announced a fatality this morning. A woman who sustained injuries during the initial day of the fire has passed away.
The Nation remains at a PL5, and we are one lightning bust away from all out chaos again. Full operational update.
Congress Holds A Bipartisan Meeting On Wildfires Across The West. What Happens In Those Meetings, Is Progress Being Made, Will We Have Wildfire Amnesia Again? A conversation with Senator Tim Sheehy.
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I sat down with Montana Senator Tim Sheehy to discuss the current wildfire situation across the American West. Congress recently held a bipartisan meeting to talk about the fires burning in multiple regions, the devastation in Spokane, Washington, and the need for wildland firefighter support.
I ask if this season will be a reckoning for the wildfire system, Congress, and the public, with the amount of fire currently on the ground and the tragic loss so far this year. What happens in these co...
USWFS Director, Chief Brian Fennessy: Unification, Initial Attack, Safety, Workforce Culture, Landscape Resilience Work, Tech, And Misconceptions.
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Today I welcome the Director of the United States Wildland Fire Service, Chief Brian Fennessy. As we all know, it’s been very busy up until this point, and there is lots to cover.
We discuss the unification of the Department of the Interior wildland firefighters and what that looks like moving forward. Who will do the landscape work? Do we have enough firefighters and resources?
We have a conversation about initial attack, full suppression, safety, and the current fire conditions on t...
Great Basin Goes PL5. Line Medic Saves Life Of Wildland Firefighter In Idaho. Entrapment On Coleman Creek Fire In Oregon. Dozer Burnover In WA, Dozer Rollover In CA.
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The Great Basin moves to a PL5, and the Widemouth 2 Fire nears 100K acres. Full National wildfire update.
A report about a line medic who made unconventional decisions that led to life-saving measures for a wildland firefighter in Idaho.
Reports on the Coleman Creek entrapment in Oregon, the dozer burnover on the Kaiser Canyon Fire in Washington, the Dozer rollover on the Gann Fire in California, and the tender rollover in Idaho.
Deputy Chief Sarah Fisher’s statement on the...
Environmental Lawsuits Halted 10s Of Thousands Of Acres Of Fuels Projects In Oregon, That Are Now Burning. Lyons Fire Burnover Report. Timelines Released For Knowles Fire Entrapment.
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Full report released for the Lyons Ferry Fire burnover. Comprehensive report details firefighters trying to burn off around themselves before being overtaken by fire.
Tens of thousands of acres of fuels treatment and wildfire mitigation projects were halted in Oregon due to environmental lawsuits. Groups sued Mt. Hood National Forest and the Forest Service, which stopped the fuel breaks and fuel reduction projects. Those same project areas are now totally burned.
The USFS and USWFS released a timeline report for the Kn...
The Eyes In The Sky Above Wildfires: Air Attack And Helicopter Coordinators, What They Do, And How To Become One. A conversation with Jon Freeman and Matt Lynde.
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Today, Jon Freeman (USWFS) and Matt Lynde (USFS) join the show to discuss everything about wildfire aviation supervision and coordination, and, if you are interested, how to become one.
This is a big-picture job, and as they describe, the best job in the industry. As an aviation supervisor, you are basically a flying radio, or 7 radios… and it is a position that takes mental fortitude and operational clarity to keep the aviation dance going, get everyone what they need, and keep folks safe.
We...
Ontario Armageddon, Minnesota Mayhem, And The American West Continues To Burn: Wildfire Smoke Headed East, As 3 Fires Cross International Borders.
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Three wildfires have crossed the international border of Canada and Minnesota, and hundreds of thousands of acres have burned. 183 new starts across Ontario are expected to burn for weeks.
Wildfire smoke will blanket the eastern United States as poor air quality records are already being set.
More Minnesota fires merge as firefighters work to access the wilderness fires.
Colorado, Utah, Oregon, and California are still seeing wildfire activity. Full operational update. Wildfire aircraft are now hard to come by, as...
New Fires In PNW And California As Southern California Moves To A PL3. Tremendous Progress On Fires In Colorado, Utah, And Southwest.
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New wildfires are popping up in the Pacific Northwest and California. Southern California moves to a Preparedness Level 3.
A lot of progress is being made on wildfires across Colorado, Utah, and the Southwest as containment rises.
Containment drops on the Gold Mountain Fire in Colorado as a civilian drone shuts down air resources while trying to catch spot fires.
12 fatalities, 8 injuries, and 36 missing on wildfires in Spain. Authorities say many of the deceased were foreigners who ignored evacuation routes an...
Full Operational Update For Wildfires Across The West: Colorado Still Very Active And Under Red Flags, Progress Being Made In The Southwest And Utah.
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A full operational update of all fires across the nation.
Colorado fires expect extreme fire behavior again today. Red flag conditions continue across much of the Region.
Progress is being made on most of the fires across Utah and the Southwest. A breakdown of year-to-date wildfire numbers in Utah compared to last year. Less fire, more acres.
New Mexico reports the warmest start to a year ever on record.
The Transportation Safety Board provided an update on th...
Colorado Declares A State Of Emergency: Nation Moves To A Preparedness Level 4. Full Update On National Wildfires And Agency Updates On The Knowles Fire Burnover.
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Colorado has declared a State of Emergency due to the wildfires actively burning across the State.
The National Preparedness Level moves to 4.
Updates from the USWFS and Forest Service on the burnover event on the Knowles Fire.
Wildfires continue to make large runs across Utah. The Pocket Fire in Arizona increases to over 11,000 acres.
A conversation about current wildfire conditions on the ground.
Plus more.
THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP — Thank you to all of o...
Today, The Forest Service And USWFS Announce New Steps To Reduce Hazardous Exposure To Wildland Firefighters. Decontamination, Smoke Mitigation, Mask Use, And Mop-up Exposure.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, along with the Department of the Interior, today announced new steps to reduce hazardous exposure for federal wildland firefighters. These actions include expanded access to N95 respirators on the fireline, required training, and standardized decontamination protocols, such as showers and Nomex cleaning.
There is also direction on reducing exposure to extended periods of mop-up.
I welcome Erin Phelps, Deputy Director of Risk Management with the Forest Service, to discuss everything in the rele...
Nation Moves To A PL3: Human Remains Found After Washington Wildfire. Incendiary Devices Found At Wildfire In Colorado. Wildfire Helicopter Fire During Bucket Drops.
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The National Preparedness Level increases to a PL3
Wildfire bust across much of the West. Full operational update.
Human remains found after the Upriver Fire in Spokane. Sheriff reports individuals refused to evacuate.
Incendiary devices were found by Forest Service firefighters on a Colorado Fire. Also in Colorado, a helicopter lands after a fire in the cockpit while conducting bucket drops.
State of...
Forest Service To Offer Early Resignation Incentives With Ongoing Reorganization. Fire Engine Crash Leads To Multiple Civilian Fatalities. Firefighters Injured By Exploding Slash Pile.
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Full operational update. New fires in Colorado, Utah, California, and the Southwest.
The Forest Service has reinstated early retirement incentives as part of the reorganization plan. Both VERA and VSIP options are being offered.
High level operators from the Forest Service have started to accept positions in the United States Wildland Fire Service leadership. What are the long term effects if unification doesn’t happen?
Two civilian casualties after an engine responding to a wildfire collides with a ci...
The Wildfire Contracting World: Starting A Company, The Issues, Policy Changes, The Stereotypes, And More. A conversation with one of the most dialed in operators, Derrick Holdstock.
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Today, I talk to Derrick Holdstock, owner and operator of Western Fire Resources. Derrick has been very proactive in the contracting and wildfire world, recently returning from a trip to D.C.
Before he started Western Fire Resources, Derrick was a wildlife biologist who practiced prescribed fire and later served as the Regional Fire Coordinator for West Texas, covering one third of the state. He also worked as a biologist for the Bureau of Land Management before venturing into the contracting world.
Der...
The Sandy Fire Is An Early Season Wake Up For California. It's Time To Take Fuel Mitigation Seriously. Seven Cabins Fire In New Mexico Now 16,000 Acres.
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The Sandy Fire in California is an early season wake up for the State. Urban interface fires will only increase, and fuel mitigation is a major step that residents and the state need to take seriously.
A conversation about the harsh reality of the changing conditions, the wildland urban interface, and the pre-fire work that needs to be done. The consequences of doing nothing are greater than people realize.
Full nationwide wildfire update: The Seven Cabins Fire in New Mexico continues to gr...
Instead Of Telling Wildland Firefighters To "Make It Work," We Need To Help Them "Make It Work Better." Continued staffing and fleet issues. These are fixable problems.
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Full operational update.
Hotshot crews are still having issues securing the vehicles they need to operate at the level they are being asked to.
Reports of dozens of Type 3 Engines that remain unstaffed.
Canada cancels $106M wildfire satellite contract with American company. Trade war actions leaking into wildfire?
Wildfire aviation fuel costs are on the rise, and concerns from wildfire CEO’s about a shortage.
A rant about the irony of all the problems in wildlan...
USDA Submits 2026 Wildfire Directives And Seasonal Wildfire Priorities. Senators Send Letter With Questions About Forest Service ReOrg. Full wildfire operational update:
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Full wildfire update
Fires in Georgia, Florida, New Mexico, and Montana
USDA Secretary Rollins provides the 2026 wildfire secretarial memo.
It covers priorities for the 2026 fire season and directives for the Forest Service moving forward.
I go over the priorities, including initial attack, surge capacity, secondary fire positions, fuels work, prescribed fire, and more.
Senators sent a letter this week to the USDA demanding answers about the Forest Service reorganization. There are some very valid questions about...
Party Balloon Starts Wildfire That Burned Down 120+ Homes In Georgia. Bear Jaw Crew Disbanded In Arizona. Getting A Hotshot Crew Qualified. Wildland firefighter fatality in Florida.
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Full operational update of all wildfires.
The causes of the Georgia wildfires have been announced: the Highway 82 fire was caused by a birthday balloon, and the other by someone welding.
There was a firefighter who died after responding to a Florida fire. Updates from Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, and the Southwest fires.
Definitely keep an eye on the Hummingbird Fire in the Gila Wilderness, and an interesting fire.
The Bear Jaw Crew in Arizona has disbanded after 2+ decad...
The Future Of Wildfire Tech And The Wildfire Technology Summit: A Conversation With Western Fire Chiefs Association CEO, Chief Mark Niemeyer.
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I cover the wildfire technology summits I attended in both Nevada and Boise. I sit down with Chief Mark Niemeyer to discuss what the Western Fire Chiefs Association is doing to bring together Agencies, wildland firefighters, and technology companies to facilitate a proactive approach to tech adoption in the wildfire world.
They are taking a four-phase approach to address the following strategic mission outcomes developed in the Phase 1 Summit with Agency leadership.
Interagency coordination and common operating picture
Strategic plann...
Forest Service Announces Reorganization Plan: Deputy Chief Of Fire And Aviation Management, Sarah Fisher, And Associate Chief Of The Forest Service Chris French Join To Provide Details.
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Today, the Forest Service officially announced its reorganization plans. I interviewed Deputy Chief of Fire and Aviation Management, Sarah Fisher, and Associate Chief of the Forest Service, Chris French, to get the details of the plan.
There is a lot that is taking place, including the relocation of the Forest Service headquarters, and Research and Development will be moved as well. They are moving away from their Regional model and will transition to a more state-based model.
This reorganization will take pl...
Helicopter Pilot Tries To Take Out Drone Over Active Wildfire With Bucket Drops. Drone Owner Fined $5K New Court Documents Reveal. Forest Service to cut red tape, Europe opens new wildfire center.
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It was revealed in court documents this week that a helicopter pilot tried to take down a hobby drone over a wildfire with bucket drops. The pilot was between drops, protecting homes, when he spotted the drone.
The judge in the case fined the drone operator $5K, well below the recommended amount, set forth in the Wildfire Act. The drone pilot argued he didn’t know firefighters and pilots were engaged in the massive inferno.
A conversation about the growing issue of h...
Pre Season Jitters: A Conversation About Training, And What My First Day On A Hotshot Crew Was Like. Minnesota Woman Fined $150K For NOT Calling In A Wildfire.
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As we head into crews coming on, a conversation about pre-season jitters.
I talk about how I and others trained for the season, the first day on a Hotshot crew, and what was expected versus the reality. The jitters are normal; it means you care.
A Minnesota woman was fined $150,000 for not calling in a wildfire that started on her property. The MN DNR doesn’t usually fine large amounts, maybe this is their way of setting an example? Full story.
Record Wildfires In Nebraska, Big Fires Burn In South Dakota, And The Southwest Is Next. The Morrill Fire Nears 600,000 Acres. Fire season is fully underway.
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Wildfires in Nebraska have burned nearly 700,000 acres this week, with the Morrill Fire now the largest in the State’s history. Full update.
South Dakota got a wake-up call with the Qury Fire, now 7,200 acres. The fire’s management has already expressed a shortage of aviation resources due to the ongoing fires in Nebraska.
The Southwest is expecting a critical fire weather event pushing in early this week, with temperatures above 100 degrees. Fire managers and Incident Management Teams are prepping for a poss...
From Smokejumper To Congressional Candidate. Sam Forstag joins the show to talk wildfire issues and his upcoming election.
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Sam Forstag joins the show today to talk about his time as a wildland firefighter and Smokejumper, before deciding to enter a different arena, running for a congressional seat in Montana. Sam has been a longtime advocate for the wildfire workforce, working as Vice President of his union’s local.
We talk wildfire issues, wildfire costs, housing costs, public lands, and a litany of other topics. Sam has been traveling throughout Montana for the last month in anticipation of the June 2nd Primary.
TH...
New Meals Ready To Eat "MRE" Health Study Released: It's Worse Than You Could Imagine. Heavy metals, banned veterinary drugs, Glyphosate and Trenbolone.
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A new study on Meals Ready To Eat, MREs, was done by the organazation Mom’s Across America. These meals are carried and eaten by wildland firefighters across America. I’ve eaten hundreds, if not thousands, of them. Mom’s Across America provided 24 different MRE items to 3rd-party independent laboratories for testing. The results… much worse than you could imagine.
Some items contained 17,300% the safe aluminum levels, very high levels of lead and mercury in certain drink powders, apples with 27 pesticides, some of which are ban...
4 Suspects Arrested In Chile After Widespread Destruction And 21 Fatalities From Wildfires. Zeke Lunder joins for a broader conversation of what is happening on the ground.
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Authorities in Chile have arrested four suspects in connection with the current wildfires that have destroyed entire towns and led to 21 confirmed fatalities. One of the fires was said to have been started in a Eucaliptis grove, an industrial timber farm.
The timber industry in Chile is massive, and timber products are the 2nd largest export for the country. There has been long standing tension between the indigenous populations and the current government over these large timber operations. Both sides have been using th...
Congress Votes: Should Firefighters Be Able To Shoot Down Drones Over Wildfires? CAL FIRE Test Fully Autonomous Wildfire Vehicles. New study on wildfire smoke and pregnancy.
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A House committee votes today on whether it should study the effects of drone incursions over wildfires. If passed, they will come up with mitigation solutions, including using force to bring the drones down, wildfire anti-drone radio towers, and using “net guns.”
CAL FIRE has started testing of fully autonomous wildfire vehicles. Tests include supply drops, repeater use, surveillance, suppression, and drone launching platforms.
A new study on women who are pregnant and the effects of wildfire smoke. 200,000 women were a part of t...
Department Of Interior Officially Creates The United States Wildland Fire Service. Transition plans and authorities announced.
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The Secretary of the Interior officially announced today the creation of the United States Wildland Fire Service. Effective today, the transition period begins, and the unification of wildfire resources within the Department starts.
The Department provided transition plans, framework, and authorities of the new Service, which I cover in full.
Unification of assets, budgets, IT services, and payroll is underway, along with streamlining overhead structures and fully aligning pay structure, position descriptions, and retirement benefits.
A big day for the n...
One Year After The Palisades Fire: Has Anything Changed, What Have We Learned? We need to let operators operate.
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It’s one year after the deadly Palisades Fire. What have we learned from this horrible event, and more importantly, what can we do to prevent it from happening again?
It’s clear that major mistakes were made, some long before the fire even started. It’s never been more important to let the operators on the ground operate, without having their hands tied by bad policy and poor decisions.
What needs to change? Will we see that change?
Also, nearly al...
Forest Service Plans To Move D.C. Staff To Salt Lake City As Part Of Reorg Plans. Senators Pen Letter To Chief Schultz Over Hiring And Project Work Numbers.
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Yesterday, USDA Leadership announced plans to move the Forest Service leadership and senior staff from D.C. to Salt Lake City.
This is part of the reorganization plan, which will phase out the 9 Regions and create five hubs. This still all hinges on Congressional approval.
Senators penned a letter to Forest Service Chief Schultz requesting clarification on hiring numbers, staffing, prescribed burns, and fuel mitigation numbers.
They have nine specific points they want answered by December 12th of this ye...
CEO Of Bridger Aerospace, Sam Davis, Breaks Down The 2025 Wildfire Season, Their Expansion Into Spain, And The Future Of The Wildfire Aviation Company.
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Today, Sam Davis, CEO of Bridger Aerospace, joins the show to talk about the 2025 wildfire season, the expansion of the company into Spain, what Bridger has planned for the future, and more.
Sam joined the company in 2019 and took the helm after founder Sen. Tim Sheehy stepped down to run for U.S. Senate.
We also get into the future of wildfire tech, the new United States Wildland Fire Service, dealing with rising drone incursions, and where wildfire aviation is going as...
A Happy Thanksgiving Episode: Things We Can All Be Thankful For As Wildland Firefighters And Their Loved Ones.
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A very Happy Thanksgiving episode for the wildland firefighter community and their families. There is plenty to be thankful for today, including doing a job you love with the kickass people you work with, in our nation’s most beautiful landscapes.
A fun conversation about it all.
I also cover the Oregon fire season. More fires, fewer acres, and the $10 billion price tag for prescribed fire and project work. Plus, the new Department of the Interior push to provide greater access to our...
Historic Wildfire Costs During A Near Record Slow Season In Montana, Why? Full Reports On Broken Arm During Rolling Attack In TX And Jump Injury In MT.
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Montana had a near record slow wildfire season, but it was one of their most expensive. Why?
The Windy Rock Fire played a big role, a Team Fire in a wilderness study area that cost $56M in initial reports. Environmental groups in the State are questioning forest management, suppression, prescribed fire, and project costs, saying new studies show the forests are not as overgrown and unhealthy as reported, but also have concerns about wildfire smoke. Thanks to the Daily Montanan for the s...
The 2025 Wildfire Season By The Numbers: Fires, Acres, Aircraft, Crews, Drone Incursions, Equipment, UTFs, Cancellations, And More.
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Today, I cover the 2025 wildfire season by the numbers and compare them to last year.
Total Fires (nationally and by region)
Acres Burned (nationally and by region)
Crew Orders
Aircraft Orders
Flight Hours
UTFs
Cancelations
Drone Incursions, And More.
I also cover the LEAF Act, which was introduced to ensure local contractors receive a least 26% of contracts for project work, and a conversation about the AI push in...
