By Steve Shaw, BLM Fire Operations
The perfect harmony of 20 souls. Each one with just a bit more sweat and grit as the one before. The simple gratification of achievement, thanks only to the will and power of heart, mind and muscle.
The Bureau of Land Management Fire hand crew program consists of 19 crews spread across BLM’s diverse landscape, from Fairbanks, Alaska to Bakersfield, California, to Worland, Wyoming, and to Jackson, Mississippi. Each location offers hand crew members endless opportunities for professional and personal growth along with direct access to some of the best recreation on the planet. The hand crew program consists of Interagency Hotshot Crews, or IHC, and the only federal hand crews specifically established to provide opportunities for our nation’s military veterans.
The 2021 fire year starts in Jackson, Mississippi with the Jackson Interagency Hotshots. Established in 1997, the crew is the BLM’s first and only wildland fire resource east of the Mississippi River, with a mission that includes providing employment opportunities for students at historic black colleges and universities. The Jackson IHC typically spends the first half of the fire year in the eastern states assisting interagency partners with prescribed fire and wildland fire suppression. The latter half of the year, Jackson makes the annual trek west to join western firefighting forces for the normal peak of the fire year.
Interagency Hotshot Crews are some of the nation’s most highly trained, experienced, and physically conditioned wildland firefighting resources. The first IHCs were established in southern California in the 1940s by the USDA Forest Service and have since multiplied to near 110 total crews between all federal agencies and three IHCs hosted by Utah and Alaska. All IHCs meet the requirements found in the Standards for Interagency Hotshot Crew Operations. BLM’s IHC program began in the late 70s with the Silver State IHC in Nevada. Silver State’s home base and fire station is tucked on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, just south of Carson City. The Silver State fire station was built in 2012, purposely designed and constructed to house the diverse gear, equipment, and employees assigned to IHCs. Additional IHC hand crews with purpose-built IHC fire stations are the Diamond Mountain IHC in Susanville, California, Ruby Mountain IHC in Elko, Nevada, Craig IHC in Colorado, and Snake River IHC in Pocatello, Idaho.
In southern Arizona, BLM’s newest hand crew, the Aravaipa Veteran IHC, also begins the annual fire year in March. Joined by Lakeview Veterans IHC in Klamath Falls, Oregon, they comprise the only two hotshot crews that blend traditional IHC traditions with an environment and atmosphere for military veterans. The two hand crews meet all IHC standards but add a mission that strives to be comprised completely of veterans. Aravaipa’s home base is uniquely situated on the Fort Huachuca U.S. Army Installation in Sierra Vista, a location that benefits both the Army and the BLM.
The BLM Veteran hand crew program began in 2012 with the establishment of the Vegas Valley Hand Crew in Las Vegas, stationed in the picturesque Red Rocks National Conservation Area. Like all BLM hand crews, Vegas Valley spends the summer months crisscrossing the western states in a fleet of specially designed wildland fire vehicles. The fleet includes two pickup trucks and two custom built crew carriers, designed by the National Fire Equipment Program at NIFC. The crew carriers become the adhoc home for each crew member, each with a specific seat and window to thousands of miles of the country. The BLM Veteran hand crew program also includes the Folsom Lake Veteran Hand Crew in Placerville, California, Medford and Spokane Hand Crews in Oregon/Washington, Montana’s Billings Hand Crew, and Devils Canyon Hand Crew in Worland, Wyoming. While all hand crews meets the same National Wildfire Coordinating Group, or NWCG, standards, each one brings their own diverse skillsets, specialties, and traditions.
As the fire year trends towards the hottest months, the remaining BLM IHCs begin their fire year in early May. Joining the above mentioned IHCs are the Kern Valley IHC in Bakersfield, California, Vale IHC in Oregon, and Bonneville IHC in Salt Lake City, Utah. The two remaining BLM IHCs are jointly stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Midnight Sun and Chena IHCs were established in 1985, both hosted by the BLM Alaska Fire Service. Both IHCs spend the first half of the fire year suppressing wildfires across the Last Frontier. These IHCs commonly travel via airplane and helicopter through the Alaskan tundra and spend up to 21 days in remote fire camps. Summer rains in Alaska see both IHCs fly to the “Lower 48” and retrieve crew vehicles at NIFC before joining summer firefighting efforts.
BLM hand crews find closure in October with seasonal employees embarking on well deserved time off and permanent employees starting the annual refurbishing of gear and equipment and starting planning and hiring for the next fire year. The application period for crew member positions begins in early fall, with most selections made in February. Permanent hand crew positions are rare and are advertised on usajobs.gov.
Whether a single fire year or an entire career, BLM’s hand crews provide much more than a modest paycheck. The real value lives in the lifelong memories, friendships, and sweat soaked footsteps across some of the most remote and stunning corners of our beautiful planet.
For more information visit nifc.gov/careers to learn more about #FireJob opportunities. It’s #NotYourOrdinaryJob.
Note from Bill: The title of the article was edited to correctly indicate that not all of the BLM crews are Interagency Hotshot Crews.
Anyone that can say that “forestry techs” or “range techs” are paid well are absolute idiots. The job these guys/gals do on a daily basis require extensive training, commitment and grit. They need to be referred to as firefighters and their pay and benefits need to reflect it. They might make a decent amount of money but that is only because the amount of hours they work. Averaging 1000+ hours of overtime in a season is brutal.
Forestry Tech, there are more opportunities in wildland Fire and fuels now than ever before. If one gets stuck at low GS position for more than a couple years, it says more about the person than the job. Most fire managers did more than their fair share at low GS base pay, short tours and no benefits. A lot of teams sign off on 16 hour shifts. You weren’t paid anything above what you worked. If you’re having a hard time making ends meet where you are, you may need to look at other regions, barracks arrangements, local costs of living, etc. Maybe apply for apprentice positions if you want to make a career of it.
“If one gets stuck at low GS position for more than a couple years, it says more about the person than the job.”
No, that says everything about this job, and everything about the degree to which you are missing the point. The bulk of our workforce is made up of “low GS positions,” the people putting themselves on the line, and “well we all had to do it” is not even close to a good enough excuse.
Hammer- this is a crazy out of touch statement. Most of the crews that Steve is writing about here depend on those low wage seasonal employees to come back year after year, many of those crews only have 7 or 8 permanent spots. We dance around the reality of wanting our employees to have a better life, and to promote, but the current crew model depends on seasonal employees returning year after year in really crappy conditions(despite all of the perks, sunsets and sunrises, comradeship, etc) . Fires are way more complexed today, and crews retention and ability to deal with those complexities is severely diminished compared to even 5 years ago. As someone that’s spent considerable time on crews as gs-3 all the way up the chain, I can speak to it- there would be many more serious accidents on crews if these seasonal employees did not return year after year. They are the backbone of wildland fire crews. It sounds like you’ve been in fire for a bit, well so have I, and to suggest that fire employees should have to relocate to another part of the country to gain an extra $1.15 an hour, is the biggest reason quality people are leaving our agency in mass numbers. Why should you move your family to another state, when you can make more at your local Walmart as an entry level employee. When I was a seasonal employee many years ago, GS-3’s through GS-6’s were a paid a livable wage and it was on par with the cost of living, now-a-days our seasonals are not living out of their cars to to save money, they are living out of their cars because they can not afford rent in the communities their helping protect. To reference the original comment from ForestryTech I disagree with him attacking a great former Supt from a great crew, That is a huge advocate for all crews, but his overall point of sub-par conditions are spot on. The federal model is a totally out-dated and unsustainable, Federal firefighters do deserve much better then the agencies are providing . It’s great work Steve and others are doing from within the agency, but to get the change we need we’re going to need folks that are willing to shine light on the problems-change via legislation. I just hope we can keep the conversation positive especially within our own federal ranks.
“Forestry tech”,
I wanted to confirm that you are dis regarding that the author is a former Superintendent.
We probably agree more than you realize about pay, title, and what it looks like late and post career for our health, especially if you have been injured. Do something rather comment on a computer about how things can get better, and tell a former sup to do better. Speak to people in person, go to DC.
Do better
What if he is working towards something better for all of us? Please push in the clutch.
The fact that you don’t know the author was a former superintendent speaks volumes.
Try not to talk down to someone that may be your advocate. You may be not helping.
Thanks MT! Appreciate you trying to “educate” the misinformed “Forestry Technician”. I agree, the fact this individual doesn’t know that the author was a former Supt. does speak volumes.
“Forestry Technician”…..If the employment conditions and your work environment are sub-par or unsatisfactory, find another position outside the agency(s) and move along!
Silver State USDI, BLM, Hotshots 1988-89-90. I knew what I was getting into. Knew well and trusted the overhead. Paid for my college. Seven western states, Alaska and Canada. Each year a ‘cake’ fire, and each year a ‘brutal’ fire. Good memories.
Hey ForestryTech. FYI, the author is one of the biggest advocates for crews in general, specifically BLM crews. He was living out of his car, and crushing it as a hotshot long before you were working for the Feds. We need a lot more people like him at the top. I’m glad your advocating for change, it’s refreshing to hear so many wildland fire fighters talking about the sub-par conditions and pay disparity now-a-days, but that does not mean you tear down good people that are trying to shine light on the good things about the job, and promoting the hardworking crews that are still getting after it.
This useless poetic garbage doesn’t pay the bills, infact it seems to justify the fact that it doesn’t. it’s absolutely unbelievable and unacceptable for a GS14 to be saying anything about seasonals’ low pay other than the fact that the level it’s at is utterly unsustainable for the people that work for him.
Do better.
@Forestry Technician – I’m all for trying to improve our pay/benefits but this isn’t the appropriate time to start bashing the author and calling them “unacceptable.” Appreciate the well written article pointing out some positive aspects of our job, and grow up. It’s not all about you and your voice doesn’t always need to be heard.
Deleting comments thats real classy.
The person who wrote two comments requested that they be deleted.
Why did multiple comments get deleted that were addressing pay inequalities? Seems unlike the website and past discussion. Saw comments from smoke jumper bro etc earlier.
The person who wrote two comments requested that they be deleted.
Did the person who wrote this ever spend any time on a hotshot crew? Seems so out-of-touch and romanticizes heavily what it’s actually like while completely leaving out the actual challenges we face.
Yes. He was a superintendent for several years. Why is it that the new “go to” is to throw darts? The negativity is draining.
Then he should know better than to romanticize the low pay we receive for the commitment that is expected of us. He is a part of the problem by writing this feel-good piece instead of using his position to actually change things for the better.
Help do something about it or go do something else. Choice.
“The real value lives in the lifelong memories, friendships, and sweat soaked footsteps across some of the most remote and stunning corners of our beautiful planet.”
We GeT pAiD iN sUnSeTs, get real and grow up. Seasonal firefighters live in their vehicles during summer months because they can’t afford housing.
TYFYS
Hey maybe my landlord will accept rent in the form of ” the lifelong memories, friendships, and sweat soaked footsteps across some of the most remote and stunning corners of our beautiful planet.”
No joke starting wages at the target near me are higher than those of “some of the nation’s most highly trained, experienced, and physically conditioned wildland firefighting resources.” I don’t mean that as a knock on target workers either. It’d be nice if fed agencies supported their employees beyond lip service and thank you’s in media interviews.
Bill – clarifying, it is 13 IHC (2 of which are veteran crews) with the remainder meeting Type 2 IA or Type 2 standards – 19 total hand crews. Thanks.
Thank you Steve. That was our mistake.