Lakeview Hotshots Archives

Have drone will travel

Bill GabbertFebruary 7, 2020February 11, 2020Prescribed Firedrone, Lakeview Hotshots4 Comments

Lakeview Hotshots are assisting with prescribed fires in the Southeast

Lakeview IHC drone Operation — Lakeview Hotshots assisting with a burn operation in Alaska in 2019. Photo by Lakeview Hotshots..

On February 6, 2020 the Lakeview Interagency Hotshots posted on Instagram saying that they are “ready for RX [prescribed fire] support in the Southeast.” Currently they have prescribed fire modules deployed in the southeast, usually with eight to 10 firefighters each.

The post included the hashtag #ignis2 which refers to the second generation aerial ignition module Drone Amplified is manufacturing which enables drones to conduct aerial ignition on prescribed fires or wildfires. The crew included in their post the next two photos showing a drone aerial ignition system and a drone, both disassembled and packed into cases.

This year the Lakeview Hotshots have four qualified drone pilots. In 2018 their four pilots together completed over 100 missions.

Before the Lakeview IHC acquired Hotshot status in 2018 they were the Lakeview Crew 7 formed by the Bureau of Land Management. The crew was initially created in 2000 and reorganized in 2011 to help military veterans transition to productive civilian careers. Today it is comprised almost entirely of U.S. military veterans. The crew has been funded under the BLM Veterans Crew Program since 2012.

Learn more about BLM career opportunities for veterans:
https://www.blm.gov/careers/veterans

Skidgeon on the Cougar Creek Fire

Bill GabbertDecember 11, 2018February 7, 2020UncategorizedCougar Creek Fire, Lakeview Crew 7, Lakeview Hotshots, military, Washington

BLM crew of veterans trains National Guardsmen

Cougar Creek Fire Skidgeon — A Soft Track Skidgeon filling a pumpkin water tank on the Cougar Creek Fire, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF, WA, 2018. Photo: Kari Greer, NIFC. Click to enlarge.

I ran across this photo of a Soft Track Skidgeon, and since it is an interesting machine, I wanted to post it. It was on Flickr along with dozens of other photos from the Bureau of Land Management. That album also had pictures of BLM Crew 7 from Lakeview, comprised almost entirely of veterans, training soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard in 2014. This year the crew earned Interagency Hotshot Crew status.

National Guard wildfire training — More than 250 soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard, 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team, train with the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service at the Yakima Training Center, July 25, 2014. BLM was represented by crew No. 7 from Lakeview, which is comprised of military veterans. Photo by Kevin Abel/BLM.

In the video below, the National Guardsmen practice fire shelter deployment. It shows the Guardsmen running and then getting into the shelters. Video by Kevin Abel/BLM.

Lakeview Crew 7 earns Hotshot status

Bill GabbertNovember 14, 2018February 7, 2020UncategorizedLakeview Crew 7, Lakeview Hotshots6 Comments

Congratulations to Lakeview Crew 7, an interagency hotshot firefighter crew comprised almost entirely of U.S. military veterans.

The crew was formed in 2000 and reorganized in 2011 to help military veterans transition to productive civilian careers. Crew 7 has been funded under the BLM Veterans Crew Program since 2012.

In March of 2016, Crew 7 began the process to be certified as a hotshot crew. They went through the review process in 2017 and received the recommendation for certification this year.

During the 2018 wildfire season, Lakeview Crew 7 battled fires across the West, including the large Cougar Creek Fire in central Washington.

“Our time spent in the military is a key ingredient to our achievements,” said Levi VanderMolen, a member of Crew 7.

“It’s what separates us from other crews and inspires us to work harder and become the best.”

Learn more about BLM career opportunities for veterans:
https://www.blm.gov/careers/veterans