General
hotshots
What does hotshots mean?
Interagency Hotshot Crews — 20-person wildland hand crews held to the highest training, fitness, and experience standards in US wildland firefighting. They get sent to the gnarliest sections of the biggest fires (the "hot" parts of the line, hence the name), often cutting direct line with chainsaws and hand tools right next to active flame. Roughly 110 IHC crews exist nationally across USFS, BLM, NPS, BIA, and state agencies. The 19 hotshots killed on Yarnell Hill in 2013 were Granite Mountain IHC.
"They flew two hotshot crews in from Idaho to cut line on the south flank before the wind event."
Origin
Originated in Southern California in the late 1940s; the name reflects the crews being assigned to the hottest, most active sections of a fire's perimeter.
Frequently asked questions
What are "hotshots"?
They're the elite hand crews of wildland firefighters who fly anywhere to fight the worst, most dangerous wildfires.
How do you use "hotshots" in a sentence?
"The hotshots got flown in overnight to cut a line ahead of the fire."
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