The Hotshot Wake Up

Apr 21 2024 76
The Hotshot Wake Up Podcast artwork

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/

RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


A Wildfire Hiring Freeze?! Canada Calls National Security Investigation Team After Pipeline Fire. Also, The Retardant Cover-Up.

Apr 21 2024 63 mins  
On today’s show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Operational update. A longtime and beloved firefighter in Montana dies during a pack test. A shock to the Montana firefighting community. Canada calls in their National Security Investigation Team after pipeline explosion causes wildlife in Alberta. Past cyber attacks have shown vulnerability to these systems. After pu

After 2 Years, The FEMA Director For The Hermits Peak\Calf Canyon Fire Relief Funds, Resigns. $4B of relief set to expire, Agency “Copied and Pasted” docs from 2000 Fire.

Apr 14 2024 45 mins  
On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Two years after the Hermits Peak\Calf Canyon Fire, the FEMA director in charge of the $4 Billion in relief funds has resigned. The HPCC Fire, caused by 2 separate Forest Service prescribed burns, became the largest, most expensive, and most destructive fire in history. Lawyers for the communities say the Agency copied

2 Firefighters Burned On Oklahoma Fire, Started As Controlled Burn. Also, Red Flags Now = No Power. Fortress Retardant loses contract after “environmentally safe” product eats aircraft tanks.

Apr 07 2024 42 mins  
On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Subscribe now After a mayday call went out on the Oklahoma fire yesterday, we learned this morning that 2 firefighters were burned. The fire started as a “controlled burn” before 55MPH winds caused it to blow up. Colorado learns that Red Flag days now mean your power gets shut off. What’s the solution? Also, For

Weekly Wildfire Update: East Coast Pops Off, Multiple Teams Ordered. Washington State Scraps Wildfire Risk Map. Says the Maps are unreliable, but there's a lot more to this story.

Mar 23 2024 48 mins  
On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Full Operational Update. Virginia and West Virginia order multiple Teams. Multiple Complexes established. Governor puts out an emergency response. Southern Area at PL3. Washington State scraps its Wildfire Risk Maps. Says their unreliable and need to be redone. However, defensible space requirements are thrown out beca

Couple Charged in Death of Big Bear Hotshot Squad Boss, Charlie Morton, After Gender Reveal Starts Fire. Also, WFPPA Update.

Feb 15 2024 40 mins  
On Today’s Show: To Subscribe: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ The Eldorado Fire was started by a gender reveal party in California. This week the couple involved was charged in the death of a Big Bear Hotshot squadie. Charlie Morton was working the Eldorado Fire when the fire overran his position. A look at the upcoming Spring fire season. Bureau of Land Management

Fires in Chile: 64+ Dead. President of Chile\Governor: “These fires began in four points that lit up simultaneously.” "Could be intentional." Curfew ordered, authorities search for those responsible.

Feb 04 2024 34 mins  
On today’s show: {to subscribe:} https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Wildfires in Chile claim the lives of 64 people. Thousands are out of their homes, and hundreds are still missing. Four fires started “simultaneously,” according to the President of Chile and Governor of Valparaiso. “Possibly coordinated,” and an investigation is underway. I also cover the payme

The Story of The Beachie Creek Fire: Put It Out, Or Let It Burn? Both Have Consequences. Also, PG&E and the Dixie Fire trial. The settlement basically pays itself.

Jan 27 2024 48 mins  
On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ The story of the Beachie Creek Fire in Oregon. Multiple lawsuits on how the fire was handled by the Forest and $1B demanded from the power company. MIST tactics V.S. full suppression. Safety V.S. engaging. What’s the cost in the end? PG&E come to a settlement on the Dixie Fire trial. Did PG&E just pay itself

Wildfire Contractors Accused of Bid Rigging in Idaho and "Drowning" the Competition. FBI Investigates After Wiretaps. Also, Hotshots and Ultra Marathons. A story about cardio and mental toughness.

Jan 20 2024 45 mins  
On today’s show: To Subscribe: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ The FBI and DOJ indict two wildfire contract companies for bid rigging wildfire contracts. Wiretaps led to evidence of collusion, territorial monopolies, and running the competition out of business. The shady world of wildfire contracts. I cover the story of three Hotshots running ultra marathons in the of

A Conversation With Bridger Aerospace Founder and CEO Tim Sheehy. Wildfire aviation, wildfire policy, and the history of Scoopers.

Jan 05 2024 39 mins  
To Subscribe: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ On today’s show: Tim Sheehy, founder and CEO of Bridger Aerospace, joins me to discuss the current state of wildland fire, firefighter compensation, the bureaucratic struggles with policy and contracts, and his new book, Mudslingers. Tim takes us through his journey from a Navy Seal to building Bridger Aerospace out of a barn i

Looking Forward to the 2024 Wildfire Season: A conversation with wildfire commissioner Kelly Martin.

Dec 22 2023 68 mins  
On today’s show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ We discuss the slowly reemerging policy of “put everything out” that has crept back into both the political realm and the tech side of the wildfire industry. A policy that clearly didn’t work. We talk about the importance of bringing operational and field-capable people into these discussions and how pivotal it is to