The Hotshot Wake Up

• Recap Of Today's Senate Hearing On The Palisades Fire. Homeowners Testify On Their Experiences And Loss.

  On Today’s Show: To Support and Subscribe 👇https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/The Senate Committee on Aging held a hearing today in California to let residents testify on their experiences before, during, and after the Palisades fire. The hearing was conducted by Senator Scott of Florida and Senator Johnson of Wisconsin. Multiple people spoke about the day their homes were lost and what they believe led to the issues they had before and after the fire, including the lack of fuel reduction, prescribed burning, water issues, the response, rebuild permit fees up to $100,000, and insurance policies being canceled. One witness was a 94-year-old woman who survived three concentration camps, and said her home was lost, and now her family is unable to rebuild. So much covered in this meeting, which I break down. THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP — Thank you to all of our paid subscribers. Your support allows us to donate generously to firefighter charities and supports all of our content. You also receive all of our article archives, more podcast episodes, Monday morning workouts, and also entered into our giveaways, plus more.

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• Some Forest Service Employees Now Working Without Pay. Oregon Power Company Facing Bankruptcy After $55B In Wildfire Lawsuits. $48M raised for wildfire sprinkler company.

  On Today’s Show: To Support And Subscribe 👇https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/As we enter the longest government shutdown in history, some Forest Service Employees are now being asked to come into work without pay.Major vacancies in high-level wildfire positions persist, as the Agency tries to fill critical positions internally. PacifiCorp Power in Oregon says they are facing liquidity issues as wildfire lawsuits reach $55 BILLION. The downstream effects are starting to show their ugly face. Another private wildfire company raised $48 million just days ago. I cover their business and who they are. This brings the total venture capital raised by private wildfire companies to $108 million in just the last week. A well-intentioned and justified rant. THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP — Thank you to all of our paid subscribers. Your support allows us to donate generously to firefighter charities and supports all of our content. You also receive all of our article archives, more podcast episodes, Monday morning workouts, and also entered into our giveaways, plus more.

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• The Crazy Story Behind The Ninetyeight Fire Incident. Updates On Shutdown Pay Funding And USWFS Unification And Chief.

  On Today’s Show: To Subscribe and support 👇https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Shutdown pay funding update for the USFS and DOI. DOI has a longer runway of funding for wildfire resources, and the USFS is looking for a funding extension. We have reached the important date for the unification planning phase of the new USWFS, and the search for the new National USWFS Chief continues. Updates on all of those things. Time to check in on yourself and others after a long season. The crazy story behind the Ninetyeight Fire Incident. Hotshots thrown from boats, broken pelvis, ribs, punctured organs, people impaled and tossed in rivers, all while in the Alaska wilderness. A story that reads like a Hollywood movie. Plus more. THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP — Thank you to all of our paid subscribers. Your support allows us to donate generously to firefighter charities and supports all of our content. You also receive all of our article archives, more podcast episodes, Monday morning workouts, and also entered into our giveaways, plus more.

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• PNW Continues To Burn. Dozer Rollover, Engine Rollover, Tree Strike Update, And Thinking On Your Feet On The Fireline. Also, a conversation about life lately.

  On Today’s Show: To Subscribe: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Today, I cover all the wildfire activity across the nation and updates on incidents happening on wildfires. The PNW and California remain the hotspots, with lingering fires in Montana and Idaho. There was a dozer rollover in Washington, an engine rollover in California, and an update on the tree strike involving a hotshot crew in Oregon. A story about ingenuity and fast thinking on a wildfire when the unexpected happens. A Canadian wildland firefighter’s take on not only what it’s like to fight fire as a career with a family, but also making the hard decision to move up or move on. A conversation about life and perspective. THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP — Thank you to all of our paid subscribers. Your support allows us to donate generously to firefighter charities and supports all of our content. You also receive all of our article archives, more podcast episodes, Monday morning workouts, and also entered into our giveaways, plus more.

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• Building The Next Generation Of Wildland Firefighters With Bryan Kerns. Bryan's work in bringing wildfire into the classroom earned him the 2025 Tennessee teacher of the year.

  On today’s show: To Subscribe: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/The question on the minds of many agency leaders and supervisors is how to build and train the new generation of wildland firefighters. Well, that’s just what firefighter and teacher Bryan Kerns is doing with his wildfire program, earning him the 2025 Tennessee teacher of the year.Bryan Kerns is the Fire Science teacher at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, TN. Bryan has been in wildland fire since 2003 and brought his wildland fire experience into the classroom in 2019. What started as an after school club known as The Pulaski Club in 2019 has now grown into a full progression of Fire Science courses, complete with one of the nation's, if not the only, high school Prescribed Burn Team. Bryan has over 30 young men and women from his program now working in wildfire and EMS.Bryan will travel to D.C. soon to discuss expanding this program nationwide.Contact: [email protected] HOTSHOT WAKE UP — Thank you to all of our paid subscribers. Your support allows us to donate generously to firefighter charities and supports all of our content. You also receive all of our article archives, more podcast episodes, Monday morning workouts, and also entered into our giveaways, plus more.

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