The Hotshot Wake Up

• 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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• The Future Of Wildfire Detection, Monitoring, Modeling, And Post Burn Analysis. OroraTech CEO Martin Langer. OroraTech just signed a deal with the State of Idaho for wildfire satellite services.

  On Today’s Show: To support and subscribe: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/OroraTech is a wildfire technology company that provides satellite detection, monitoring, fire spread modeling, and post-fire recovery data for wildfire managers. They recently signed a deal with the State of Idaho to provide these services statewide. CEO Martin Langer joins the show from Munich, Germany, to discuss their technology in the wildfire world and more. We explore the company's genesis, starting as a university project that has drastically expanded, a conversation about how the tech works, the process of getting satellites into space, venture capital in wildfire, and more. We also discuss the future of wildfire tech, including its potential for success and areas where it may fail. A conversation with great insight into this part of the industry. 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 Wildfire Workforce, Culture, And The National Wildfire Service: A Conversation With Angeles National Forest Fire Chief Robert Garcia.

  On Today’s Show: To Subscribe and support: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Today, I welcome the Fire Chief of the Angeles National Forest, Robert Garcia. Chief Garcia started his career as a seasonal firefighter, moved to working on Hotshot crews, became the Superintendent of Little Tujunga Hotshots, and rose to the position of Fire Chief. The Angeles National Forest is home to five Hotshot Crews, helitack crews, engines, and more. Today, we discuss his career, the importance of supporting the workforce amid changing times, the crucial subject of wildfire culture of all wildfire resources, and what that looks like moving towards a National Wildfire Service. We also dive into the challenges seen in the California wildfire environment. Prescribed fire, fuels work, working with state and local partners, and more. An incredible conversation.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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