Wildfire Management: Hotshot Crews (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
July 1, 2013 |
| Report Number |
R43129 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Kelsi Bracmort, Specialist in Agricultural Conservation and Natural Resources Policy |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
Wildfires can be unpredictable, with the severity and direction of the wildfire changing in a matter of moments. To ensure the safety and protection of life and property, response to a wildfire requires an array of resources including air and ground support. This report briefly discusses the role of hotshot crews for wildfire management.
Hotshot crews are intensively trained fire crews that are generally placed in the most rugged terrain on the most active and difficult areas on wildfires. The primary mission of an Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC) is to provide a safe, professional, mobile and highly skilled hand crew for all phases of fire management and incident operations. A crew typically consists of 20 members that have excelled at a variety of standards for IHC operations including physical fitness, operational preparedness training, and field exercises, and has a particular wildfire management experience level. General activities for an IHC may include fire line construction, fuel removal, and burnout operations, among other tasks. The crew may be deployed to any state where they are needed. The National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) is the overarching federal agency charged with deployment of a crew.
Wildfires can be dangerous, even for well-trained individuals. The tragic loss of 19 firefightersâmost of whom were members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crewâon June 30, 2013, assigned to the Yarnell Hill fire is a reminder of the danger trained individuals face when trying to manage wildfires.
