The Hotshot Wake Up

The Hotshot Wake Up
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The Hotshot Wake Up

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/

  1. 8 HR. AGO

    "What's That Pink Stuff?" A Conversation With The Vice Chairman Of Perimeter Solutions, The Sole Retardant Contract Company With The USFS.

    On today’s show: To Subscribe 👇 https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ I have a conversation with Eddie Goldberg, Vice Chairman Of Perimeter Solutions. Perimeter Solutions holds the sole contract with the Forest Service for retardants and has operations around the globe. We discuss the testing that retardants undergo, their composition, the safety studies that have been conducted, and the company's origins. We also discuss the upcoming wildfire legislation coming through Congress and what it will mean for wildfire resources across the industry. If you have questions about retardant or the retardant industry, we try to answer those questions. Eddie is credited with building ICL’s global fire safety business, focusing on products for wildland fire management and municipal and industrial fire suppression. Eddie holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University. 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.

    45 min

  2. 3 DAYS AGO

    A New Wildfire Agency, Massive Grant Cuts, And A Hiring Freeze. An update on all three.

    On Today’s Show: To Subscribe 👇 https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ I cover the proposal for the new National Wildfire Fire Service. This has been discussed for decades, and an effort to finally streamline the wildfire bureaucracy now has bipartisan support. It would consolidate all fire agencies under one umbrella. The USDA sent out a policy email stating that wildland firefighters are not exempt from the hiring freeze, which is paused until the Office of Personnel Management reviews the positions being offered. This issue needs to be resolved quickly to ensure an appropriate workforce can be in place for the summer fire season. It should be a priority. Wasteful spending by the Wildfire Agencies is under heavy scrutiny right now. All grants have been paused while they are sorted through. Last night, I looked through some grants and spending; some wild things are in there. This is an area of focus for those working on reducing costs. One foundation that received $564M from the Forest Service has the acting Chief of the Forest Service on its board of directors. I was assured that this was being looked into. 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.

    46 min

  3. FEB 1

    Hiring Freezes, Funding Freezes, Resignation Offers, And Hypocrisy. How We Got To Where We Are Today. Yes, D.O.G.E. took over your Agency.

    On today’s show: To Subscribe 👇 https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ Today, I cover all the wild reforms inside the wildfire agencies over the last week, how they happened, and why. It’s been a whirlwind of policy changes, website deletions, and top-level control of all IT and servers across the Departments. I even got a sneak peek at the current number of resignations sent in since mass resignation letters were offered to employees. Workers are still experiencing a great deal of uncertainty as this unfolds. I discuss the flurry of policy decisions that have been made, why the wildfire agencies are being targeted at the top levels, and how everyone will be affected. But with all that comes hypocrisy that needs to be called out. 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.

    39 min

  4. JAN 25

    Moving The Forest Service, A Wildland Firefighter Family Support Program, And Water Bombs. The Fix Our Forests Act

    On today’s show: To Subscribe 👇 https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ I cover the President’s visit to the California wildfires, then dive into the Fix Our Forests Act, which passed the House this week and will likely pass the Senate. Inside this Act is a provision to determine if the Forest Service should be moved to a Western state out of Washington D.C.; they have a 1-year timeline to decide. The Act also would create the Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program. This would cover travel and other expenses for a firefighter’s family if they are injured, ill, or deceased due to a line-of-duty incident. It also creates a system that tracks and provides specialized care for injured firefighters and provides short and long-term support with physical therapy and counselors. There is a provision to create and study the use of “water bombs”, massive cardboard boxes filled with water that can be used with non-wildfire aircraft such as a V-22 Ospresy and C-130s. There are also environmental exemptions for fire projects under 10,000 acres, reducing the chance for litigation for fire breaks and prescribed burns. 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.

    31 min

  5. JAN 17

    John Gould: 10 Tanker CEO, Alaska Fire Service Manager, Head Of Air Operations For The BLM, And Longtime Smokejumper.

    On Today’s Show: To Subscribe 👇 https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ I speak with John Gould, one of the most respected voices in the wildfire industry. John’s career spans the wildfire world, including being a longtime Alaska Smokejumper, chair of the Federal Fire and Aviation Safety Team, head of Air Operations for the Bureau of Land Management, manager of the Alaska Fire Service, and CEO of 10 Tanker. John and I discussed everything related to the wildfire industry, including retardant testing, contract issues, struggles with transparency in working with the Forest Service, and getting a seat at the table as an aviation company. Changes need to be made to better support our firefighters on the ground and aviation assets in the air, and we discuss how this can be done in the current environment. 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.

    1h 13m

  6. JAN 15

    Orange County Fire Chief Brian Fennessy: What Needs To Change After These Historic California Fires. Resource ordering, issues with hydrants, aviation contracts, politics, and more.

    On Today’s Show: To Subscribe 👇 https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ I spoke with Orange County Fire Chief Brian Fennessy about the recent fires in California and the changes needed in the aftermath. Chief Fennessy is the Chair of the Firescope Advisory Committee, which will meet next week to make recommendations to improve the current system and have a panel discussion on the 2025 California fires. We discuss the issues with the ordering system, aviation resources being off-contract for the Forest Service, the hydrants and reservoirs, politics in fire, and much more. Interstingly, Forest Supervisors in California opposed the D.C. office's decision to release aviation resources in late December. The move ended up being the right one, even in the face of significant D.C. backlash. This is one of the most open and honest conversations you will hear from a leader in the fire world in the wake of these fires. 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.

    57 min

  7. JAN 13

    Senator Tim Sheehy: After The Horrific Fires In California, We Need To Fix The Wildfire System To Support All Americans And Address Pay Issues For Our Firefighters.

    On Today’s Show: To Subscribe 👇 https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ With the tragedy of the Palisades and Eaton Fires in California over the last week, I sat down with Senator Tim Sheehy to discuss what needs to be done to ensure that this tragedy never happens again and make certain our wildland firefighters are supported. The Senator and I have discussed these issues for years, and due to these devastating fires, National attention is entirely focused on them. We discuss fixing firefighter pay, long-term aviation contracts, changes that need to be made to the wildfire system, and how that can now be accomplished in Congress. Senator Sheehy is the only Red Carded member of Congress as a firefighter and founded the internationally available wildfire aviation company Bridger Aerospace in Montana. 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.

    25 min

  8. JAN 12

    The Palisades Fire Origin: Investigators Are Looking At A Possible New Years Fire Holdover, Arson, And More. Origin photos show the fire starting off the Temescal Ridge Trail.

    On Today’s Show: To Subscribe 👇 https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ The ATF has taken over as the lead investigator into the Palisades Fire and has been looking at the fire's origin. The best origin photo I’ve seen shows the fire starting off the Temescal Ridge Trail within the first 20 minutes of ignition. Investigators are also looking at the potential of a holdover from the Lackman Fire, which started on New Year’s Eve in the same location. I cover the details of this investigation, one being the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, saying the power to the infrastructure on top of Temescal Ridge has been shut off for 5 years. I also discuss the cuts the Forest Service is making in Region 5 (California) to critical positions. I had a conversation with a California Forest Supervisor who was concerned these cuts would only make the jobs of firefighters on the ground harder. Plus, a full update on the fires. 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.

    35 min
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4.6
out of 5
152 Ratings

About

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/

Information

  • Creator
    The Hotshot Wake Up
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    145
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Hotshot Wake Up
  • Show Website
    The Hotshot Wake Up

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