The Hotshot Wake Up

104
Science #200, Nature #19

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/

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Recent Episodes
  • CEO Of Watch Duty, John Mills, Discusses Developing Wildfire Tech And The Future Of The Company.
    Jun 2, 2025 – 00:46:43
  • USDA And DOI Sign Joint Wildfire Memo. Sec. Rollins Directs Forest Service Wildfire Response In New Order. No Tax On Overtime...?
    May 21, 2025 – 00:31:13
  • 23 Years As A Fire Wife: The Struggles And Joys Of Wildfire Relationships. Brittany Culbertson joins to discuss what it’s like to be a longtime Fire Wife.
    May 16, 2025 – 01:09:16
  • The Timber Executive Orders: Former NEPA Assistant Director For The USDA, Sharon Friedman, Joins To Discuss The Orders.
    May 12, 2025 – 01:12:11
  • Getting Through Critical 80 Healthy, Now What? Sustainable Wellness Through The Fire Season With Jessie Thomas. Jessie is a Former Hotshot, Smokejumper, and now a health and fitness coach.
    Apr 27, 2025 – 01:23:44
  • Living In The Wildland Urban Interface: Insurance Costs Rising, Home Hardening, And Wildfire Risk Maps. Stanford Scholar Michael Wara provides a needed dose of reality.
    Apr 24, 2025 – 01:03:29
  • Yes, There Is A Draft Executive Order For Wildfire. Here Is What's In It. Also, Oregon scraps wildfire risk map and Oklahoma Governor wants dissolve wildfire agency.
    Apr 14, 2025 – 01:04:40
  • California’s Growing Fuel And Wildfire Problem. A Conversation With Zeke Lunder. Fuels mitigation and prescribed fire are key to the solution.
    Mar 29, 2025 – 01:01:21
  • Human Lookouts V.S. The Robots... A 35 Year Lookout Veteran, Zeyn O'Leary Gives His Perspective.
    Mar 19, 2025 – 00:51:49
  • The Continuing Resolution Deadline, Wildfire Pay, And Wildfire Legislation. Senator Tim Sheehy Joins The Show To Discuss It All. Deadline for passage is Friday night.
    Mar 13, 2025 – 00:16:01
  • Golden Eagles Hotshot Justin DeMoss: The Hotshot Wellness Summit. Mental Health On And Off The Fireline.
    Feb 23, 2025 – 00:59:08
  • Getting Fire Ready: JJ Shelley Discusses The Importance Of Nutrition, Sleep, And Health Awareness On The Fireline. Former Marine Infantryman and Arizona Wildland Firefighter.
    Feb 20, 2025 – 01:01:34
  • Florida's Fire Season Is Here: Dr. Ludie Bond, PIO For The Florida Forest Service, Explains The Current Conditions On The Ground.
    Feb 17, 2025 – 00:30:00
  • Update On The Positions Lost Over The Last 48 Hours. NPS, DOI, FS. The Agencies have gone dark with all communications.
    Feb 15, 2025 – 00:47:31
  • "What's That Pink Stuff?" A Conversation With The Vice Chairman Of Perimeter Solutions, The Sole Retardant Contract Company With The USFS.
    Feb 11, 2025 – 00:45:01
  • A New Wildfire Agency, Massive Grant Cuts, And A Hiring Freeze. An update on all three.
    Feb 8, 2025 – 00:46:05
  • 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.
    Feb 1, 2025 – 00:39:21
  • Moving The Forest Service, A Wildland Firefighter Family Support Program, And Water Bombs. The Fix Our Forests Act
    Jan 25, 2025 – 00:31:20
  • John Gould: 10 Tanker CEO, Alaska Fire Service Manager, Head Of Air Operations For The BLM, And Longtime Smokejumper.
    Jan 17, 2025 – 01:12:32
  • 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.
    Jan 15, 2025 – 00:56:41
  • 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.
    Jan 13, 2025 – 00:25:22
  • 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.
    Jan 12, 2025 – 00:35:03
  • LAFD Chief: City Officials Failed The City And The Department. Confirms Reservoir Was Empty And Department Wasn't Notified.
    Jan 11, 2025 – 00:26:01
  • Citizens Tackle And Arrest Arsonist In California Near Kenneth Fire, Curfew Issued In LA Due To Looting, Canada Sends Huge Amount Of Resources.
    Jan 10, 2025 – 00:32:51
  • California Wildfire Update: Debunking Crazy Theories, What’s Actually Happening, And The Aftermath. Still a lot of work to contain these fires.
    Jan 9, 2025 – 00:49:40
  • A California Firestorm: Nearly 100,000 People Evacuated Due To The Devastating Palisades, Eaton, And Hurst Fires. Chaos as multiple fires ravage communities.
    Jan 8, 2025 – 00:35:24
  • Wildfire Pay Fix Stripped From Continuing Resolution, Supplemental Pay to Continue. Massive Changes Coming To Wildfire As We Know It. DOGE is now focused on wildfire and the Agencies.
    Dec 18, 2024 – 00:49:43
  • Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell: Head Of The U.S. Fire Administration. A Conversation About The Lahaina Fire, Wildfire Tech, And PFAS Affecting Firefighters.
    Dec 17, 2024 – 00:49:02
  • Supt. Series: Scott Gorman, Former Dalton Hotshot Superintendent And Current Orange County Superintendent. 27 years of experience, the industry, the Agencies, wildfire, and tragedy.
    Dec 12, 2024 – 01:15:00
  • Wildfire Pay Bill: I Welcome The President Of The Forest Service Council And NFFE Western Region National Business Representative. Full update on the vote and what firefighters can expect.
    Dec 7, 2024 – 00:41:56
  • Smoke Exposure, Wildland Firefighters, And Fertility: Dr. Luke Montrose Discusses His New Study Focusing On This Issue. How does wildfire smoke affect your reproductive health?
    Oct 26, 2024 – 00:55:11
  • Chief Brian Fennessy: President Of The California Fire Chiefs Association And Head Of Orange County Fire Authority. The Forest Service Aviation Policies, Workforce Shortages, Arsonists, and More.
    Oct 19, 2024 – 00:54:46
  • Hiker Charged In Oregon After Rescue Fires Turned Into Wildfires. Is Bridger Aerospace Under Attack? 2 California Congress members write FS Chief Moore, adding to the list.
    Oct 18, 2024 – 00:54:15
  • A Conversation With FiredUp Partners: What To Expect From The Paycheck Protection Act, The Struggles Of Fire Families, And How To Help.
    Oct 12, 2024 – 01:02:58
  • A Wild Week Of Fires. Crews Stranded, Civilians Injured, And Multiple Safety Zones Used. Crazy Stories From This Busy Week. California Fire Chiefs Battle The Forest Service Over Aviation.
    Oct 6, 2024 – 00:53:31
  • Former Hotshot And Smokejumper Jessie Thomas: Sustainable Health And Nutrition Into The Off-Season, And Raising A Fire Family.
    Sep 28, 2024 – 01:02:40
  • Mass Casualty Incident After Crew Buggy Rollover In California. 6 Firefighters in Critical Condition. The Forest Service All Employees Call Details.
    Sep 20, 2024 – 00:40:29
  • Arsonist Impersonating Firefighters And Law Enforcement Charged In Colorado. The Arsonist Personally Tried Contacting Me. Your fireline etiquette responses.
    Sep 14, 2024 – 00:45:00
  • State Of Emergency Declared In CA, Line Fire Under Investigation. Hotshot Crews Demobed On A Fire For Declining Assignment Due to Safety.
    Sep 8, 2024 – 00:48:02
  • Full Review Of The Little Twist Fire Tree Strike. Two States Ban PFAS In Firefighter Nomex. Fire Weather Moves Back In. Major wildfire fatality event in Portugal.
    Sep 1, 2024 – 00:51:38
  • FS Chief Moore Calls Out Hypocrisy With Cost Of Living Increases. Says The Feds Are Not Doing Enough. FS Has A $740M Budget Hole. Cal Fire arrests another arsonist after wildfire destroys 13 homes.
    Aug 24, 2024 – 00:43:50
  • Balloons Over Boise Fires, It's Not UFOs. More Arson Fires In CA. A Small Lull, But Fire Weather Moving In. Also, how to get hired on a Hotshot Crew.
    Aug 17, 2024 – 00:53:16
  • 1 Civilian Fatality\4 Firefighters Injured On Colorado Fires. 143 Structures Lost On Idaho Fire. 3 Injured On Pioneer Fire After UTV Crash.
    Aug 2, 2024 – 00:50:03
  • Park Fire Arsonist Arrested In California. Oregon Begs Feds For Help. 2 Aviation Fatalities In CA. Wildfire in Alberta burns down half of the town of Jasper.
    Jul 26, 2024 – 00:57:51
  • American River Hotshot, Bobby Blaine, And His Hike Across America. Mental and physical toughness, camaraderie, and the positives of being a Hotshot.
    Jul 20, 2024 – 01:06:59
  • Injuries And Tree Strikes Across Multiple Fires. Wildfire Activity Explodes Across North America. Reports on the 2 fatalities this week, and full operational update.
    Jul 12, 2024 – 00:51:26
  • CalFire Engine Rollover, Multiple Injuries. The Forest Service “Reply All” Heard Around The World. There is a lot of bitterness… plus full operational update.
    Jul 4, 2024 – 00:36:12
  • Firefighters Robbed In Oregon While Assigned To A Wildfire. Permanent Wildfire Pay Solution Introduced This Morning. Forest Service announces hiring mess, offers rescinded.
    Jun 28, 2024 – 00:52:00
  • New Mexico Fires Listed As Human-Caused For 48 Hours, Then Removed. Spokesperson Says It Was An Automated Error. Local Mayor says fires were intentional. Investigation continues.
    Jun 21, 2024 – 00:45:01
  • The Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act, Where Are We With It? A conversation with NFFE Wildfire members, Max Alonzo, Andy Vanderheuel, and Steve Gutierrez.
    Jun 15, 2024 – 01:23:00
Recent Reviews
  • Taylor Monney
    (Engine) Slug for Salt
    If you’re hoping to hear right wing bootlicking and “I told you so” for hours, this is the show for you.
  • betterwhale2497
    Not a real hotshot
    This guy is a grifter. The definition of stolen valor and doesn't seem to have any idea of what fire culture actually is.
  • Smokey Os
    Not an Expert
    Listening to this podcast is like listening to a guy who is on his first day making fry’s at McDonalds try to be an expert at fine dining. His fire experience is limited to say the least. He basically stumbles through the national situation report and then gives sensationalized hot takes. He is a phony. Don’t fall for the line that this guy represents wildland firefighters. He doesn’t and is the laughing stock of the community.
  • danechidna
    Poor representation of the Wildland community.
    Tim lacks any sense of journalistic integrity. He pushes falsehoods and outright lies. He advocates for slashing hiring at already struggling agencies. This man has no integrity and needs to be held accountable.
  • 0Playswithfire0
    Rumor mill and lies/exaggerations
    Tim was a firefighter, but Tim is no longer a firefighter. He spreads lies, create riffs in the community, and way over exaggerates just about everything from current events to his past as a firefighter. What he doesn’t tell you about his career is why. You should ask him.
  • Dan7788543
    Dude is a poser
    He is not a reliable source and is so blatantly biased.
  • Eric688727
    This guy is a liar
    Lies about his past experience. Spreads misinformation and in general is just a bad podcast. All his inside information is false. He’s just reading publicly available info.
  • nallenc
    Great info on wildfire management
    Really good info about every aspect of wildfire management in US from, multi agency policy, firefighter pay, health, safety, self care, legislative issues, technologies and details on specific fires and accidents. As a civilian living in fire the adapted ecosystem of CA I deeply appreciate knowing as much as possible about the policies and people in this industry. Tim is even handed, rational and solution oriented. Refreshing in these times! Thank you Tim! Nina
  • Scott in Fl
    Great wildland firefighter advocate
    It’s awesome to have a wildland firefighting advocate and to hear about fires from across our country. Great content.
  • Current wildland firefighter
    Annoying, bad politics
    Weak show that comes across as somebody adjacent to wildfire trying to center them self as the voice of wildland fire. Pushes weird right leaning politics and goes on annoying rants constantly. His opinion on conman Sheehy is a good recent example. Frankly just annoying and bro-y all around. Just read the sit report and you’ll get the only worthwhile info this pod has to offer.
  • pbipatrick
    Good stuff
    Love the content
  • Dslush
    Why
    Stop cursing!☣️ if you curse one more time Frick you
  • jrd603
    Screws loose
    This should be renamed the “I had some people reach out to me podcast”
  • JEBKAB
    Great Podcast
    Someone called this the new Sit Report and they nailed it! This goes beyond just the surface of fire updates though and covers all that is meaningful and happening within the wildland fire community. Still in fire and want a big picture update with some knowledgeable commentary? Listen to this podcast. Left fire, but can’t shake it from your soul? Listen to this podcast. Want to know more about wildland fire? Listen to this podcast.
  • brianjets
    Great
    Awesome updates on wildland fire info/news.
  • Save 21
    Awesome!
    Great weekly 🔥 and news update. Host has tons of Fire experience and perspective on the issues .
  • Nicks117
    Former Hotshot
    This dude understands the issue within wildland fire. He has been there and done that. Also awesome that he donates money for the fallen and injured firefighters.
  • Idaho Backcountry
    The new sit-report
    If you want to be completely up to date with everything Wildland Fire, I recommend you follow him on Instagram and listen to his podcasts. Great information and he calls it how it is. I wake up every morning and check his feed for new starts and red flag maps. He is better than the sit report hands down. If you subscribe the $ goes to Wildland people in need, which is awesome! Thanks for all you do ✊🏼
  • Classy Ken
    Solid content.
    Dude puts his neck on the line. Hes always putting out solid content on current events. Consistently talks about the tough subjects and seems to be a few days ahead of main stream news sources on a lot of stuff lately. Definitely a fire dude for fire folks, keeping us and our loved ones informed, but giving out that guy check information.
  • Jumpy man
    Best wildfire podcast out there.
    It so nice to have the weekly update and to hear someone who can explain what’s going on without the bias of a governmental press release. A wonderful listen.
  • cschelin
    Solid
    The best podcast out there for wild land firefighters and just for the fire community in general for operational updates and critical fire news.
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