The Hotshot Wake Up

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.

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.

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.

On Today’s Show: To Subscribe 👇 https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/ In the last 24 hours, the LAFD Chief has commented that Los Angeles city officials have let the Department and city residents down. When further pressed, the chief confirmed that one major reservoir was empty due to construction and that her department was not notified before or during the initial attack of the California fires. After making the comments, the Chief was immediately called to the Mayor’s Office, prompting a press release from the LAFD PIO saying she was not being fired. Crazy. Also, last night, there were reports that an LAFD official had a resident show them footage of two individuals dumping gas and lighting it on fire near the Palisades fire's origin. During this morning’s briefing, the sheriff’s department asked the public to provide any footage they had of individuals starting the fire. The sheriff said, “We will hold the individual or group of people responsible for this fire.” That is the furthest they’ve gone regarding the cause of the Palisades Fire since they started. Plus, a complete update of all the fires in the area. 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.