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The Secretary of the Interior officially announced today the creation of the United States Wildland Fire Service. Effective today, the transition period begins, and the unification of wildfire resources within the Department starts.

The Department provided transition plans, framework, and authorities of the new Service, which I cover in full.

Unification of assets, budgets, IT services, and payroll is underway, along with streamlining overhead structures and fully aligning pay structure, position descriptions, and retirement benefits.

A big day for the new United States Wildfire Service.

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It’s one year after the deadly Palisades Fire. What have we learned from this horrible event, and more importantly, what can we do to prevent it from happening again?

It’s clear that major mistakes were made, some long before the fire even started. It’s never been more important to let the operators on the ground operate, without having their hands tied by bad policy and poor decisions.

What needs to change? Will we see that change?

Also, nearly all Western states saw record-breaking temperatures in December, setting the stage for a very receptive fire environment this spring.

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• Yesterday, USDA Leadership announced plans to move the Forest Service leadership and senior staff from D.C. to Salt Lake City.

• This is part of the reorganization plan, which will phase out the 9 Regions and create five hubs. This still all hinges on Congressional approval.

• Senators penned a letter to Forest Service Chief Schultz requesting clarification on hiring numbers, staffing, prescribed burns, and fuel mitigation numbers.

• They have nine specific points they want answered by December 12th of this year.

• The inaugural Director of the USWFS.

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Today, Sam Davis, CEO of Bridger Aerospace, joins the show to talk about the 2025 wildfire season, the expansion of the company into Spain, what Bridger has planned for the future, and more.

Sam joined the company in 2019 and took the helm after founder Sen. Tim Sheehy stepped down to run for U.S. Senate.

We also get into the future of wildfire tech, the new United States Wildland Fire Service, dealing with rising drone incursions, and where wildfire aviation is going as a whole.

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A very Happy Thanksgiving episode for the wildland firefighter community and their families. There is plenty to be thankful for today, including doing a job you love with the kickass people you work with, in our nation’s most beautiful landscapes.

A fun conversation about it all.

I also cover the Oregon fire season. More fires, fewer acres, and the $10 billion price tag for prescribed fire and project work. Plus, the new Department of the Interior push to provide greater access to our National Parks for Americans and their families.

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• Montana had a near record slow wildfire season, but it was one of their most expensive. Why?

• The Windy Rock Fire played a big role, a Team Fire in a wilderness study area that cost $56M in initial reports. Environmental groups in the State are questioning forest management, suppression, prescribed fire, and project costs, saying new studies show the forests are not as overgrown and unhealthy as reported, but also have concerns about wildfire smoke. Thanks to the Daily Montanan for the shoutout on my reporting.

• During a mobile attack in Texas, a crew member broke their arm while operating the hose from inside the cab. Full report.

• A very detailed report came out on the double leg fracture and subsequent rescue operation that took place in Montana during a wildfire jump operation.

• A full breakdown of that report.

• Operational update.

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Today, I cover the 2025 wildfire season by the numbers and compare them to last year.

• Total Fires (nationally and by region)

• Acres Burned (nationally and by region)

• Crew Orders

• Aircraft Orders

• Flight Hours

• UTFs

• Cancelations

• Drone Incursions, And More.

I also cover the LEAF Act, which was introduced to ensure local contractors receive a least 26% of contracts for project work, and a conversation about the AI push in wildfire.

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The Senate Committee on Aging held a hearing today in California to let residents testify on their experiences before, during, and after the Palisades fire.

The hearing was conducted by Senator Scott of Florida and Senator Johnson of Wisconsin. Multiple people spoke about the day their homes were lost and what they believe led to the issues they had before and after the fire, including the lack of fuel reduction, prescribed burning, water issues, the response, rebuild permit fees up to $100,000, and insurance policies being canceled.

One witness was a 94-year-old woman who survived three concentration camps, and said her home was lost, and now her family is unable to rebuild.

So much covered in this meeting, which I break down.

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• As we enter the longest government shutdown in history, some Forest Service Employees are now being asked to come into work without pay.

• Major vacancies in high-level wildfire positions persist, as the Agency tries to fill critical positions internally.

• PacifiCorp Power in Oregon says they are facing liquidity issues as wildfire lawsuits reach $55 BILLION. The downstream effects are starting to show their ugly face.

• Another private wildfire company raised $48 million just days ago. I cover their business and who they are.

• This brings the total venture capital raised by private wildfire companies to $108 million in just the last week.

• A well-intentioned and justified rant.

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• 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.