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On Today’s show, I welcome Contra Costa County Fire Captain and Tablet Command Co-founder Andy Bozzo. We discuss the evolving tech coming to the Wildfire industry and the importance of integrating it with the “old ways” and the expected hurdles along the way.

There is always a place and a time for a certain tool, but how we merge these tools together can save time, energy, and lives.

This system was built to be a mobile incident command and response solution that increases situational awareness, speeds incident response, streamlines incident management, and improves firefighter accountability. It basically allows you to update your IAP in real-time, coordinate resources, and provide a real-time fireline and wildfire progression to resources, all while informing you on possible span of control issues and resources that might be in a tight spot.

A fascinating conversation.

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On Today’s show:

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I welcome the Director and Producer of Hotshot Movie Gabriel Mann. Gabriel recently attended the Red Sky Summit in California and describes the vibe and vision these companies have for the wildfire industry.

Our conversation hopes to bring clarity to the public about what the needs are in the wildfire world, how folks can work together to accomplish that, and the realities and shortcomings we believe some are missing.

The overall goal should include the protection of our country’s valuable assets, which are our public parks and forests, and supporting those on the ground doing the work. Our lively conversation looks to bridge the gap between Big Tech, the wildfire operators, and the public.

Enjoy.

THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP - Thank you to all of our paid subscribers. It allows us to donate generously to firefighter charities and supports all the content we provide. You also receive all of our article archives, more podcast episodes, Monday morning workouts, entered into our giveaways, recipes, and more.

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/

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Today, I welcome Bill Harsey, known worldwide for his award-winning knife designs for both special forces and the common man. Bill is a fourth-generation logger whose family moved to Oregon to make their way during the Great Depression. We also discuss his work in the Bull Run watershed, where a large wildfire occurred this fall. This area supplies the drinking water for all of Portland, Oregon.

Bill worked in the steep mountains of Oregon with heavy equipment before finding an interest in knife making after taking his dad’s flat file and trying to make a knife out of it as a boy. Bill has gone on to become one of Earth’s best knife designers used by special operators around the world.

We gave away one of Bill’s knives last year and will be doing another giveaway for paid subscribers this next week. Thanks to Bill and Spartan Blades for donating one of these incredible knives to our community. Bill has been a longtime supporter of the show and wildland firefighters nationwide.

Bill’s knives can be found in:

On Today’s Show, https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/

I have on Doug Cote to discuss the record-breaking wildfire season in Canada. Doug has a long and extensive wildfire career, including smoke jumping in the Yukon, and now his career is focused on prescribed fire and aerial ignition work in the Northern Boreal forests and working with Indigenous communities to bolster burn programs.

We discuss the wild year that Canada had and what that looked like from the ground. We cover the tactics used up North and the reality of leaving fires over a million acres unstaffed or with limited staffing. We cover the ever-growing cross-border resource sharing that took place with Hotshot crews and teams, and like myself, Doug sees this as an increasing trend.

We also talk about the unprecedented line-of-duty deaths that took place this year in Canada and how they can learn and understand why these took place.

A fascinating conversation.

THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP - Thank you to all of our paid subscribers. It allows us to donate generously to firefighter charities and supports all the content we provide. You also receive all of our article archives, more podcast episodes, Monday morning workouts, entered into our giveaways, recipes, and more.

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I welcome Kelly Martin to discuss the new Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission’s report to Congress, everything happening with the workforce, legislation, and beneficial fire.

The Presidential Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission was established in 2022. Kelly was one of 500 applicants who applied to voluntarily serve on this 50-member Commission. She was selected to fill the primary seat representing Wildland Firefighters.

Kelly’s 35-year federal career as a wildland firefighter provided invaluable technical and subject matter expertise to the Commission, ultimately obtaining unanimous consensus on comprehensive workforce reforms (see recommendations 84-103 in the Commission report).

Kelly is also the co-founder and past President of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the public, agency officials, and members of congress with real life lived experiences to promote urgent modernization reforms for the federal wildland fire program. Her organization provides education and advocates on behalf of thousands of federal wildland firefighters.

She is also a current Burn Boss for The Nature Conservancy (TNC), mentoring and coaching other TNC employees and nonprofit organizations to help them become more skilled and proficient in applying “good fire” on the landscape. Her current work includes providing leadership for the

Women-in-Fire Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (WTREX) and other Training Exchanges (TREX) events throughout the US.

Beginning in 2024 Kelly will begin her 2 year tenure as President of the International Association of Wildland Fire, a group she has been working with for close to 10 years. IAWF is dedicated to uniting the global wildland fire community in sharing knowledge and expertise through conferences, workshops, and creating position papers relative to contemporary wildland fire issues.

Kelly has extensive experience as a field practitioner serving as a Complex Burn Boss; Fire Behavior Analyst; Operations Section Chief and has served on Type 1 and Type 2 Interagency Incident Management Teams for over 20 years. Her capstone career promotion was becoming and the first female and one of the longest-serving Chief Fire and Aviation Management Officer at Yosemite National Park from 2006-2019.

It’s a fantastic conversation.

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We discuss solutions to combat depression and relationship struggles, communication tips for both families and first responders, and ways to transition back to home life successfully.

We also have a conversation about the very different struggles women and men have when working in this industry and for their loved ones. When it comes to guys and gals, the contrasting struggles will surprise many, even those who are first responders. We discuss how to manage these distinct issues and the obstacles they create at home and in relationships.

At the end of the episode, Destiny takes us through a breathing exercise and short meditation that you can use in your personal life.

I hope you all enjoy it.

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/

THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP - Thank you to all of our paid subscribers. It allows us to donate generously to firefighter charities and supports all the content we provide. You also receive all of our article archives, more podcast episodes, Monday morning workouts, entered into our giveaways, recipes, and more.

On Today’s show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/

I am happy to have Mental Health Counselor and Educator Dani Shedden. We discuss the process of reintegrating back into the “real world” after a wildfire season, bad habits to recognize, and solutions for first responders who are struggling.

We also talk about the family side of things and what friends and loved ones can expect, the struggles they have, and communication methods to help their firefighters through this process. It is a great conversation that’s an excellent listen for any first responder and their friends and family.

On Today’s Show: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/

THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP - Thank you to all of our paid subscribers. It allows us to donate generously to firefighter charities and supports all the content we provide. You also receive all of our article archives, more podcast episodes, Monday morning workouts, entered into our giveaways, recipes, and more.