SigMT

According to the Forest Service, more than 100 interagency hotshot crews operate in the U.S., with most based in the west. ey work on the hoest fires and are the most highly trained, skilled, and experienced crews. "Our job is mostly large incidents—multiple- thousand-acre fires," says Knudsen. e L&C crew is an "Extended Aack Resource," handling long- duration fires (4-5 days or more). e team works with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as private landowners. "Eastern Montana is mainly private land, and we go there, too," Knudsen says. "We work with so many people and need to be able to communicate with all of them." Hotshots work and train as teams through fire season, usually mid-April through October. Most are seasonal employees. e Great Falls crew includes one woman this year and hails from all over the U.S., including Colorado, Idaho, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. e job can be physically and mentally exhausting. "You start to feel it aer a long, hard season—by September, compared to June," Knudsen says. Hotshots stay in top shape, working out twice a day for an hour or more, when not working a fire. ey run the Rivers Edge Trail and train in the Highwoods, Lile Belts, Rocky Mountain Front, and across the entire forest. Recruits must pass a pack test, carrying a 45-pound pack three miles in under 45 minutes. Onsite, some will carry chainsaws and fuel, so strength and endurance are essential, as is teamwork. "You're only as fast as your slowest person," Knudsen notes. Photo: Steve Wolff The 2019 Lewis and Clark Hotshot Crew, led by Superintendent Willie Knudsen (far left) A hotshot "goes direct" to fight the fire at the fire's edge. SiG MT 44

• Cover