Battling Western Fires Excites Some

Aug. 23 -- As the devastating wildfires in the West rage on, firefighters dedicated to extinguishing the flames continue their effort. The work is dangerous, but some like the excitement, and the pay.

Hot Shots is a group of professional firefighters that travels as a 20-person crew. They train, work, and live together for five months a year, fighting wildfires in areas of the nation in need of additional manpower.

The men and women of the Hot Shots are on the front lines in severely scorched Montana, hiking into fires, finding an open road and driving in, or being dropped in by a helicopter.

“For myself, personally, it’s the need for being outdoors and experiencing the adrenaline of fire itself,” said Tim Laroche, a Hot Shot from Missoula, Mont. “It seems like most people that are in fire enjoy the outdoors and are happy to be out there. Being in the office makes you cringe a little bit.”

The work is lengthy and dangerous, but the pay can sometimes add up.

“It can be pretty good ... based on overtime. We get hazard pay when we are on the firelines. Hazard pay is a 25 percent increase for your pay that day,” Laroche said.

Approximately 25,000 people are dedicated to the firefighting effort each day, including those on the fire lines as well as support workers and managers. There are at least 1,700 military personnel and 1,800 National Guard members involved.

Long Days for Firefighters

Generally, firefighters battling the blazes work 12-hour days. They are allowed to work 14 consecutive days, and then they must have at least two days of rest.

Three-year Hot Shots veteran Charles Savoia, who likes the adventure of firefighting and traveling the countryside, says his shifts have been varying from 12 to 18 hours.

“I’m not sure how I do it. You just do it...it’s something you do and then you come back, sleep and go back out and do it again,” Savoia said.

Firefighters get paid overtime, a time-and-a-half rate, for any hours they work beyond an eight-hour shift. The military personnel get their regular pay.