Bighorn IR & Wyoming Hotshot History 1967-Present
In 1967, Region 2 of the Forest Service was allocated a second Inter-Regional (IR) Crew. The region conducted an inventory of work projects and identified potential work stations within an hour of a major airport that could host the new crew. The end result was the selection of the BighornNational Forest’s Paintrock Ranger District in Greybull, WY as the home of the Bighorn IR Crew. Some 40 years later, the crew still resides in the same buildings and remains the only hotshot crew in Wyoming.
During the late sixties, the standard size of an Inter-Regional Crew was 32 members with a Crew Foreman, four Squad Leaders and seven or eight firefighters on each squad. By 1970, the crew size was down to 27 members in order to reduce the number of people that had to remain behind, as most travel was done by DC-3 or C-46 which had a maximum capacity of 24. The current crew size of 20 was established in 1975.
Hair length could not exceed two inches and facial hair was prohibited in the late sixties and early seventies. Sleeping quarters were fashioned out of the carpenter shop which consisted of a garage with a large metal building attached. Inside were excess metal military bunks, metal military lockers that actedas screens between some of the bunks and limited bathroom facilities.
The early 1980’s brought significant change as the first woman joined the crew in 1981 and in 1982 the Bighorn IR crew became the Wyoming Hotshots. During the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the Wyoming Hotshots were one of several hotshot crews on detail to Southern California. Olympic and city officials requested additional crews in an effort to prevent large wildfires that could worsen air quality.
A primitive kitchen and one unisex bathroom were tolerated throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. Handcrafted “rooms” multiplied until in 1996 a major remodelbrought individual rooms and separate men’s and women’s bathrooms. Then and now, the barracks sits right next to the railroad switching yard which provides nightly enjoyment. The locomotives rev up their engines and build up speed and then stop to release some of the cars. The stopping of the locomotive creates a chain of bangs as each car smashed into the next one.
The only fire shelter deployment in crew history occurred in June of 1988 on the Brewer Fire, Custer National Forest, Montana. Severe drought, record low fuel moistures, erratic and strong winds, extreme temperatures and very low humidities led to extreme fire behavior conditions. The fire went from a surface fire to a running crown fire while the crew was flanking the fire my building fireline. The crew ultimately deployed shelters in a nearby meadow and four firefighters ultimately sustained burn injuries.
The 1990’s experienced the major barracks remodel, a wealth of time on assignment in Craig, Colorado and the second half of Mark Rogers’ tenure as Superintendent. Rogers was by far the longest serving Superintendent in crew history at 13 years.
The modern era is marked by a gradual increase in permanent staff in order to keep pace with national standards, longer fire seasons and an increased involvement in all-risk assignments. Like all other crews, the Wyoming Hotshots have experienced busier and busier fire seasons. The number of days on assignment has more than tripled from the 25 to30 days spent on fires in 1967 and 1968. Other memorable recent events include the only trip to Alaskain crew history (2004) and back to back hurricane relief assignments in 2005 and 2006.
Superintendents Past and Present / Years of ServiceSig Palm / 1967-1969
Jim Shell / 1070-1972
Carl “Tut” Anderson / 1973
Dennis Eckardt / 1974
Terry Wood / 1975
Tom Able / 1976
Steve Nichols / 1977-1979
Jeff Johnson / 1980-1983
Mark Rogers / 1984-1996
Chris Church (detail) / 1997
Kevin Pfister / 1998-2000
Jay Kurth / 2001-2004
Scott Schuster / 2005-