Boise Hotshots

ALL PHOTOS BY KARI GREER

Life on the Fire Line

BY SAMANTHA STETZER

Deon Berner first experienced the rush of defeating fire when he worked on a firefighting crew as a young man.

“[We] got this fire before it went to houses,” Berner says. “It was that sense of catching a fire before it could do anything bad.”

He’s been chasing that feeling and fires ever since.

After more than 30 years of fighting fires, Berner now heads the Boise Interagency Hotshot Crew as superintendent. He hates the spotlight, often speaking with a quiet, humble tone, but the dedication of Berner and his crew can’t be ignored as wildfire seasons get longer, hotter, and drier every year.

The Boise Hotshots are just one crew in a federal network of Hotshots teams across the nation. Each is made up of a few dozen trained experts, including permanent and seasonal firefighters.

Often, their work encompasses an exhausting 16 hours a day and can vary from trenching to prevent fire spread to assisting with medical rescues to fire suppression. It’s physically demanding, too, as teams frequently traverse crumbling mountains with shovels, axes, and camping gear, relying on one another for support and motivation.

“You’re doing it with 19 other folks,” says Boise Hotshots Captain David Rogan. “They’re pushing themselves both physically and mentally. It’s up to everybody to put that effort into it.”

As a result, this Herculean position requires swift thinking, continuous physical training, medical knowledge, and time away from family for 14-day tours (travel not included) — in addition to being a trained fire expert.

Hotshots Superintendent Deon Berner (center R, facing camera, smiling), conferring with Operations Section Chief Carl Schwope (R-white hardhat) and Sawtooth Hotshots Superintendent Mike Krupski (L-blue hardhat), and another firefighter (center L, unknown-black hardhat): Happy Camp Complex, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California

The job has changed a lot over the years, Berner explains. He began with the Hotshots in 1992, and back then, the crews worked until they were called off, enjoying a few days leave at home before being called up again.

Today, Hotshots are required to take two days off after 14 days of work. That can still be difficult with a family at home, Berner says.

In addition to being a captain, Rogan is also a husband and the father of a four-year-old. In the summer, he’s often away from home for 17-18 days at a time, so not a moment is wasted when he has cell service or when he is on two days of leave.

“Sometimes it’s hard if there’s a lot going on at home, [and] I’m not there to help out,” Rogan says.

Boise Hotshots holding line, Erickson Air Crane in flight behind. Superintendent Deon Berner (L), Erica Reed, Slay Windham, Superintendent Deon Berner (L); Happy Camp Complex, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California

In addition to better regulating the time that crews spend working and at home, the Hotshots have had to develop new skills and adapt to climate change. After years in the field, Berner believes that this summer has been the driest season he’s experienced, and the National Interagency Fire Center reports that about 90% of the West is currently facing drought.

For the Hotshots, extended dry weather and extreme high temperatures have exacerbated the difficulty of the job, but facing seemingly insurmountable challenges has always been part of the job description. Berner and Rogan personally confirm dangerously close calls. Both recalled times when they were scaling a mountain and a boulder came hurtling toward them as a wildfire blazed on all sides.

Berner helped battle the 1988 Yellowstone fire, the largest recorded fire to date in the National Park’s history. Last year, he stood in smoke so dense, he had to rely on his headlamp at noon to read papers in his hand.

Boise Hotshots saw team Allison Lund and Dan Walker working on the Mack Fire, Boise National Forest, Idaho

That same year, the September 2020 Creek Fire in California created smoke shafts that reached 25,000 feet and sparked thunderstorms. And fire conditions are worse this year. Yet, despite climate challenges, the danger, and weeks away from home, Berner and Rogan explained that crews become more like family than co-workers. These brave and sacrificing souls see and save some of the country’s greatest landscapes. In doing so, they feel that same rush of satisfaction that Berner felt all those years ago.

“I’m just proud to do the job and glad we are out serving and helping people as much as we can,” Berner says, adding, “It is a dangerous job... [But] you get to know other people and other crews… and achieve some pretty impressive goals.”

As the smoke thickens around us all in the West, let’s remember we owe a collective “Thank You” to the Hotshots.

Boise Hotshots working on the Mack Fire, Boise National Forest, Idaho

What You Can Do to Prevent Wildfires

Protect your home and Idaho’s wildlife with the following fire prevention tips:

• Completely snuff out campfires. The area where it burned should be cool to the touch.

• ATVs, chainsaws, and other outdoor equipment need spark arrestors.

• Chains should not drag on the roadway when towing. Sparks can ignite grass fires.

• Don’t shoot at rocks or explosive targets.

• Make your home “firewise.” Learn more at IdahoFirewise.org.

This list is by no means exhaustive — to learn more about fire restrictions and how to prevent wildfires, use the following resources:

• Idaho Wildfire Locations: IdahoFireInfo.com

• Fire restrictions: Idaho.gov/Fire-Management

• Boise National Forest: USDA.gov/Main/Boise/Home

Tips and resources provided by Venetia Gempler of the Boise National Forest.