x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Hotshot Wake Up

The Hotshot Wake Up

A podcast and newsletter by firefighters about wildfire and the world. Crew Supervisor and Ex Hotshot overhead. Call it like it is. Monthly Substack subscriptions go towards supporting this content and helping firefighters in need. https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/

science nature

All Episodes

00:52:39

From Smokejumper To Congressional Candidate. Sam...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2026/02/12

On Today’s Show: To Support And Subscribe 👉https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Sam Forstag joins the show today to talk about his time as a wildland firefighter and Smokejumper, before deciding to enter a different arena, running for a congressional seat in Montana. Sam has been a longtime advocate for the wildfire workforce, working as Vice President of his union’s local.We talk wildfire issues, wildfire costs, housing costs, public lands, and a litany of other topics. Sam has been traveling

en-us

00:42:55

New Meals Ready To Eat "MRE" Health Study Released:...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2026/02/06

On Today’s Show: To Support And Subscribe: 👉https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/A new study on Meals Ready To Eat, MREs, was done by the organazation Mom’s Across America. These meals are carried and eaten by wildland firefighters across America. I’ve eaten hundreds, if not thousands, of them. Mom’s Across America provided 24 different MRE items to 3rd-party independent laboratories for testing. The results… much worse than you could imagine. Some items contained 17,300% the safe aluminum levels,

en-us

00:58:09

4 Suspects Arrested In Chile After Widespread...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2026/01/24

On Today’s Show: To Support And Subscribe: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Authorities in Chile have arrested four suspects in connection with the current wildfires that have destroyed entire towns and led to 21 confirmed fatalities. One of the fires was said to have been started in a Eucaliptis grove, an industrial timber farm. The timber industry in Chile is massive, and timber products are the 2nd largest export for the country. There has been long standing tension between the indigenous

en-us

00:41:28

Congress Votes: Should Firefighters Be Able To Shoot...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2026/01/21

On Today’s Show: To Support And Subscribe 👇https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/A House committee votes today on whether it should study the effects of drone incursions over wildfires. If passed, they will come up with mitigation solutions, including using force to bring the drones down, wildfire anti-drone radio towers, and using “net guns.”CAL FIRE has started testing of fully autonomous wildfire vehicles. Tests include supply drops, repeater use, surveillance, suppression, and drone launching

en-us

00:47:11

Department Of Interior Officially Creates The United...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2026/01/12

On Today’s Show: To Support And Subscribe 👇https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/The Secretary of the Interior officially announced today the creation of the United States Wildland Fire Service. Effective today, the transition period begins, and the unification of wildfire resources within the Department starts. The Department provided transition plans, framework, and authorities of the new Service, which I cover in full. Unification of assets, budgets, IT services, and payroll is underway, along

en-us

00:59:12

One Year After The Palisades Fire: Has Anything...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2026/01/07

On Today's Show: To support and subscribe 👇https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/It’s one year after the deadly Palisades Fire. What have we learned from this horrible event, and more importantly, what can we do to prevent it from happening again?It’s clear that major mistakes were made, some long before the fire even started. It’s never been more important to let the operators on the ground operate, without having their hands tied by bad policy and poor decisions.What needs to change? Will we

en-us

00:43:24

Forest Service Plans To Move D.C. Staff To Salt Lake...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/12/10

On Today’s Show: To Support And Subscribe: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Yesterday, USDA Leadership announced plans to move the Forest Service leadership and senior staff from D.C. to Salt Lake City.This is part of the reorganization plan, which will phase out the 9 Regions and create five hubs. This still all hinges on Congressional approval.Senators penned a letter to Forest Service Chief Schultz requesting clarification on hiring numbers, staffing, prescribed burns, and fuel mitigation

en-us

00:53:27

CEO Of Bridger Aerospace, Sam Davis, Breaks Down The...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/12/05

On Today’s Show: To Support And Subscribe: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Today, Sam Davis, CEO of Bridger Aerospace, joins the show to talk about the 2025 wildfire season, the expansion of the company into Spain, what Bridger has planned for the future, and more.Sam joined the company in 2019 and took the helm after founder Sen. Tim Sheehy stepped down to run for U.S. Senate.We also get into the future of wildfire tech, the new United States Wildland Fire Service, dealing with rising drone

en-us

00:30:25

A Happy Thanksgiving Episode: Things We Can All Be...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/11/27

On Today’s Show: To Support And Subscribe 👇https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/A very Happy Thanksgiving episode for the wildland firefighter community and their families. There is plenty to be thankful for today, including doing a job you love with the kickass people you work with, in our nation’s most beautiful landscapes. A fun conversation about it all. I also cover the Oregon fire season. More fires, fewer acres, and the $10 billion price tag for prescribed fire and project work. Plus, the

en-us

01:03:01

Historic Wildfire Costs During A Near Record Slow...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/11/24

On Today’s Show: To Support And Subscribe 👇https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Montana had a near record slow wildfire season, but it was one of their most expensive. Why? The Windy Rock Fire played a big role, a Team Fire in a wilderness study area that cost $56M in initial reports. Environmental groups in the State are questioning forest management, suppression, prescribed fire, and project costs, saying new studies show the forests are not as overgrown and unhealthy as reported, but also have

en-us

00:39:49

The 2025 Wildfire Season By The Numbers: Fires,...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/11/20

On Today’s Show: To Support And Subscribe: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Today, I cover the 2025 wildfire season by the numbers and compare them to last year. Total Fires (nationally and by region)Acres Burned (nationally and by region)Crew OrdersAircraft OrdersFlight HoursUTFsCancelationsDrone Incursions, And More. I also cover the LEAF Act, which was introduced to ensure local contractors receive a least 26% of contracts for project work, and a conversation about the AI push in wildfire

en-us

00:39:09

Recap Of Today's Senate Hearing On The Palisades...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/11/14

On Today’s Show: To Support and Subscribe 👇https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/The Senate Committee on Aging held a hearing today in California to let residents testify on their experiences before, during, and after the Palisades fire. The hearing was conducted by Senator Scott of Florida and Senator Johnson of Wisconsin. Multiple people spoke about the day their homes were lost and what they believe led to the issues they had before and after the fire, including the lack of fuel reduction,

en-us

00:38:32

Some Forest Service Employees Now Working Without...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/11/07

On Today’s Show: To Support And Subscribe 👇https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/As we enter the longest government shutdown in history, some Forest Service Employees are now being asked to come into work without pay.Major vacancies in high-level wildfire positions persist, as the Agency tries to fill critical positions internally. PacifiCorp Power in Oregon says they are facing liquidity issues as wildfire lawsuits reach $55 BILLION. The downstream effects are starting to show their ugly face

en-us

01:12:03

The Crazy Story Behind The Ninetyeight Fire Incident....

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/11/01

On Today’s Show: To Subscribe and support 👇https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Shutdown pay funding update for the USFS and DOI. DOI has a longer runway of funding for wildfire resources, and the USFS is looking for a funding extension. We have reached the important date for the unification planning phase of the new USWFS, and the search for the new National USWFS Chief continues. Updates on all of those things. Time to check in on yourself and others after a long season. The crazy story behind

en-us

01:11:10

PNW Continues To Burn. Dozer Rollover, Engine...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/09/14

On Today’s Show: To Subscribe: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Today, I cover all the wildfire activity across the nation and updates on incidents happening on wildfires. The PNW and California remain the hotspots, with lingering fires in Montana and Idaho. There was a dozer rollover in Washington, an engine rollover in California, and an update on the tree strike involving a hotshot crew in Oregon. A story about ingenuity and fast thinking on a wildfire when the unexpected happens. A Canadian

en-us

00:58:36

Building The Next Generation Of Wildland Firefighters...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/09/13

On today’s show: To Subscribe: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/The question on the minds of many agency leaders and supervisors is how to build and train the new generation of wildland firefighters. Well, that’s just what firefighter and teacher Bryan Kerns is doing with his wildfire program, earning him the 2025 Tennessee teacher of the year.Bryan Kerns is the Fire Science teacher at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, TN. Bryan has been in wildland fire since 2003 and brought his

en-us

01:04:06

The Future Of Wildfire Detection, Monitoring,...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/08/11

On Today’s Show: To support and subscribe: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/OroraTech is a wildfire technology company that provides satellite detection, monitoring, fire spread modeling, and post-fire recovery data for wildfire managers. They recently signed a deal with the State of Idaho to provide these services statewide. CEO Martin Langer joins the show from Munich, Germany, to discuss their technology in the wildfire world and more. We explore the company's genesis, starting as a

en-us

01:12:51

The Wildfire Workforce, Culture, And The National...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/08/04

On Today’s Show: To Subscribe and support: https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Today, I welcome the Fire Chief of the Angeles National Forest, Robert Garcia. Chief Garcia started his career as a seasonal firefighter, moved to working on Hotshot crews, became the Superintendent of Little Tujunga Hotshots, and rose to the position of Fire Chief. The Angeles National Forest is home to five Hotshot Crews, helitack crews, engines, and more. Today, we discuss his career, the importance of supporting the

en-us

00:59:56

Rapid Extraction Module Support Teams (REMS). What's...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/08/03

On Today’s Show: To Subscribe 👇https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Today, I welcome Fire Captain Robert Sepulveda Jr. to discuss the world of REMS. Robert is a Captain for Pasadena Fire and joined the FIRESCOPE Technical Search and Rescue Specialist Group in 2020 and is Chair of the Rapid Extraction Module Support Subcommittee.Robert is certified as a Regional Task Force Leader, Technical Search Specialist, Search Manager, Rescue Manager, Assistant Safety Officer, Swift Water Rescue Technician,

en-us

01:11:55

Powerlines Still Energized, Mismanaged Property,...

The Hotshot Wake Up ·

2025/07/10

On Today’s Show: To Subscribe:👇https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/Today, I’m joined by Gabriel Mann, Director of Hotshot, to discuss the new allegations brought by a lawsuit in California yesterday regarding the events surrounding the Palisades Fire. These new allegations point the finger at the State of California and the water utility for their role in the Palisades Fire disaster. The lawsuit alleges that utility lines were not actually deenergized as initially claimed, possible attempts to

en-us

186 results

Similar Podcasts

Classic Radio Science Fiction

solgoodmedia.com

Mission to Mars

Inception Point Ai

The 365 Days of Astronomy

365DaysOfAstronomy.org

Creek Devil

william Jevning

UFO Chronicles Podcast

Nik Hunter