The Hotshot Wake Up

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Gunna be a busy 2025 wildfire season.

Multiple states already way ahead of schedule, with some setting records.

On Today’s Show:

I sat down with Congressman-elect Sam Forstag of Montana to discuss wildfire issues and solutions as he heads off to Congress. Sam was on the show in April, when his primary campaign was just underway, and last week, Montana's District 1 voted to send him to D.C.

We talk about the workforce, policy, contracting, tech, pre-fire mitigation, and more. We get into the Fix Our Forests Act, which is still pending passage in Congress, and how to move forward on legislation that supports boots on the ground.

Sam worked as a Smokejumper and led the NFFE wildfire union chapter in Missoula before deciding to run for office. The House of Representatives now has a wildfire voice in its chamber.

thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/p/from-smokeju…

Wildfire bombs are basically going off in California's wildland-urban interface. It's not about living with fire; it's about living in a well maintained fire enviroment.

Structure losses from wildfires in California: 2025
"This updated analysis records 16,512 destroyed structures in 2025, including 11,812 residential and 4,700 non-residentialstructures.

This was more than ten times the 1,621 structures recorded in 2024 and the second-highest annual total in the period from 2016 to 2025, exceeded only by the 22,701 structures destroyed in 2018. During the same time period, average structure loss is 6,676 per year."

Year in California Wildfire Report: 2026

New Episode Out, On Today’s Show:

* Wildfire updates from New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming.

* 3M has agreed to pay $7.3B after PFAS chemicals were found in firefighting foam and drinking water. Fines now total $10B, with 3M admitting no wrongdoing.

* FEMA has extended funding for a wildland firefighter fertility study. Preliminary results show a 15% decline in sperm viability after a wildfire season, with increased decline for those with more exposure and operational time.

* San Bernardino Fire Protection District buys autonomous wildfire drone strike team from Seneca Systems for early suppression capability.

* The Alliance of Forest Service Retired Fire Leaders publishes a comprehensive paper making the case for unifying wildfire resources and strengthening the Forest Service’s land management mission. thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/p/3m-to-pay-73…