#helitack

WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS

Wildland firefighters rarely get the recognition they deserve. It isn't until they've fallen that most people think of them ~ but some of us know. We know the worry, the grueling work, and the pain of losing a brother or sister in this fire family of ours. We've shed the tears & held the flag... we know.

This week, we lost three of our own. And painful memories flood back.

They do one of the most difficult and thankless jobs in the world, and too often the only recognition they receive comes after the ultimate sacrifice. Today, I ask you to take just a moment to think of them. Thank them if you see them. Pray for them if you believe ~ and even if you don't, those prayers still help.

They are some of the greatest human beings I have ever known. Their hearts for service ~ for our communities, our safety, our homes, and our families ~ is something that words scarcely capture.

Keep them in your thoughts. They are the unsung heroes among us, and they deserve to be known long before we lose them. ✌️

#NotYourOrdinaryJob: Learn about helitack fire crews

Helitack crews specialize in helicopter operations and are delivered to fires via helicopter and suppress wildfires with hand tools and chainsaws. 

Helicopters can be equipped with a bucket or fixed tank to drop water or retardant during firefighting operations. They deliver helitack crews for initial attack and transport personnel and cargo in support of fires.

Some helitack firefighters are trained to rappel from the helicopter to reach fires in remote locations. These crews are safe, highly skilled and productive aerial firefighting resources. Crews can range in size from an 7 to 24 people.

Helitack crews may also be used to support prescribed fire operations or special projects requiring helicopters.

They walk into landscapes that look like the end of the world and call it a workday.

Wildland firefighters remain some of the most underpaid “essential” responders, despite operating in conditions that push human limits. From smokejumpers dropping out of the sky into active fire zones, to hotshot crews carving lines through walls of flame, to helitack teams threading aircraft through smoke-choked air ~ these crews take on risks most people will never fully grasp. And yet, many start at wages around $13 to $15 an hour, often relying on grueling seasons stacked with 1,000 or more hours of overtime just to reach something resembling a livable income.

They are the quiet backbone of wildfire response. Highly skilled, relentlessly hardworking and grounded in a kind of grit that doesn’t ask for recognition, even when it deserves it most. These are not just firefighters. They are endurance athletes, problem-solvers, and protectors of land, homes, and lives.

Unsung, yes... and anything but ordinary.