Smokey Bear Hotshots (SBHS)

The SBHS live by the principals of integrity, duty, respect, and physical and moral courage.

The Smokey Bear Hotshots are an elite Type 1 firefighting crew formed in 1976 who travels all over the US to fight fires and assist with a number of other natural disasters. They are based out of Ruidoso, NM in the heart of the Sacramento and Capitan Mountains. They are named after the iconic Smokey Bear, who was found in 1950 during the Capitan Fire on the Lincoln National Forest by a crew of firefighters. He was nursed back to health and became the living symbol of fire prevention. 

• The Crew

  2019 Smokey Bear Hotshots.

  

• Holding the Line

  Holding the line.

  

• Saw Training

  Training with a crosscut saw.

  

• Prescribed Fire

  Prescribed fire on the Lincoln National Forest.

  

• Job Perks

  Posing for a picture with a stunning sunset.

  

• Fighting a Fire

  Fighting a fire in tall and dense salt cedar.

  

• Little Bear Fire

  Mass movement of fire vehicles on the Little Bear Fire - we have ourselves a convoy.

  

• Hurricane Katrina

  The Smokey Hotshots work incidents besides fire. This photo shows damage from Hurricane Katrina where the crew was aiding in rescue and recovery efforts.

  

• More Photos

  Check out the Smokey Bear Hotshot's Flickr album for more images.

  

Prepping for Fire Season: First-Aid and Rescue Training

There's a great deal of preparation that goes into each season for a hotshot crew, including first-aid rescue, chainsaw, crosscut saw, and all types of other fire-related elements. Photos on this page show the crew getting a refresher on first-aid including how to properly load up an injured person onto a stretcher.

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