Los Padres Hotshots History

1967 crew photo of the Los Padres Hotshots (link to a FlickR photostream)

1948

The Los Padres Hot Shot Crew was established in 1948 as an initial attack and follow up crew for the Los Padres National Forest, which stretches from Monterey, California to Los Angeles, California. In 1948 a fire engine was assigned to the crew as well as a crew truck. The Los Padres Hotshot Crew’s primary mission was to provide wild land fire protection to the Santa Ynez Watershed that provides the primary water supply for the communities of Santa Barbara, Carpenteria, Montecito, Goleta and the Santa Ynez Valley.

From 1948 to 1965 the crew was comprised of thirty-five crewmembers that provided seven-day coverage with twenty-four crewmembers. Crews were hired locally and staffed with forestry school student referrals as well as congressional referrals. This hiring procedure continued through 1965. When students returned to school, R-5, R-6, and R-1 Smokejumpers were hired to finish out the season.

1953

A three barracks complex and mess hall/office was constructed at the Los Prietos Ranger Station approximately 20 miles north of Santa Barbara.

1957

A Bell B-1 Helicopter was assigned to the crew for helitack and helishot assignments. The 'copter stayed with the crew until 1962 when it was designated as a separate unit.

1960

The chainsaw became the tool of choice and replaced the brush hook and misery whip.

1965

The crew name was changed to the Los Prietos Hotshots due to the addition of two other crews on the Forest(Monterey Hotshots & Ozena Hotshots both now disbanded). Crew strength was cut to twenty with five-day coverage to allow crews Inter-Regional mobilization by aircraft such as the DC-3 and Convair.

1974

The (now disbanded) Ojai Hotshots were added to the Forest's fire organization.

1975

In the late sixties and early seventies the crew did the first experimenta testing, in conjunction with the Missoula Technology and Development Center (MTDC), of fire line explosives. In 1975 the crew executed the first use of Fire line Explosives on a wildfire in Region 5 (California)on the Rattlesnake Fire on the Los Padres National Forest.

1976

Deanne Shulman joined the crew as the first woman hotshot in R-5. She later went on to become the first woman smokejumper. The late sixties and early seventies (the post Vietnam years) brought in a lot of veterans to the organization.

1994

The crew name was changed back to the Los Padres Hotshots, due to the fact that none of the additional hotshot crews remained.

The crew has fought fire in all of the States west of the Mississippi, Alaska and throughout Forest Service Region 8. Some of the more notable fires were the Monrovia (1958), Bel Aire (1961), Coyote (1964), Wellman (1966), Marble Cone (1977), Canyon Creek (1988) and the Paint (1990).

The crew continues to provide a professional, multi-skilled, experienced resource to all wildland fire agencies throughout the United States.

Crew Superintendents