USHA 100 Fires Project
This project endeavors to build a list of the 100 fires that every firefighter should know. The anniversary
date of these fires will be identified on the US Hotshot Association Calendar with access to more
information about each of these seminal fires. The fires on this list tell the history of wildfire in this
country; the fires on this list shaped the evolution of the wildland fire service; and finally, the fires on this
list claimed many lives.
With any such “list” there needs to be a set of criteria to determine which events to include. We realize
that any list has a subjective element to it and not everyone will agree with every event included or
excluded. With that said, the criteria we used are identified below:
- Multi firefighter fatality (3 or more)
- Significant historical event (prior to the development of the 10 Standard Firefighting Orders, circa 1959)
- Event that caused notable impact within the wildland fire service
- Line of Duty Death (LODD) for any hotshot crewmember
- Civilian mass casualty event
Interagency hotshot crews all across the country were invited to adopt one of the 100 fires on this list,
research that fire, and then provide a short-written summary with links to sources that any user could use
to find out more about that fire. The summary write-up for each of these fires will be linked to the fire
name and anniversary date on the US Hotshot Association Calendar using an embedded QR code.
Through this effort the US Hotshot Association is attempting to make our history more usable, accessible,
and relatable to all wildland firefighters. Learning from these events will help to keep firefighters “heads
in the game” as they practice their craft and will also serve to honor those who have been killed fighting
fires by remembering their actions and sacrifice.
To learn more about the US Hotshot Association click on the link below, consider becoming a member or
support us by purchasing a calendar. Thank you for visiting our 100 Fires Every Firefighter Should Know
page!
US Hotshot Association