This is Asheville IHC Reaction #10 - part of the Asheville Hotshots written reactions to  "The Big Lie" 2017 will be my fifth season fighting fire. I don’t think I can ever recall someone telling me that my job was safe. I don’t think I can recall anyone even giving the impression that my job was … Continue reading If You Don’t Like the Risks, Don’t Do the Job.

This is Asheville IHC Reaction #9 - part of the Asheville Hotshots written reactions to  "The Big Lie" After reading the article, I would have to say that I agree with what is being said. How can you do a job safely when there are so many other variables that can’t always be accounted for? Ever … Continue reading You Have to Look at It as a Cultural Problem.

This is Asheville IHC Reaction #8 - part of the Asheville Hotshots written reactions to  "The Big Lie" I would like to answer the questions within a single response. My reaction to reading "The Big Lie" was of complete and total agreeing with the author. Our job as wildland firefighters is dangerous, and at most times … Continue reading Rethinking Policy and Guidelines Handed Down to Us.

This is Asheville IHC Reaction #7 - part of the Asheville Hotshots written reactions to  "The Big Lie" What was your reaction after reading “The Big Lie”? After reading both the essay and the response by Dave Williams, my reaction is that this is a job that has a huge amount of assumed risk. Our agency … Continue reading It’s Wrong to Believe Wildland Firefighting is a Safe Job.

This is Asheville IHC Reaction #6 - part of the Asheville Hotshots written reactions to  "The Big Lie" What was your reaction after reading “The Big Lie”? First reaction, this is opinion-based and one-sided. But with much thought, I realized that this is correct and written very well. There are many issues that are stated throughout … Continue reading This Needs to be Said on a National Level

This is Asheville IHC Reaction #5 - part of the Asheville Hotshots written reactions to  "The Big Lie" I don’t necessarily believe it’s a Big Lie. Or at least the experience that I’ve had in this job is it is—and can be—very dangerous. I do agree in the fact that not everyone is on the same … Continue reading Not Everyone is on the Same Page

This is Asheville IHC Reaction #4 - part of the Asheville Hotshots written reactions to  "The Big Lie" I remember reading the essay the first time last summer while I was sitting at helibase in the rain. My supervisor had forwarded it to me and said it would be worth my time to read it. I … Continue reading Finally, Someone is Saying What We All are Thinking.

This is Asheville IHC Reaction #2 - part of the Asheville Hotshots written reactions to  "The Big Lie" I want to start off by saying that this was my first time reading this essay and I look forward to going over it a few more times in the next several months to see how my view … Continue reading Invest in the People Who Make the Decisions.

This week on the blog we will feature writing from the Asheville Interagency Hotshot Crew.  The 2017 crewmembers were given an assignment to write down their reactions to the Fall 2016 issue of Two More Chains and "The Big Lie" essay it centers around.  We will post multiple responses from the crew each day.  There are 14 … Continue reading Hotshots tell us what they think about “The Big Lie”