Hotshots head out for hurricane relief

Hungry Horse News

Rifling through the supplies at the Columbia Falls Army-Navy store last Tuesday, members of the Flathead Hotshots were gathering gear for their latest assignment.

Alive with nervous energy and anticipation, the Hotshots tried on hats in the mirror, grabbed armfuls of waterproof rain gear and studied cases of knives, water purifiers and axes, unsure of exactly what to take.

Earlier that morning, the members of the specialty wildfire suppression team based in Hungry Horse were notified that they were going to be headed south, headed into the fray once more, headed to what might be their toughest assignment to date.

The Hotshots, a mere two weeks away from ending their summer-long tour, were told they had been dispatched to the Gulf Coast region for hurricane relief.

With a wide range of emotions, the Hotshots purchased their gear, loaded the trucks and spent time on cell phones, telling family members about their newest task.

Faces ranged from serious to jovial, but all had one thread in common - determination.

Assistant superintendent Shawn Borgen, keeping tabs on the crew as they shopped, said that they had been looking forward to ending their tour on Oct. 1, but quickly realized that making this sacrifice could potentially help the millions affected by the storms.

Being a government entity merely added to their reasons for going.

"In the end, we work for the President," he said. "When the President says 'go,' you go."

Hotshots Superintendent Harvey Carr said that the crew would be based in Lufkin, Texas, and guessed they would be involved in a two-part hurricane mission - to help clear away Hurricane Katrina's destruction and prepare the area for the rapidly charging Hurricane Rita.

"I think we're going to be used for Katrina relief," he said. "But it's hard to say."

Carr stood in the doorway of the store, looking out at the five trucks loaded down with food, supplies and dozens of chainsaws, and said that he was unsure where the crew would eventually end up once they arrived.

"I don't know really," he said. "I think we'll be out of most of the water damage, but I'm not sure."

For up to 30 days, the Hotshots will be over 2,100 miles from home, doing anything from gridding for bodies to clearing debris from roadways, something they were dispatched to do when Hurricane Andrew hit south Florida in 1992.

Across the country, there are about 90 specialized Hotshot crews, and Borgen said that at least 50 had been dedicated to this incident alone.

Most of the members said they were glad they could do something to help, but as Brent Olson browsed the supplies and studied the glass display cases, he couldn't help but wonder about what it might be like where they were headed.

"It's hard to say," he said. "You watch the news and there's a lot of devastation. It's kind of hard to plan for."

Olson said that although he had spent time watching the news and had seen Katrina's destruction, nothing could really prepare him for what he might see. He added that although this isn't firefighting, the Hotshots are more than ready to lend a hand during any kind of emergency.

"That's kind of what we're geared up for," he said. "We're actually happy we could help."

The Flathead Hotshots are currently on assignment in Texas and with the recent landfall of Hurricane Rita, there is no date set for their return as of yet.

On Monday, the Montana National Guard announced that the 495th Motor Transport Battalion, stationed in Kalispell, would be leaving for the Gulf coast as well.

The activation also included military and security police, more firefighters and a medical team, with a total of nearly 200 soldiers from around the state heading to Mississippi and Louisiana.

Soldiers from the 495th specialize in transport, with their likely duties in Louisiana being distribution of food and water.