Black Mesa Hotshots

1970 – Present

• 1970—The Heber Emergency Crew was established and became the forerunner of the current Black Mesa Hotshots. The crew lived in 16x16 shacks with no running water and only one light bulb. Transportation was a covered one and half ton truck with wooden boxes that served as both seats and tool compartments. The crew at the time consisted of 27 people and a three-squad system. They had a rotation where two squads would be on shift with one squad off for seven days a week coverage. 
• 1972—The crew name was changed to the Sitgreaves Hotshots. 
• 1974—The crew name was changed to the Heber Hotshots. This change was because of an update in policy that stated that crews would be named after the district they worked on instead of the forest they worked on. The impending consolidation of the Sitgreaves National Forest and the Apache National Forest may have also played a part.  
• 1975—The crew was moved from the Heber Ranger Station to the Job Corps compound west of Heber-Overgaard. There they established two cooks and a cook trailer and had meals provided for them with the expense taken directly out of their paychecks. Crew transportation was upgraded to a bus. 
• 1977—The crew was moved back to the Heber Ranger Station and the cook service was eliminated from the program. The Sun God was adopted as the crew logo. 
• 1979—The three-squad system was pared down to two squads and the leadership structure of the crew included one superintendent, one foreman, and two squad bosses. 
• 1980—The superintendent received a grade level increase to GS-7 and the foreman received an increase to GS-5. 
• 1985—The vans were replaced by crew carriers which were a huge upgrade. 
• 1987—The crew went to California during “The Siege of 1987” that lasted 34 and 39 days. 
• 1988—The first national hotshot conference was held in Portland, Oregon. That year the Yellowstone fires raged resulting in two 30+ day assignments for the crew. 
• 1990—A saw boss position was inserted into the overhead structure. The year was highlighted with trips to Georgia and Alaska and the Dude Fire started below the Mogollon Rim. 
• 2002—The crew spent a record amount of time on fires that included two 500,000-acre fires and over 1100 hours of overtime. The Rodeo-Chediski Fire burned 230 homes in Heber-Overgaard and surrounding areas. 
• 2003—The crew spent time on the Space Shuttle Columbia recovery operations. 
• 2005—The crew assisted with Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. 
• 2007—The crew name was changed to Black Mesa Hotshots. 
• 2011—The crew spent two tours on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests on the Wallow Fire which burned 538,049 acres. The crew went to Minnesota on the Pagami Creek Fire which burned 93,000 acres. The Pagami Creek Fire was in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the crew was required to canoe to the fire. 
• 2012—The crew had a busy year with over 1200 hours of overtime. The crew spent time on the Gila National Forest on the Whitewater Baldy Complex which burned 297,845 acres. 
• 2013—The crew assisted with flood relief in Colorado. 
• 2018—After 15 years with the crew, Jimmy Riggs left the foreman/assistant superintendent position and accepted the district assistant fire management officer position on the Black Mesa Ranger District.  
• 2019—The crew assisted with hurricane relief in Puerto Rico. 
• 2021—Frank “Pancho” Auza retired from the superintendent position after 12 years with the crew. The crew spent time on the Dixie Fire, the largest fire in California State history. 
• 2023—Cody Chartier took over as superintendent of the crew. Agency IHCs add more permanent career positions, including crew leads and more senior firefighters along with two captain/assistant superintendents. The crew was funded for 16 permanent positions and 25 personnel total.