Ariz. officials to decide on future of hotshot crew

The Ironwood Hotshots crew believes it is about to be disbanded due to fears of expensive lawsuits after the Yarnell Fire that killed 19 firefighters last summer

March 04, 2014 02:39 AM

The Arizona Daily Star

TUCSON, Ariz. — Tucson’s only hotshot crew believes it is about to be disbanded.

The Ironwood Hotshots crew is sponsored by the Northwest Fire District, which will hold a news conference today to discuss the status of the crew after this season, said Northwest spokesman Adam Goldberg.

He said he couldn’t answer questions about the crew before the official announcement because notifications and internal communications needed to be made Monday afternoon.

A petition on Change.org says the Fire Department is cutting the crew over fears of expensive lawsuits in the case of a tragedy, like those that followed the Yarnell Fire that killed 19 firefighters last summer.

“Twenty-two local jobs and the safety of the community is now threatened by this abrupt conclusion,” the petition says. “We demand a transparent and open discussion regarding this very important decision.”