Cooper Boneck (center), one of two Arroyo Grande Hotshots working to cut a fire break up steep terrain in Toro Canyon along side members of Bend Oregon City firefighters, Santa Lucia Crew Seven and Vandenberg Hotshots. (Dec. 12, 2017)
Paul Wellman

Wildland firefighters sure seem superhuman ​— ​they scramble up and down flaming slopes for days on end, carrying heavy packs and swinging hefty tools. But these flesh-and-blood mortals have the same basic needs as the rest of us. Here’s how Santa Barbara County Fire Department hand crews protect themselves, what they eat, how they talk, and who looks out for them from above.

Tools of the Trade

Indirect attacks are critical to fighting fast-moving wildland fires ​— ​drawing lines in the sand some distance from the fire’s edge to hold the blaze at bay. These are the tools that hand crews use to chew through brush and chaparral.

Chainsaw: The most ubiquitous portable power tool in wildland firefighting. Used by the sawyer to cut and the puller to clear vegetation.

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