You might be surprised.

Clearly, it takes toughness, strength, and will to lead a hotshot crew. Did you know it also takes empathy, humor, and intellect? All that and more goes into building a motivated, efficient team that survives the grueling fire season and sticks together like a family. The hotshot superintendents in this book don't just know this, they've lived it, and they're passing their knowledge on to you. This best-practices guide and oral history is written for wildland firefighters and anyone else looking for insights into living and working as a hotshot.

These successful leaders share:

- Advice for starting and building a career in wildland fire

- Best practices for hiring, training, and leading

- Tips for balancing a demanding, dangerous job with home and family life

- Honest discussions about handling the heavy stuff: mistakes, burnout, heartbreak, death

- Memories of the past and ideas for the future

- Hilarious stories about their fellow supes

There are easier careers with higher pay or greater glory, but hotshot supes still say they have the best job in wildland fire. Look inside to find out why.

THE SUPES:

Richard Aguilar ∙ J. W. Allendorf ∙ Dennis Baldridge ∙ Bob Bennett ∙ Ron Bollier ∙ Charlie Caldwell ∙ Barry Callenberger ∙ Ben Charley ∙ Jim Cook ∙ Steve Dickenson ∙ Anthony Escobar ∙ Dan Fiorito ∙ Paul Gleason ∙ Lance Honda ∙ Ken Jordan ∙ Steve Karkanen ∙ Greg Keller ∙ Kurt LaRue ∙ Craig Lechleiter ∙ Shawna Legarza ∙ Mark Linane ∙ Ted Mathiesen ∙ Dave Matier ∙ Paul Musser ∙ Greg Overacker ∙ Ron Regan ∙ Brit Rosso ∙ Bill Sandborg ∙ Fred Schoeffler ∙ Stan Stewart ∙ Art Torrez ∙ Greg Vergari ∙ Rusty Witwer ∙ Craig Workman ∙ Bob Wright