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Wildfire Insights from Real Experts
Welcome to Michael Scott Hill, your go-to source for learning about wildfire beyond the political and media smoke with real voices from the ground up.
Explore NowMy latest wildfire projects so you can stay up with my travels.
United States of America
Fighting wildfires and managing the landscape with prescribed fires for the US Forest Service nationwide from 1987 to Present.
US Fire Career
1987 to 1990: US Forest Service Emergency on-call Firefighter, gaining the rank of squad leader. 1991 to 1993: Sawtooth Hotshot based in Idaho and Los Padres Hotshot based in Southern California. 1995 to 2007: West Yellowstone Smokejumper, with a break in 1996 to cross-train as a Chelan Helicopter Rappeller. 2002/2003: cross-trained in Federal Helicopter Management and Prescribed Fire and Fuels Management. 2008 to Present: Emergency on-call Firefighter using the skills gained across my US fire career in support of US Federal Agencies on a contract basis. 2012: became, and remain, a Prescribed Fire volunteer with The Nature Conservancy (TNC).
Australia
Volunteering to fight bushfires nationwide from 2009 to Present.
Australian Fire Career
In 2008 I was asked by NSW Rural Fire Service management to advise and mentor a new helicopter-based concept in Australian volunteer firefighting created in response to the tragic Canberra Fires of 2003. In 2009 I joined their Remote Area Fire Teams (RAFT) in this role and have been involved with them as a volunteer since.
Indonesia
Learning about Indigenous Wildfire Use from 2004 to Present.
In 2004, on a break from US firefighting, I explored the remote islands of Indonesia for ten months, meeting and living with many of its traditional cultures. I first met several unique ancient cultural groups at this time who live with and have mastered wildfire skills, such as the Dayak of Borneo. I have also returned to Indonesia often since 2004 to visit and keep up with the changes to these special cultures brought on by globalization.
Antarctica
Fire and Ice.
Selected US Federal Firefighters sometimes have the opportunity to work in Antarctica in support of the US and NZ Polar Programs. I deployed to McMurdo Station, Antarctica as part of this effort in 2005/2006, flying as helicopter flight crew in support of science in this extreme down under.