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Idaho City’s Hotshot crews are spreading awareness during their off season

Idaho City’s Hotshot Crew work in the woods. We don’t often see them, but they work 24/7 to fight fires like the Moose Fire. Now, they are spreading awareness.

IDAHO CITY, Idaho — Idaho City Hotshot crews are getting ready to end the season.

Wildland firefighter Julian Gluck says the crew is a national resource, getting sent out to multiple locations in the United States including Canada and Alaska.

Gluck says many people often confuse Hotshot crews with city Firefighters.

"City firefighters they deal with more medicals and you're dealing with more structure environments,” Gluck said.

Idaho City’s Hotshot Crew Member Parker Ramey says they primary deal with woods and the wildlands. They’ve been around since 2001. The crew is made up of 20 firefighters. On average, each year they travel over 20,000 miles to help put out fires.

“They call in a fire and NIFS will call out a certain amount of crews and they kind of just spread us out,” Ramey said.

They also help serve the surround areas in Idaho. The Moose Fire has been one of their biggest battles this summer.

"It can be pretty disheartening sometimes, but at the end of the day you're making a difference,” Ramey said.

This year, Idaho’s Hotshot crews released a video to honor their work.

“Just to kind of celebrate and show what we did this whole fire season starting from April to this time of year and it joins us together and we celebrate,” Gluck said.

The video gives the community a look at their biggest battles this year, but Ramey said it also helps spread awareness on fire prevention to help make their jobs easier.

"I think it's cool to show us in action and show what our purpose is and what we do out there because a lot of people don't know how wildfires get stopped or suppressed,” Ramey said.

Watch more on wildfires in the West:

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