They are not a Type 1 Crew , In the crew Boss Training Program you are taught that when junk rolls down hill it is you who will be held responsible for all of everyone's actions.So on that note I would like to point out that The Forest Service did in fact follow their protocol and held the overall Supervisor responsible , and let him retire. If this was a overhead call and no one took it serious enough to fill the one position that will be making the most critical life and death calls during the fire season with this crew, then I ask you what kind of leadership do we really get when political correctness is in place to the extent that Districts are shitting a brick if they hear of any allegations of wrong doing .Since there are 2 Captains who are obviously trying to get the job as Sup. and are unable to get along it is obvious to me as a Hot Shot Crew Member who has worked in these situations , that it is UNSAFE which violates Fire Rule 10 - Fight Fire Aggressively while providing for safety first. This ignorance happens if and when there is no professionalism in their Unit , other units are being disbanded for other stupid judgement calls and inappropriate actions, Monterrey Crew Type 1 for example lighting fireworks off inside the barracks amongst other things. Hold People accountable in the Forest Service and if you mess up take the blame, I am sick and tired of everything getting changed to make it less important and as a Crew member working currently I don't really need the extra threat of irresponsibility as overhead , FIRE IS IMPORTANT TO THE Forest Service take care of your Fire Fighters.

Rincon is the victim of the lack of leadership capability of the Forest Service management becasue they are not accountable or in some cases qualified. I respect the comment about slander the crew has been thrown out under the bus to save management. The Gladiator Incident Management Team was accountable for the follow up actions after the close call in Arizona. They should have drug tested the crew we would not have the slander today. That action would have resolved most issues with the crew. The true underlying problem is the lack of management they work under a trainee hired by management. Management has not provided support for the crew development and certification. They have been ready for Hot Shot Crew certification at least twice the most recent shut down by their district ranger. This crew is used for budget subsidation of other forest units when the crew positions are not staffed management uses the funding at their will. The Captains have been ridiculed but they have ran the crew for a long time with no compensation or recognition. When they had a close call in Arizona they were held accountable but they were also sent there without a Superintendent. Management does not recruit and fill vacant positions on this crew that is extra funding when they are not filled. This is a tactic used for many fire management positions leaving funding used at will. Forest Service management has very few outsiders people who are not "party members". It is a tightly knitted group they hire and train their own and outnumber outsiders. That group has no accountability!

First of all, my husband is a Rincon crew member and has and never will use drugs on or outside of work. This absolutely infuriates me that you are implicating the whole crew. My husband is an outstanding firefighter and a hero. I have received several phone calls asking what is going on with my husband. As far as I'm concerned the comment before mine was idiotic to say the least. They are also hero's and do a lot of.good in their community. This is slander as well as a few other things and if the story is not corrected then we will proceed with a lawsuit!!!!!!

Rincon is and was not a type 1 hotshot crew. This is an important distinction and one you should correct immediately. There are 4 type 1 hotshot crews on the Sequoia National Forest. It would be a shame if by not making the important distinction between type 1 hotshot crews and type 2 crews which Rincon was you might inadvertently implicate the actual hotshot crews that do so much great on that forest.