Northwest Fire to decide future of hotshot crew

Tucson’s only hotshot crew fears it will be disbanded.

The Ironwood Hotshots crew is sponsored by the Northwest Fire District, which will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Tuesday to discuss "the status of the crew after this season," said Northwest spokesman Adam Goldberg.

He said he couldn’t answer questions about the crew today because notifications and internal communications needed to be made today.

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A petition on Change.org says the fire department is cutting the crew over fears of expensive lawsuits in the case of a tragedy, like those that followed the Yarnell Fire that killed 19 firefighters last summer.

“Twenty-two local jobs and the safety of the community is now threatened by this abrupt conclusion,” the petition says. “…We demand a transparent and open discussion regarding this very important decision.”