My name is Karl, on the crew I was called a lot of things, but Koot was the most common nick name for me. I came to the Winema Hotshots in 2007 as a senior firefighter. I became a squad leader in 2009 and left the crew in the spring of 2018. It has been little over a year since I left the crew to start a new position in Fire Management. Many have left before me and many will leave after me.
The reality is I still miss that sense of community/family and purpose that came with being a crew member. Trying to replace that feeling of purpose has been difficult, but I am making progress. Trying to replace the community has been equally hard.
My point of doing this is to get my thoughts out and to share my experience leaving a tight community/tribe/family. I look forward to sharing this with everyone.
Karl