In the battle against wildland fire, Hotshot crews represent an elite fighting team able to attack by land and air.

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There are 11 Hotshot crews stationed in Arizona, and they’ll spend the next few months training and anxiously awaiting the next call.

Although the 20-member crews are based here, they can be called anywhere in the nation to fight fires.

“We’re kind of like the infantry, getting all the hard assignments,” said James Osborne, assistant superintendent of the Payson crew.

When a fire breaks out, the engine crews are the first to respond. If the fire grows or heads into rough terrain, the Hotshots are called in, at times having to hike in or travel by helicopter to contain the flames.

“We do many different things — that’s what makes it a Hotshot crew,” Osborne said. During last year’s Brins fire, Osborne’s crew worked on protecting homes and creating space around structures near Sedona.

But they are best known for toiling in the dirt next to the fire line, putting in 16-hour days and sleeping on the forest floor near the action.

Their job is to head off the fire with lines of defense, using multipurpose axes called Pulaskis to clear out trees, and a rakelike tool called a McLeod to scrape the soil free of grass and dead or decaying foliage.

They wear helmets, goggles, 8-inch high leather boots, and clothes made of fire-resistant Nomex. They carry personal fire shelters, one-person tents that can save a life if the fire gets out of control in a process sardonically called “Shake and Bake.”

“We never get to the point we have to use protective pods,” Osborne said. “We use escape routes.”

It’s tough work, and it’s not for everyone.

The Payson crew keeps a list of inspirational quotes, such as “The only easy day was yesterday” on a board at the base. They also keep a list of people who couldn’t make it as a Hotshot.

“There’s always dangerous situations. You’re dealing with fire,” said Hotshot Barry Johnson, 22. “You’re always going to be in remote locations where there’s going to be fire around you at all times.”

The teams work for six months at a time, traveling constantly from fire to fire and can be away from home base for up to two weeks, practically living in the forest.

“There’s a lot of sacrifices that have to be made, but I figure that this is just one phase in my life,” said Hotshot Justin Keith, 27. “I get to feel good about what I’m doing.”

At the end of fire season, the members spread out, traveling, seeing family, working on construction crews or going to school.

By the time April rolls around, they’re itching to get back to work.

Tempe native John Weiler, 27, was ill during a recent fire in Heber. He said he was disappointed to miss out on the action.

“Especially early in the season like this, bringing the crew together can work out a lot of kinks,” he said.

The Payson crew has been training since mid-April. Between fires, they repair tools and help with thinning and prescribed burning measures. While at base camp, the guys pile in to a rented house in Payson, where they live until September.

The ages of the members typically range from 18 to 35, Osborne said, and they have to pass stringent physical tests.

Mesa native Johnson will turn 23 this month. He started studying firefighting at Highland High School in Gilbert; this will be his fifth year as a Hotshot.

“I’d rather be enjoying the outdoors and living on the edge a little more and seeing different places,” he said. “Seeing the same view out of an office every day isn’t too exciting for my take on life.”