Last of the Fun Bunch

This story is about one group of National Park Service seasonal workers, the wildland firefighters. The North Rim of Grand Canyon had for the longest time an elite and historic fire crew known as the "Longshots," made famous in Stephen Pyne's book, "Fire On the Rim". This takes that story and continues on with the emerging national fire policy during the '80's. Many stories have been written by rangers and firefighters in the past. Many of those are good to excellent retellings of the...
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This story is about one group of National Park Service seasonal workers, the wildland firefighters. The North Rim of Grand Canyon had for the longest time an elite and historic fire crew known as the "Longshots," made famous in Stephen Pyne's book, "Fire On the Rim". This takes that story and continues on with the emerging national fire policy during the '80's. Many stories have been written by rangers and firefighters in the past. Many of those are good to excellent retellings of the job and what it entails. This is not that type of story. This includes those types of happenings and people, but exposes a vulnerability in the young, grab life by the balls person that portrays a certain niche of individual, best exhibited by this quote, "Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist." (Emerson). The Longshots were a trusted and relied upon crew in the paramilitary organization of wildland fire. Their reputation preceded them and they willingly lived up to the billing. To be a Longshot was an honor and a highly sought after position. Leadership, self-sufficiency, intelligence, as well as hard, sustaining teamwork was expected of each member. They worked hard and they played hard. It comes with laying your life on the line and bonding with your brethren. The other park and concession employees had much respect and admiration for the Longshots and loved them when in station. During the '80's, they received the unofficial title as the, "Fun Bunch," due to their highly positive outlook, their friendliness to all, elite status yet curbed egos and passion for life. They knew how to have a good time and enjoyed themselves wherever they were: on a fire, running a chainsaw, or in the saloon. Part of this story is of that circle around the sun known as nineteen eighty-six, the last season of the fabled "Longshots." Although this story is somewhat about fire management back in its infancy, it is also about a community of people fashioning friendships and forming lives in the isolated land known as the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.