Army soldiers recruited as firefighters. These soldiers have been recruited to assist as firefighters at the scene of a large scale forest fire. Most forest fires are handled by an elite crew of US firefighters known as 'hotshots'. They respond to fires rapidly and employ a variety of ground and air techniques to manage forest fires. Firefighters on the ground carry hand tools such as shovels and pulaski axes to clear areas of land, known as firebreaks, in an attempt to halt the spread of the fire. Photographed in 2000 at Lolo National Forest, Montana, USA.