Posted by on February 2, 2022

LOOP FIRE STAFF RIDE IS NOW FULL

CONFERENCE RESERVATIONS STILL OPEN

After a few years away, we are thrilled to bring the US HOTSHOTS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE & REUNION back to life!

All are Welcome! Come join our family of wildfire friends! The Association, as a community and resource, is here for all firefighters and fire families.

Green pants, blue pants, black pants; red trucks, white trucks, yellow trucks, green trucks; State, Federal, Local Govt.; Saw, Scrape, Puller, Squaddie, Supt.; former Hotshot, current Hotshot, aspiring Hotshot, Hotshot appreciator, Hotshot family: we are an inclusive group, and our conference builds bonds. Come learn with us and help us learn from you! Everyone’s unique experience and perspective holds immense value!

This year, we’re proud to start a new tradition: organizing the conference around a significant fire and facilitating a staff ride. By bringing fire folks together around the Loop Fire of 1966, we fulfill two of our Association missions—to preserve and share Hotshot History, and to advance and share the Hotshot skill set (Preserving the past, paying it forward)—while able to fundraise for our third critical mission, to support Hotshots and Hotshot families in times of need.

This year’s USHA Conference & Reunion will be held in sunny Santa Clarita, California, from March 24-27. We chose this location based on a few essential criteria:

  • Proximity to the Loop Fire site and top-notch SMEs
  • Consistently beautiful March weather
  • Copious family-friendly activities, both indoors and out
  • Nearby Airport (Burbank International Airport)

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

  • Thursday evening, Mar. 24: Loop Staff Ride Orientation/Ice Breaker
  • Friday, Mar. 25
    • Full-day Loop Staff Ride
    • Evening Hotshot Reunion Gathering, featuring beverages, raffle prizes, stories both true and otherwise!
  • Saturday, Mar. 26
    • Morning USHA Business briefing with election of Board Members
    • Mid-day break/open time
    • Compelling Afternoon and Evening speaker lineup presenting on entrapment survival experience, firefighter mental health, and a Keynote!
    • Raffle drawings and after-dinner entertainment
    • Late night rendezvous, location TBD

Conference events will take place at the Residence Inn, Santa Clarita:
(Click here to see location https://bit.ly/sc_area)

Staff Ride and all events are optional! Come for one event or all, we’re thrilled you can join.

REGISTRATION AND COST

Due to logistics and facility constraints, we will have number caps for the staff ride and the conference. First Come First Serve! Sign up early!

  • Staff Ride is capped at 50
  • Conference & Dinner cap is 100

Based on our previous conferences, if we fill our cap of 100, we will have our best-attended conference yet! Please register early to ensure our planning, meal count and other logistics, come out right.

REGISTER HERE

USHA Conference/Dinner

Conference cost is $80. This includes the Hotshot Appreciation Fundraiser Dinner catered by Rattlers and helps offset the Association’s Conference costs. Remember, we are a charitable organization providing financial assistance in time of dire and special need! Your generosity is incredibly appreciated.

You will be redirected to the Loop Fire Staff Ride sign-up form after completing registration for the Conference, while slots remain available.
IF YOU ARE NOT ATTENDING THE STAFF RIDE YOU DO NOT NEED TO FILL OUT THE FORM.

The staff-ride is pro-bono: huge shout out to all the cadre making this possible!

LODGING

A room block has been set aside from 3/23-3/27, at the Santa Clarita Fairfield Inn, just steps away from the Residence, at a generously discounted rate of $149/night pre-tax. One night or all nights can be booked. Make a SoCal vacation out of it even!

Either call the hotel direct at 661.290.2828 and reference “Hot Shot Non-Profit” or

follow the link: Book your group rate for Hot Shots Non-Profit.

https://www.marriott.com/events/start.mi?id=1643071500306&key=GRP

****Booking must be done by February 21 to secure the group rate! ****

Additionally, there are multiple other accommodation options within walking distance!

We’re already gathering goods for an incredible raffle! Boots, power tools, apparel, USHA Merch, and much more! Stay tuned for more details, with a full list of all the goods and goodies to be won. A huge thanks for our generous donors and benefactors! Full list to be shared.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Shameless plug here: to help offset conference costs and improve our fundraising potential, we welcome any sponsorship/donation of the Conference and Reunion! If interested, please reach out to treasurer@ushotshots.com. We are incredibly grateful for the private & corporate generosity we receive, and could only do a fraction of our current support without it. Should you be, or know of, an entity/organization/non-profit/company that would be interested in this opportunity, please help us promote! The more money that comes in, the more money we can push out in times of special and dire need.

OTHER ACTIVITIES IN THE AREA

Santa Clarita is a small community just a bit north of Burbank and Los Angeles. It’s well known for being the home of Six-Flags Magic Mountain but has endless other attractions. Make a long weekend of it, or even a pre-season vacation.

  • Trails for hiking, running, and mountain biking—including the Trek Bike Park
  • Shopping, movie theaters, breweries, wineries, restaurants, night life
  • Ventura County beaches within an hour
  • Museums, the Gibbon Conservation Center, Ice Center, Trampoline Park, Go-Kart track…..all kinds of fun!
  • More things to do in Santa Clarita –> https://vacationidea.com/california/best-things-to-do-in-santa-clarita.html

Additional details will be forthcoming!!

  1. Matthew Peace
    February 17, 2022

    I am submitting form for the Loop Fire Staff ride.
    Thank you,
    Matthew Peace

  2. Robert Wright
    February 17, 2022

    Fire fighter from Laguna Hotshots would like to reserve a spot in the Loop Fire staff ride.

  3. Angel Preciado
    February 17, 2022

    I am interested in attending the Loop Fire staff ride

  4. David Rodriguez
    February 17, 2022

    I Submitting this for the Loop Fire staff ride

  5. Maria Mulholland-Coyne
    February 17, 2022

    I am filling out this form to attend the Loop Fire S.R.

    Thank You,

    Maria Mulholland-Coyne

  6. Shane Smith
    February 17, 2022

    I would like to attend the Loop Fire Staff Ride

    Thank You!

    • USHA ADMIN

      USHA ADMIN
      February 24, 2022

      Hi Shane,

      Our staff ride is currently full. We do have conference seats available.

  7. Brian Riley
    February 23, 2022

    Would like to attend the loop fire staff ride

    • USHA ADMIN

      USHA ADMIN
      February 24, 2022

      Hi Brian,

      Our staff ride is currently full. We do have conference seats still available.