A hotshot crew conducts burnout operations on the Derby Fire. Severe drought conditions contributed to extreme fire behavior. McCleod, Montana September 5, 2006. In the United States, an interagency hotshot crew (IHC), or simply hotshot crew, is a crew of 20 firefighters specially trained in wildfire suppression tactics. Hotshot crews are an elite group among wild land firefighters, due to their extensive training, high physical fitness standards, and ability to undertake difficult, dangerous, and stressful assignments.They often respond to large, high-priority fires and are trained and equipped to work in remote areas for extended periods of time with little logistical support. Over the Labor Day weekend, a large fire burning in southern Montana forced hundreds of people to evacuate from their homes. The Derby Fire had scorched about 178,400 acres between the towns of Big Timber and Absarokee as of September 5, 2006, according to the daily report from the National Interagency Fire Center.