Ben Strahan

This year’s safety award recipient has been a wildland firefighter working with the U.S. Forest Service working out of northern California since 2001, first working on engine crews and later becoming an interagency hotshot crew member in 2006. We are very pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2024 Wildland Fire Safety Award is Mr. Ben Strahan, currently Superintendent of the Eldorado Hotshots, a position he has held since 2020. Ben’s nominator for the safety award had this to say about him: Being a good firefighter and a good leader are requirements of the job. But here is the thing about Ben that sets him apart: On the one hand he has been relentlessly dedicated to self-betterment, physical performance, and mental health, and on the other hand he has gone above and beyond to understand, embody, and lobby for a safer working environment for all wildland firefighters. From 2020 to present I have operated as the Superintendent of the Eldorado Hotshots, an elite Wildland Fire Handcrew for the US Forest Service.  During this time, I have operated as their leader on almost every large wildfire in the western United States and have done so successfully by bringing everyone home safely.  With my background in human performance my focus is on the development of the authenticity of a human being expressed.  The goal is to encourage the growth of mindset and how we move through the world with passion of life.  Being a survivor of suicide and an advocate for mental health, I take my stories of personal healing and growth to people who are ready to step into their truth and develop strong Self-Leadership. Over the years working for the US Forest Service, I have advocated for strong reforms in health and wellness of Firefighters, even at the risk of losing my job.  Outwardly bringing important issues into the mainstream media to help educate the public on real challenges Wildland Firefighters have faced for years.  Issues such as pay, access to mental health programs, and better working conditions.  I have been a part of the development of almost every wellness program developed by the US Forest Service for the last 15 years and continue to bring important issues to the table to be addressed for reform. On my personal side of life, I run a Self-Leadership consulting company called Moment Consulting LLC.  The focus of Moment Consulting LLC is to educate people on how to develop strong self-leadership within themselves and realize that self-leadership is the starting point of leading others in life.  It is focused on my stories and the realizations I have had to become aware of on my journey in life, and the choices I could make from a place of awareness.  Along with this, I am an advocate of first responder mental health as a whole and work directly as a peer supporter with first responders all over the world as they deal with challenges in their prosses of healing themselves.  Moment Consulting LLC also works with corporate companies, teams, and organizations in the development of self-leadership and education on how to mitigate risk. With my nearly 24 years of fire service, operating at the highest level of performance working as a Hotshot, and my passion for life witnessing the development of individuals find their truth has only grown.  The work is never done to inspire positive change, but my philosophy is to encourage people to have the awareness, that it starts with you and I.