Firefighter. A firefighter carrying a driptorch walks alongside a controlled fire. This firefighter is part of an elite US crew 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 remove combustible material from areas of land using hand tools and controlled fires. These areas are known as firebreaks and help to slow or halt the spread of the forest fire. Photographed in 2002 in Walden, Colorado, USA.