THESE BOOTS ARE THE SAFEST FOR US WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS. FEWER AND FEWER CAN AFFORD THEM

The handcrafted leather boots are a century-old tradition – but with money tight, the cost of up to $800 is harder to justify For 18 years, one of the most important relationships in Luke Mayfield’s life was with his… As a hotshot – one of the US’s elite firefighting crews sent deep, on foot, into wildfires – Mayfield hiked a thousand miles a fire season in his boots, stood in them 16 hours a day and slept near them on assignments…

Money | The Guardian reports that the handcrafted leather boots are a century-old tradition – but with money tight, the cost of up to $800 is harder to justify For 18 years, one of the most important relationships in Luke Mayfield’s life was with his…

The report adds: As a hotshot – one of the US’s elite firefighting crews sent deep, on foot, into wildfires – Mayfield hiked a thousand miles a fire season in his boots, stood in them 16 hours a day and slept near them on assignments…

Like every wildland firefighter, he learned the rituals of their upkeep: how to grease them, how to lace them, how soon before the season to break in a new pair so the blisters came during training instead of on duty.

This report is covered across the current DAMMNEWS feeds. The most useful way to read a developing report is to separate the confirmed detail from early claims, then follow the next named source or decision.

This is a developing report. DAMMNEWS will surface related coverage as closely matched reporting enters the live cache.

DAMMNEWS RSS BRIEFING — generated locally from the available Money | The Guardian headline and RSS excerpt. It is not a summary of the full source article.