Eric Marsh – Firefighting “Hotshot” who gave his life to save others
Eleven years ago, Eric Marsh (Appalachian State ’92) died in the line of duty alongside 18 other firefighters in Yarnell, Arizona. They were part of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a wildland firefighting team. Marsh was a model first responder who put the safety and welfare of others ahead of his own.
Marsh was portrayed on the big screen by Josh Brolin in the 2017 film, Only the Brave. Brolin said in a 2017 interview, “If we didn’t have these people that we are honoring and praising in this movie, we’d have a world full of ashes.”
Eric had a great love for the outdoors. He was a rock and ice climber who proposed to his wife on an ice climbing trip to Ouray, Colorado. He was also an equestrian with a great love for his horse, “Shorty,” a skier and member of the ski patrol at Sunrise Mountain, a fisherman, motorcyclist, and avid cyclist and mountain biker.
A passion for protecting the public from wildfires
Marsh was a founding brother at NC Omega Tau and graduated from Appalachian State with a degree as a biologist/naturalist. After college, he excelled at several jobs, but the one he loved most was firefighting.
In 2003, Eric joined the Prescott Fire Department in the Wildland Division and helped create the Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew, the first municipal crew to ever become a hotshot unit.
A “hotshot” is a firefighter who fights fires with fire instead of water. They contain wildfires that spread quickly in dry forested areas by using fire to burn lines through the projected path of a spreading fire to exhaust its fuel supply.
Eric helped create the Arizona Wildfire Academy and taught basic firefighting and leadership. He liked to say that working on the crew “turned boys into men.” He was so well known for his quotes and sayings that his crew wrote down his “Eric-isms.”
A fateful day
No matter how well a crew prepares, fire remains wild and unpredictable. In an interview with the Prescott Daily Courier Marsh said of fighting wildfires, “Some could burn out in a few hours, and some could go to 20,000 acres. And that lightning fire that starts in the middle of nowhere can end up in somebody’s front yard.”
Trying to protect lives and properties from a raging wildfire, Marsh and all but one member of the Granite Mountain Hotshots lost their lives on Sunday June 30, 2013 while battling the Yarnell Hill Fire.
CBS News video
Remembering a brother and dedicated first responder
Marsh was intensely dedicated to his profession and proud of his crew. In a letter to Prescott City Council Members, he wrote, “We act different. We are positive people. We take a lot of pride in being friendly and working together, not just amongst ourselves, but with other crews and citizens. We are problem solvers. We like to show up to a chaotic and challenging event, and immediately break it down into manageable objectives and present a solution.”
“To our families and friends, we’re crazy. Why do we want to be away from home so much, work such long hours, risk our lives, and sleep on the ground 100 nights a year? Simply, it’s the most fulfilling thing any of us have ever done. It’s difficult to explain the attraction of such a demanding job.”
His wife, Amanda, said, “Eric was an awesome man. Someone to emulate. It is my hope his death, and the deaths of his 18 comrades, will serve as examples of how to truly and deeply live. They are still changing the world, they continue to change mine everyday.”
Eric Marsh Foundation
The Eric Marsh Foundation was created to support wildland firefighters and their families in the event of line-of-duty-death and trauma. They provide funding to assist crisis, mental health support, and provide scholarships.
Pi Lambda Phi remembers Eric, and salutes all of our first responders who dedicate themselves to protecting others. Brother mine forever.