Client Spotlight: Steve Little, Gettin’ It Done

Steve Little is getting it done despite his claim, “I’m getting older.” As the Hotshot Supervisor for the Asheville (North Carolina) Hotshots, Steve knows he and his crew must make fitness a high priority. “The job doesn’t require maximum performance all the time. But when it does, you better have it (fitness),” states Little.

The path to what Little calls his “dream job” started back in 1990 when he was a Recreation Wilderness Technician for the State of Georgia. The path then took him to the USDA Forest Service - Savannah River in South Carolina, where he was first a fire fighter and later an Engine Captain. In 1999, Steve took the Asheville Assistant Hotshot Supervisor position and in 2003 he became the Hotshot Supervisor.

Steve admits that maintaining the appropriate level of fitness for his job has become more difficult over the years. However, the difficulty is not due to physical changes related to age but rather the increase in administrative demands of the job. Little comments, “It’s a lot harder to get it (physical training) done but you just have to make a commitment to PT.”

And get it done he does. Steve’s off-season weekly exercise routine includes 20 to 25 miles of running, 3 strength training (Bow Flex) sessions, and multiple sets of chin ups, dips, crunches, and push ups. A couple of months before the crew comes in, he incorporates his legendary “buns of steel” routine which involves squats, wall sits, and lunges with 2 minutes of jumping rope between each set. Robin Kastler, a Fire Ecologist and Training Officer for the U.S. Forest Service in Asheville, did the routine a couple of times last year. “I had to take the stairs one at a time for 5 days after those sessions,” states Kastler.

Steve has his crew participate in the “buns” routine and it often leads to a condition Little calls “Coco-Gorilla Butt.” Not sure what “Coco-Gorilla Butt” is? Think back to the last National Geographic Africa special you watched. Remember the pictures of the large male Silverback gorilla named “Coco”? Big hindquarters and an awkward walk. Now, you’ve got the picture.

Steve is known for his dedicated work ethic and for always finishing what he starts. He also understands the need for a balance between fire and the rest of life. If Steve is out after hours with a group of fire folks and the conversation turns to fire, he will set his watch for 10 minutes. If anyone talks about work and fire after those 10 minutes – they buy the next round of adult beverages.

Steve Little – fit, balanced, buns of steel, and gettin’ it done!