The Arizona wildfire tragedy that took the lives of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshot members in June hit Wes Piatt pretty hard.
The Pismo Beach firefighter and owner of Gilroy’s Coast Range CrossFit Gym — located in the back of Gilroy Health & Fitness — was forced to recall his own close calls while battling fires and wrestle with the reality of how easily it could’ve been him. When the opportunity came to help, he jumped at the chance.
Coast Range CrossFit, in conjunction with the 5,000 CrossFit affiliates across the country, will host a fundraiser for Piatt’s fallen brothers at 9 a.m. Saturday at the gym. The event will begin with a members-only workout, followed by an informational session with Piatt’s wife, Megan, and co-owner Steven Clet, who is also a firefighter. The Gilroy Fire Department will bring an engine for children to explore and take pictures with.
“We’re trying to raise money for the families who were left behind with children,” Piatt said. “We’re going to try and start a college fund for those kids and then also give back for some of the funeral services and stuff that the families weren’t able to pay for — that’s the big goal.”
Piatt will be in Arizona, participating in a special workout arranged by the CrossFit Headquarters in Prescott, Ariz., near where the Hotshot crew members were killed. The trip is a chilling reminder for Piatt of how close he came to losing loved ones in this tragedy. Piatt’s brother crew from his Lucia Mar firefighting days, the Arroyo Grande Hotshots, were on their way down to assist with the fire and were supposed to be fighting alongside the Granite Mountain crew. Vehicle trouble prevented the crew from making the trip to Arizona, which may have also ended tragically for them.
For Piatt, being at the site of the tragedy is a way for him to remember the fallen as well as give thanks for surviving his own close calls.
“Before I was a city firefighter with Pismo Beach, I worked for the forest service on the handcrew,” Piatt said. “I was doing the same job these Hotshots were doing when they lost their lives — it’s scary…you’re out in the middle of the wildness with no water. We’re not putting out fires with a water and hose like normal people do, we’re using hand tools. You’re out there by yourself and you’re miles and miles and miles away from anyone else. If anything goes wrong, you’re on your own.”
Piatt is hoping that Saturday’s event will not only raise awareness, but give those unfamiliar with CrossFit a look at the community. He said everyone is welcome and encouraged to join his gym members in raising funds for families of the fallen.
“People can come and watch and it might be an opportunity for them to come and check out the CrossFit side of things, too, if they’ve ever been interested in it,” Piatt said. “It’s an opportunity to show that CrossFit is more than just working out to get abs or whatever the heck they think it is. It’s a community and it’s worldwide. We pull together when things like this happen. We have the ability to help, so we do.”
