Smokejumpers

These dedicated men and women are trained to parachute from aircraft into roadless and rugged terrain to respond to wildfires and provide other fire support functions. 

They're a national resource that travels to wherever needed, providing highly experienced, capable firefighters.

In the early 1900s, the paradigm of the day was that wildfire was a destructive force that robbed the country of valuable timber resources.

After WWI advances in aviation were explored for their application to firefighting. A doctrine of fire suppression in the young U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, had emerged out of the 1910 fires that had raged over the Western United States with dramatic devastation.

In 1940, the Forest Service fielded two smokejumper programs to protect the valuable timber resources in the west—the Northern Rockies and the Pacific Northwest. Today, the smokejumper program has expanded to locations throughout the Western United States.

The first fire jumped by the new “smokejumpers” was on the Nez Perce National Forest on July 12th, 1940, by Rufus Robinson and Earl Cooley.

Federal lands in the west are susceptible to wildfires, and smokejumpers are often some of the first resources that are brought in to respond before fires grow large enough to impact the landscape, lives, and property of those living nearby.

There are nine smokejumper bases located strategically throughout the Western United States; all are in close proximity to large, roadless, wildlands.

While some smokejumper equipment has evolved since the 1940s, much of it remains the same today.

The jumpsuit is now made of Kevlar™ for protection during tree and brush landings. The interior padding has evolved from quilted cotton, to foam, to formed and commercially available BMX and hockey pads.

Under the jumpsuit, smokejumpers wear Nomex™ pants and shirt over cotton undergarments, and tall leather boots—the standard Federal wildland firefighter personal protective equipment.

Pouches in the seat of the pants and in the back of the jacket can be used to carry tents, sleeping pads, or other soft items that add to the cushioning of the suit.

After the jump, smokejumpers stash their jumpsuit, helmet, and parachutes in a “pack-out bag,” usually at the jump spot or camp site, and then hike to the fire.

Smokejumpers fly with cargo boxes already packed and loaded on the plane. They're filled with chainsaws (including fuel, bar oil, and safety equipment), cross-cut saws (for wilderness areas), flappers (for grass fires), first aid kits, tree climbing gear, satellite phones, and other commonly used tools.

They also have fireboxes which include a Pulaski—a signature firefighting tool that has two perpendicular blades, one on each side of the head—a sleeping bag, and food and water for each jumper. Their plane can come back with special tools that may be additionally requested or for resupply of provisions.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service developed special round (FS-14) parachutes for Western conifer forests, which are characterized by tall and large trees, thus making jump navigation challenging.

The Bureau of Land Management, by contrast, has bases that serve the Great Basin and Alaska. These are both relatively open areas and characterized by higher winds, making the square parachute (Ram-air) system more appropriate.

"The round parachute design is steerable, reliable, and relatively simple to learn. A jumper has some control over the direction and rate of the fall descent, and landings can be relatively harder."

"The ram-air “square” parachute allows the jumper a lot more maneuverability, and the ability to actually fly the canopy, especially in higher wind conditions." - Missoula Smokejumper

Smokejumpers are all expected to learn how to pack parachutes to Federal Aviation Administration standards. After they successfully pack 20 (which are pulled apart and critiqued by a senior smokejumper) they can pack and jump their own.

Once approved, they “pack for the shelf” which means that parachutes can be used by any smokejumper who needs to grab one. Packing for your fellow jumpers is a big responsibility. 

A smokejumper's perspective

Smokejumpers come from diverse backgrounds and bring a wide variety of skills to the program. Most men and woman are between the ages of 20-40 but some are in their 50s. As long as you can meet the annual physical test and refresher, you can keep jumping.

There are hundreds of applicants for the few openings each year so becoming a rookie smokejumper is very competitive. Rookie candidates are expected to have at least two years of firefighting experience and be in top physical condition. At the beginning of the five to seven week rookie training, candidates are tested on the basic requirements:

• 25 push-ups
• 45 sit-ups
• 7 pull-ups
• 1.5 mile run in under 11 minutes

Rookie training focuses on assessing mental commitment and fortitude, as well as physical condition. Out of successful rookie training comes a sense of camaraderie that drives smokejumpers’ work ethic.