Photos Smoke Jumpers

[Frisco-Kid]

When I got out of the army in JAN69 I was just short of my 22nd birthday. I settled in Spokane, WA, where Kath had stayed with her folks while I returned to VN for my second tour. Our son, Scott, was born there while I was gone. It was a winter that is in the record book as the third highest snow fall in Spokane. I didn't even look for a job until late spring. I went back to what I already knew; lumber mills.

As I became familiar with the area, I learned that there was a Smoke Jumpers School over in Missoula, MT, about 3hrs. away, run by the Forest Service. Having been a paratrooper in the army, I thought this might be a cool career to look into so I started asking around. I figured with the training that I already had, I might have a leg up on getting in. I found out that one of the bare minimum requirements was having at least 2yrs. of forest fire fighting experience. This was pretty much seasonal work. As someone with a family to support I didn't feel that I could leave my family for the summer to go do this, so I let it die.

The Smoke Jumpers Center is still on the western outskirts of Missoula. They have a visitor's center there and run tours of the facility. Kath and I stopped by on Sunday as we headed home from spending Fourth Of July weekend with friends south of Missoula. The tour starts out in the visitors center with a short history of the program. They then take you on a short tour of some of the facility. You get to see the sewing shop where the jumpers make their own individual back packs, cargo chutes, etc.. They show you the long packing tables where the riggers pack the 'chutes. There are about 70 jumpers assigned to the center. Not all jumpers are riggers. The tour ends up out on the tarmac where you can see the 2 planes that they use if they're not out on a fire. Further out, a training tower can be seen. It's similar to the 34ft. tower that we trained on in Jump School. The tour only takes 20-30min. and is definately worth checking out if you're ever in the area

 

[Frisco-Kid]

They used military chutes when the program first started in 1940. Remember, the whole concept of parachuting was still in it's infancy then. They used military surplus chutes for many years after WWII, but started using a more steerable, but still round, sport chute several years ago. They have to get into some pretty small forest clearings sometimes. They're currently testing some of the more steerable rectangular sport chutes. The problem with some of those is they have to jump them from higher elevations. They already jump from 1500', quite a bit higher than our average 1250' military jumps. I think I jumped from as low as 800-900 at Bragg. I found it interesting that they make their own cargo chutes for dropping equipment to the firefighters. The Forest Service provides all of their equipment except knives and boots. Most of them opt for White [brandname] boots, which are about $300-$400 a pair. They are a top of the line custom made work boot used by loggers and lumbermill workers for many years.

The modified DC-3 [C-47] was pretty cool. They converted over to the turbo engines a few years ago. The Forest Service had them take out the fold down jump seats so they could use seatbelts on the bench seats.

The hanging parachutes are used chutes drying out so they can be repacked. They use Riggers to pack the chutes. Some of the Smokejumpers are also Riggers, but not all the Riggers are Smokejumpers.

The Smokejumpers have to retrieve and carry their chutes with them, even if they're hung up in a tree. If they don't, they get charged for it; about $1500 each.

 

[Frisco-Kid]

Like I said, a Forest Service firefighter must have a minimum of 2yrs. forestfire fighting experience to be considered for the program. The competition to get in is so stiff, most applicants wait until they have 5-6yrs. under their belts. Rookie training begins the third week of May and lasts four weeks. The first day candidates must pass the PT test, which consists of seven pull-ups (hands facing either way), twenty-five push-ups, forty-five sit-ups, and a one and one-half mile run in less than eleven minutes. This is a bare minimum and all rookies should be able to perform at a much higher level. Any candidates unable to pass the PT test will not be allowed to continue the program.

The rest of the first week is spent in rookie camp. Rookies perform two pack-out tests, one of one-hundred and ten pounds over a flat three-miles and one of eighty-five pounds over two and one-half miles of hilly, broken terrain. Both tests must be completed in ninety minutes or less. Rookies are also tested on fireline construction skills with many hours of arduous line digging. The week also entails early morning running, calisthenics, and tree climbing, as well as training on using crosscut saws, chainsaws, pumps, maps, and compasses.

The following week is divided into units that consist of training in:

Aircraft exits, simulated by jumping out of a 40-foot-high shock tower
Let-downs (for use in rappelling from trees when the parachute hangs up) practiced from a platform
Parachute landing rolls on the landing simulator machine
Cargo retrieval and tree climbing with climbing spurs and a rope
A mock-up which covers emergency procedures, mass exits and reserve parachute deployment, and
An obstacle course consisting of a seven-foot-high wall, a trampoline, monkey bars, several ramps and a rope stretched across a ravine.

Each rookie must pass a proficiency test in every unit, demonstrating ability to parachute from aircraft and land safely. Candidates failing any one element are withdrawn from the program.

Rookies must furnish their own boots, watch and knife for the job. Boots should be broken in at least 1 month prior to arrival. Jump suits and line-gear are provided.

Interspersed with the unit training, recruits study parachute manipulation, helicopter use, safety, and first aid.

The last part of rookie training is fifteen practice jumps. The first jump spot is in a large field. From there, the jump spots get progressively smaller and more difficult. Rookies will be withdrawn from the program for unsafe landings and parachute handling.

Women have been accepted into the program for several years now as long as they can meet the requirements and pass the instruction. There are currently 7 women assigned to Missoula.

Even those that have been in the program for awhile have to take a PT test evey year. I noticed that alot of these guys were Native Americans, probably from Montana tribes. One I talked to inside the plane was a Shoshone who has been a Smokejumper for 20yrs. A real nice guy. He told me he had an uncle that served in Nam with the 101st and inspired him to join the Smokejumpers.

 

[Frisco-Kid]

So, do you think you want to be a Smoke Jumper? It's a dangerous job and people have died doing it.

The Mann Gulch Fire:

Mann Gulch is in Montana about 50mi. south of Great Falls on the Missouri River on the east side of the Continental Divide. It's unique in that it is exactly where the eastern prairies meet the western mountains. One side of the gulch is grassy with small stands of trees, while the other side is forested. Both sides are steep.

On 5AUG49 a fire was started in the gulch by a lightening strike. That whole part of Montana was experiencing record breaking temperatures. A Forest Ranger reported the fire and the Forest Service decided to drop Smoke Jumpers from Missoula on it. The fire didn't look especially out of the ordinary, but the terrain was quite steep.

15 Smoke Jumpers jumped from a C-47 onto the grassy side of the gulch. Both sides had fires. 12 Smoke Jumpers and the Ranger already on the ground would be dead in 2hrs.. It is still the worst tragedy in the history of the Smoke Jumpers.

Most people think that a fire moves fastest through timber. It can, and does, move quickly in the right conditions. But it moves much faster through grass, especially when driven by winds. This is what overtook the Smoke Jumpers. It moved so quickly that they couldn't out run it. Two, however, did. Instead of running parallel to the fire on the sidehill, they ran straight up the steep side of the canyon to the crest finding a passage through the boulders at the top. Even then, their clothes were singed. The only thing that saved them was fitness and youth. One of these survivors was 17yrs. old. The youngest on the crew. The third survivor was the oldest. He was the 36yr. old Crew Supervisor. He survived by setting a large area of grass on fire ahead of the main fire. When the main fire started to overtake him he lied face down in the burned area with his face in the dust and ash. The fire passed him by. Not having any fuel around him, he wasn't burned. 2 of the dead died the next day from their burns.

As you can see, these were all young men mostly in their 20's. 12 of the 15 had served in WWII. One of them, David Navon, had fought at the Battle Of The Bulge with the 101st Airborne Division. Many of them were college students doing this as a summer job. 6 of them were from Montana, but 2 were from CA and the other 5 were from TN, PA, NY, MA, and NC.

I learned all of this from recently finishing a book on the tragedy titled YOUNG MEN AND FIRE by Norman Maclean. You might recognize his name as the author of A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, the book that the movie was based on. The book was a good read giving a history of the Smoke Jumpers, telling about the dynamics of the fire, the lawsuits that were filed against the USFS, the cover-ups [this is a Federal Government organization, after all], and about the men themselves. If you ever run across it, pick it up. You won't be disappointed.

BTW, if you've never seen A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT go rent it. It's a beautiful movie filmed in the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula. You'll thank me for the recommendation.


Men who died in the Man Gulch Fire:
Robert J. Bennett - Paris, TN
Eldon E. Diettert - Missoula, MT
James 0. Harrison (Meriwether Fire Guard) - Missoula, MT
William J. Hellman - Kalispell, MT
Phillip R. McVey - Ronan, MT
David R. Navon - Modesto, CA
Leonard L. Piper - Blairsville, PA
Stanley J. Reba - Brooklyn, NY
Marvin L. Sherman - Missoula, MT
Joseph B. Sylvia - Plymouth, MA
Henry J. Thol, Jr. - Kalispell, MT
Newton R. Thompson - Alhambra, CA
Silas R. Thompson - Charlotte, NC

Survivors of the Mann Gulch Fire:

R. Wagner Dodge, foreman
Walter B. Rumsey
Robert W. Sallee


Click here for more. I love it that the song is from Dodge's point of view from his deathbed with no apologies. Be sure to check out the videos of jumps.

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[airborne]

Fire Jumpers

Hi Frisco, fantastic account of a very brave bunch of men. I wouldn't have done what they did for a fortune.
Re jumping height, we always jumped from 800 feet back in the 60's and I believe that the Brits now have chutes that you can jump from 400. Which makes a lot of sense.
By the way what's the score on this numpty asking about gardening equipment in this thread ?
Cheers mate.

Mike

 

[rotorwash]

Having grown up in Montana, I was familiar with the Smoke Jumpers and even was allowed to make several jumps out of the tower. My involvement was some summers with the slurry bombers that dropped fire retardant, but the sound of the old slow Ford Tri-motors that flew the jumpers when I was a kid still hangs with me.

The Dodge from the Mann Gulch Fire was my brother-in-law's uncle. He carried a load of guilt for a lot of years.

I've flown over that spot many times, and the lonely monument on the hillside looking down on the Missouri River is poignant indeed.

Rotorwash

 

[milinet]

thaaaaaaaaank u

 

[Bombardier]

By the way what's the score on this numpty asking about gardening equipment in this thread ?

He is gone buddy