What Is Smokejumping?
Smokejumpers are wildland firefighters who parachute from fixed-wing aircraft to reach wildfires in remote terrain. The program dates to 1939 and remains one of the most selective jobs in wildland fire.
To be clear: the North Idaho Rappellers are not smokejumpers. We are a helicopter rappel crew, a different delivery method with a closely related mission. The direct comparison is at Smokejumpers vs. Rappellers.
How smokejumping works
When a remote fire is reported, a jump aircraft launches with smokejumpers and cargo. Over the fire, a spotter evaluates wind and terrain and selects a jump spot. Jumpers exit and parachute to the ground in protective suits; tools, food, and water follow in cargo boxes dropped by parachute.
On the ground, smokejumpers are self-sufficient for days. They construct fireline, fell snags, mop up, and when the fire is out, pack their gear, often 100+ pounds, overland to a pickup point. Smokejumper bases are run by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management across the West and Alaska.
Smokejumpers and helicopter rappellers
Smokejumpers and rappellers solve the same problem, putting firefighters on a remote fire quickly, with different aircraft. Jumpers ride fixed-wing aircraft, which fly farther and faster and carry more people. Rappellers ride helicopters, which can hover directly over a fire and insert firefighters into small openings, with the same aircraft staying to support them with water drops.
Both work in small, self-sufficient teams, and both finish fires with long, heavy packouts. They are complementary capabilities, and fire managers dispatch whichever fits the fire. For the full side-by-side, read Smokejumpers vs. Helicopter Rappellers.
In this section
- FIREWildland Fire HubThe starting point for this section.
- RAPPELHelicopter RappellersWhat wildland fire rappel crews are and why they exist.
- JUMPSmokejumpingYou are here
- COMPAREdifferent types of Aerially delivered firfightersHow the two aerial delivery methods compare.
- CREWSWildland Fire CrewsThe full guide to the major crew types.