Smokejumpers train for upcoming fire season

Members of a unique fraternity gathered on Wednesday in Missoula at the headquarters of the smokejumpers to practice their habit of jumping out of airplanes into wildfires. Some smokejumpers, including Dan Helterline of Plains, were not in Missoula having been deployed to a fire in Virginia.

The event was a refresher course as a prelude to the rapidly approaching fire season that takes members all over the country, from Alaska to Arizona.

For more than 70 years, smokejumpers have been deployed to the most remote fires around the country. Capable of reaching fires not accessible by traditional suppression methods, this highly skilled and trained force can be rapidly mobilized and sent to a fire shortly after ignition before it becomes a problem for other wildland firefighting groups.

Smokejumpers specialize in parachuting into isolated areas and then assuming the traditional wildland firefighting role once on the ground. They specialize in aggressive, initial attack techniques in remote areas and are resupplied if necessary by parachute drop.

The practice jump on Wednesday was part of a larger spring training period before the fire season starts. Smokejumpers practice exiting the aircraft, maneuvering, emergency procedures, landings, cargo retrieval and tree climbing.

Plains resident Dan Helterline has been a member of the smokejumpers for 24 years. He said the spring training includes classroom work, tree climbing and chainsaw instruction in addition to the practice jumps. He took his refresher jump practice earlier in the week due to a deployment in Virginia.

“The jumps went pretty smooth. We had good weather. They start easy and then we move to terrain that is similar to where we might land on a fire. It’s exciting but you’re prepared for it,” said Helterline.

According to Helterline, smokejumpers carry about 110 pounds of gear when they board an aircraft. Chainsaws, tools, sleeping bags, water, food, first aid kits, emergency fire shelters and not one but two parachutes are carried onto one of two types of aircraft.

The larger of the two planes used by the firefighters in Missoula is the Douglas DC-3. The DC-3 in Missoula originally saw action during World War II. The aircraft has been completely overhauled since that time but according to squad leader Dan Cottrell, the aircraft is such a robust and sturdy design that it is still in use today. The DC-3 can carry 12 smokejumpers and a two day supply of food, water and equipment.

The smaller plane used in Missoula is the Shorts Sherpa C-23. The aircraft is used for the delivery of smokejumpers and for cargo and resupply.

Over 270 smokejumpers work for the Forest Service, stationed at bases in Montana, Idaho, California, Wyoming, Washington and Oregon. They typically have many years of wildland firefighting experience. According to their website, “smokejumpers must be in excellent physical condition and possess a high degree of emotional stability and mental alertness.” The smokejumper program began in 1939 and the first jump was made in the Nez Perce National Forest in Idaho in 1940.