Smokejumpers: Evidence from an Article

Smokejumpers: Firefighters from the Sky

1Some wildfires start deep in forests or high on rugged mountains, far from any road. Fire trucks cannot reach these places, and hiking in can take a long time. Meanwhile, a small fire can grow quickly. To reach these fires fast, the United States has a special group of firefighters called smokejumpers. Smokejumpers parachute out of airplanes to fight wildfires.

2Smokejumping began in the western United States more than eighty years ago. Today, most smokejumper bases are in the western states and Alaska, where there are huge areas of wild land with few roads.

3Before a jump, smokejumpers put on special gear. They wear thick, padded jumpsuits and helmets with metal face guards. The padding protects them if they crash through tree branches on the way down. Each jumper also carries a long rope. If a parachute gets caught in a tall tree, the jumper can use the rope to climb down safely.

4When the plane nears the fire, a crew member called a spotter studies the wind and chooses a safe landing spot. Then the smokejumpers leap out and float down under their parachutes. After the jumpers land, the plane drops boxes of tools, food and water on cargo parachutes.

5On the ground, smokejumpers dig a fireline. A fireline is a strip of land where all the plants and dead leaves have been cleared away, down to bare dirt. A fire needs fuel to keep burning, so when it reaches the fireline, it has nothing left to burn. One favorite tool for this work is the Pulaski, which has an ax blade on one side and a digging blade on the other.

6Smokejumping is hard work. Crews may work for many hours, or even days, until a fire is out. Afterward, there is often no plane or truck to pick them up. Many times, the jumpers pack their heavy gear and carry it on their backs, hiking many miles to the nearest road.