smokejumper
Sign in to savethumb|Fully outfitted smokejumpers boarding a Short C-23 Sherpa aircraft in [[Missoula, Montana, en route to a fire in the Idaho panhandle, July 1994]]
Article
23 sectionsContents
- History
- Relations with the military
- WWII-era
- Mann Gulch fire
- Smokejumper crews worldwide
- Russia
- Canada
- United States
- Malaysia
- China
- Equipment and gear
- Aircraft
- Firefighting gear
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Survival gear
- Safety record
- Recruitment
- Team members
- Physical fitness
- In popular culture (chronological)
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|Fully outfitted smokejumpers boarding a Short C-23 Sherpa aircraft in [[Missoula, Montana, en route to a fire in the Idaho panhandle, July 1994]]
A smokejumper is a specially-trained wildland firefighter who provides an initial attack response on remote wildfires. They are inserted at the site of the fire by parachute. This allows firefighters to access remote fires in their early stages without needing to hike long distances carrying equipment and supplies. Traditional terrestrial crews can use only what they can carry and often require hours and days to reach fire on foot. The benefits of smokejumping include the speed at which firefighters can reach a burn site, the broad range of fires a single crew can reach by aircraft, and the larger equipment payloads that can be delivered to a fire compared to pedestrian crews.