With the cooperation of the U.S. Forest Service in 1959, the BLM trained 16 smokejumpers in Missoula, Montana and flew them to Fairbanks, Alaska. They jumped 33 fires that year, basing operations in quonset huts at Ladd Air Force Base, now Fort Wainwright.

They flew the military-style round canopy until 1982, when the BLM adopted the Ram-Air paracute system. Aided by the Russian drogue parachute to stabilize body position upon exit, BLM smokejumpers are dropped from 3000 feet above ground level. The maneuverability and performance of the Ram-Air enables jumpers to compensate for high winds and obstacles near and on the ground.

1972 AK Fire - Photo: Tom Sadowski

Alaska Smokejumpers suppress and control fires using power saws and pumps with hose, hand-tools and burning devices such as drip torches. They build firelines, mop up and monitor wildfires in accordance with fire management priorities and objectives. They prepare fire reports and determine the cause of fires. Protecting lands around native villages is a unique aspect of smokejumping in Alaska. Native communities often provide assistance to suppression efforts with equipment and supplies.

Tours of duty last at least six months.

There are 88 smokejumpers on our jump list in 2008.

Base Manager Bill Cramer