Jumping Behind the Scenes With A BLM Smokejumper

It’s something you’d only expect to see out of a “Mission Impossible” film – people jumping from 3,000 feet in the air out of plane right into a wildfire to fight that fire.

But these smokejumpers are nothing close to fictional.

This is Jacob Blehm’s first season as a BLM smokejumper, and so far, he has had to jump four times this early-on in the season. Normally, he said some jumpers will make between 20 and 30 jumps during the wildfire season.

“We’ve been here for about four days, and we actually just jumped a group of eight people yesterday morning down in northern Utah,” Blehm said.

He said, as fire activity grows throughout the nation, the BLM will reposition jumpers throughout the country where they’re most needed.

He and his crew flew-in from Boise, to station at Pocatello’s contingent base at the Pocatello Regional Airport. The airport is home to several wildfire-fighting units, including the DC-10, which services wildfires across the entire country.

Right now, there are jumpers in Pocatello; Grand Junction, CO; Elko; and Provo, UT.

This elite group has only two minutes to suit-up into 40 pounds of gear while gathering information after a fire call comes in. Within minutes, eight jumpers, a pilot, and a spotter will be inside the Jump 66 Dornier, ready to take flight.

“There are definitely nerves that play into this, but a big part of this is relying on our training,” Blehm added. “You’re so focused on the fire activity, the information the spotter is giving you, and the job that needs to be done, that all nervousness seems to get put onto the back burner and that training really kicks-in.”

The jumpers go through such rigorous training, only half of those who make to the training, will actually make it through.

Blehm said only nine members were able to complete the training out of Boise this year.

Once the crew is airborne, the spotter will relay crucial fire information to the crew so they know exactly what they’re up against.

Once they see the fire, they start looking for what are called ‘jumpspots’ or areas they can actually exit the plane and land safely.

“Once we’ve selected a jumpspot, we’ll do a low-pass at 500 feet to give everyone a really good view of the conditions on the ground, the hazards that might be there, the winds, the topography, and everything like that.”

But that’s if that wouldn’t scare most of us already, this is the point they climb to 1,500 feet, where they throw a set of weighted crepe paper streamers out of the plane to see what the wind activity looks like.

“Not only do we see how the wind reacts with the crepe paper, but we see how quickly it falls and where it lands.”

It doesn’t stop there.

The plane then ascends to 3,000 feet before they can finally drop a second set of streamers where they’ll be jumping.

The crew will jump, meeting the cargo loads on the ground, that can assist them in fighting the wildfire from terrain too treacherous for ground firefighters to access.

He says the contents inside the cargo boxes could also sustain two jumpers for two weeks on the ground.

But, what goes in, has to come out.

Blehm said, if there aren’t any helicopters or aircraft available to help get the jumpers back out, they have to hike with all of their gear, plus whatever was dropped down with them, out of the area. He said that could be anywhere between and seven and 12 mile hike with an estimated 140 pounds of gear attached to them.

Although physically and mentally demanding, he said this is one of the most rewarding experiences he has had the privilege of working within.

“It’s phenomenal and an incredible group of guys. The camaraderie is next to none. It’s just a real experience and I feel fortunate to have made it through to be a part of this group.”