Smokejumpers can make a difference

David, the firefighters you saw were likely not smokejumpers, they were probably part of a helitack crew. There is an outside chance they put a couple smokejumpers in there using a helicopter but typicaly smokejumpers "jump" from airplanes. As for the fire you saw in the Mill Creek area, that was likely a state fire. Jumpers typicaly only jump federal fires (fires that occur on forest service land). There are quite a few roads in there that do not show up on maps, and if there isn't one CalFire will cut a road in or catch the fire at the next road.

For sure they werent smokejumpers. Smokejumpers never rappel from helicopters. Jumpers either jump from airplanes or infrequently drive to fires if there is road access. These were rappellers from a helitack crew.

I wish they'd attack the hell out of this Butte County Lightening Complex of fires here man.

Growing up, there was a true man on my block. In the winters, he played professional hockey for the North Stars. But what made us respect him was what he did in summer. He was a smoke jumper in the 1960's. Jumping out of a plane into a forest fire, putting it out, and then hiking out to the nearest road to get into another plane and jump out over another fire, all summer long. A true man who died too young, Terry Casey.

I would like to know why we do not have the right equipment to fight fires. Its just stupid with all the fires we have had in the last few years we dont get the stuff to get this done we have to import all we need. What the hell wrong with our big boys in sacramento. I am sure if everyone gave a few $$ in this state for this protection we would not be watching the news with people losing their homes and animals and forest land. California sucks its all about big business not about what we really need.

hey me in chico, we all do give a few dollars, unfortunately fire departments are second only to the military in rediculous spending. They are huge cash cows that spend very unwisely. I spent enough time working in the fire world to be completely disgusted at how money was spent. If the government agencies treated their departments like private businesses and showed some fiscal responsibility it would be amazing what they could get done.

They were heli-rappellers and not smoke jumpers.

those are not smokejumpers those are called helatack. smoke jumpers arrive to fire by parachute not helicopters.

This guy is a complete idiot when it comes to wildland firefighting.

Ahhhh, another un-researched and incorrect news story from my hometown newspaper.

Are you freaking kidding me - smokejumpers lowered via a rappel rope from a helicopter? Uh - that sounds like heli-rappellers since smokejumpers actually jump out of a fixed wing aircraft and not helicopter and are "lowered" to the ground via a parachute (either round or square depending on your agency affiliation). I think the writer of this article should get the facts correct b **** writing an article and making him and the editors of this newspaper look stupid. To make such a blunder really calls into question the rest of the reporting throughout the newspaper. I have no ill will towards smokejumpers or heli-rappellers, just uninformed media who sing the praises of one set of firefighters over the other. Come on - we all do the same job, put out fires our method of delivery is what differentiates us, i.e. engine crew, hotshot crew, smokejumpers, helitack or heli-rappellers.

The nearest smokejumper base is in Redding. Jumpers are the cream of the crop, it is hard to get a chance to become one, then you have to pass a tough 5 week school. Most jumpers wre on Hot Shot crews first. The National Smokejumper Association President lives in Chico. Jumped 1959-1970. Chico Hall of Fame track coach, Chuck Sheley.

Smokejumpers parachute from fixed wing (you know, airplanes...) and Helitack (A.K.A. - Flight or Fly Crews...the large groups anyway...) Rappel from helicopters and both take serious offense for being misconstrued as one for the other. As a side note, the story make it sound like either Copters 506 from the Shasta Trinity, 502, from Scott Valley or maybe 510 from Chester....all top notch folks....but definitely not Smokejumpers. Sad.

David,

I hope I am at least the 9,207th reader to take the time to tell you how inaccurate your assessment of smokejumpers is. Not that they aren't a useful tool in the toolbox and okay at what they do. But there is so much more to firefighting, so many other useful tools in the kit that you can't do justice by singling out one aspect just because that is the only name that remained in your consciousness.

Fire Dude - Did you ever think of trying to bring private business practices to the fire service world in which you were working. This is a serious question. How can you use private business practices in a fire department which is allocated money rather than having profit? You could increase most fire department budgets by 50% and no one can tell the difference besides the men and women on the fireground. How do you justify spending increases to the public when they can't tell the difference?

Ya, Jumpers do make a difference, they stayed home on this one and let the Helirappellers put it out. As it should be and usually is. Get your facts straight man, the real world isn't a Howie Long movie.