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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Boise Smokejumpers provide wildland fire and hazardous fuels reduction services to BLM and other land managers. Boise smokejumpers assist with wildfire suppression, remote area fire monitoring, prescribed fire, thinning, and other fuels operations. Boise smokejumpers provide professional, effective, and safe fire and aviation services to help land managers meet their objectives.
Eighty BLM Smokejumpers are stationed at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho. Using high-performance aircraft and parachutes, the jumpers’ primary mission is to be first on the scene when fires occur in remote areas. The Boise Smokejumpers can operate out of Boise or virtually any airport with adequate runway length and fueling capabilities, providing a long-range, large-payload, rapid response to an emerging or ongoing fire.
There are 80 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Smokejumpers stationed at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho. Their primary mission is to provide rapid response to new and ongoing fires. Smokejumpers can leave directly from Boise or from any sub-base.
Smokejumpers use high performance aircraft and parachutes to provide safe and efficient fire suppression response. Within a few hours, a smokejumper aircraft can have firefighters to a remote wildland fire, regardless of agency boundaries.
In addition to arriving first at a fire, smokejumpers can assist land managers with fire suppression, remote area fire monitoring, prescribed fire operations, and other hazardous fuels reduction projects. Smokejumpers can fill a variety of Incident Command System (ICS) positions and can work as 20-person handcrews.
The 150 BLM (based in Boise and Fairbanks, Alaska) and 280 U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Smokejumpers are a pool of resources available to any area experiencing fire management problems.
Smokejumpers can be used effectively when:
- Several small fires have been reported in a short period.
- A fire is in a remote, roadless, or wilderness area, and is difficult to quickly reach by ground.
- A fire can be reached by vehicle but additional firefighters are needed.
- A fire threatens life, property, or a high-value resource. There isn't anyone at the scene or personnel at the scene need immediate reinforcements.
- A fire requires immediate presence of a Multi-Resource Incident Commander.
- A fire has a high spread potential if not attacked immediately.
- An experienced, mobile, and self-contained team of qualified fire and fuels management experts are required to accomplish a task.
If you have questions or comments regarding the BLM BoiseSmokejumpers, please contact Boise Smokejumper Recruitment at (208)387-5426. For questions regarding hiring, please contact Ryan Swartz, Smokejumper Crew Supervisor at (208)387-5426 or (800) 925-8307.
