Smokejumpers: Meet the elite group of firefighters who parachute into wildfires
When 33-year-old Cole Skinner said he would be dropping by his workplace, he meant it literally.
"The whole thing is a pure adrenaline rush," he said.
Skinner is part of an elite group of firefighters that operates in places where roads don't exist. For the last four years, his commute has involved a 3,000-foot death-defying dive with views that are hard to beat.
Called Smokejumpers, they parachute directly into the flames. When the siren sounds, Smokejumpers pack on their gear and load into a Shorts C-23 Sherpa plane.
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"Once the horn blows, we have about two minutes to get our jump gear on and we're boarded up to the plane in less than 10 minutes," Skinner said.
Becoming a Smokejumper isn't for the faint of heart. Rookies are expected to be in top physical shape and have some firefighting experience.
The group's missions are often miles away from civilization. It's why they bring everything they need with them. Their gear can weigh up to 120 pounds.
Smokejumping dates back to 1939, when the US Forest Service realized it needed to stop remote fires before they became too big to handle.
In all, there are about 400 Smokejumpers in the U.S., but as climate change intensifies their job has become more in demand.
Mitch Hokanson, the Redding base manager said fire seasons are now getting longer and longer.
"Instead of getting laid off in October, we were working until December, and we're starting earlier. Normally fire season doesn't start until June. Now, it's starting at the end of April," he said.
The daily grind can be both dangerous and physically demanding. But Skinner said the moment he heard about the program he jumped at the chance to join.
"No one else gets to parachute out of a plane to fight fires," he said. "It was a dream and when it came true it was everything it was supposed to be."
