Flying Into the Flames

    If there’s a fire in your town, you might see a bright-red truck rushing to the scene. But if a fire starts in a forest, fighting it is trickier. These wildfires can spread quickly. Plus, without roads nearby, they can be harder to get to.  

    That’s where Madison Whittenmore can help. She’s a smokejumper. It’s her job to fight fires in faraway areas. How does Madison get there? By jumping out of a plane! Once she lands, she works with other smokejumpers to stop the fire from spreading. We asked Madison about her job. 

Can you describe a typical jump?    
    When our siren goes off, we have about seven minutes to get dressed in our gear and get on the plane. Once we arrive at the fire, we must decide how many people to send down. This depends on how large the fire is. Finally, we pick a safe spot to jump to and get to work.

How do you put a fire out once you’ve landed?      
    Our goal is to remove any material that can burn. We call this fuel, and it can include things like branches and bushes. Next, we use special tools to dig a deep line around the fire. Both of these steps help to stop the fire from spreading without needing to use any water.