Martha Schoppe, a BLM smokejumper, was interviewed for an article that was published today in The Hill.
Here is the beginning of the piece:
“Longer, more intense wildfire seasons are taking a toll on both America’s forests and the people who risk their lives to protect them — but for many federal wildland firefighters, including the few women in their ranks, the camaraderie that comes with the job outweighs its physical and mental challenges.
“Martha Schoppe, an Idaho-based smokejumper for the Bureau of Land Management, said she values the trust she has built with her co-workers, as she and her team of eight parachute into a massive blaze.
“At 42, she has opted to not have kids and is one of only about a dozen women among around 400 American smokejumpers — an elite status she has found to be free of gender bias, as everyone goes “through the wringer” to survive training.
” ‘If you do, you’ve proven yourself,’ Schoppe told The Hill, noting that the jump itself, while exhilarating, is “literally three minutes.”
“ ‘Once we land on the ground, we’re just another firefighter,’ ” she said.
There is so much more I could say about all of this as I do have deeply engrained opinions on just about every thing, for one we look horrible in our USFS uniform shirts with collar brass and Nomax pants and whatever ballcap you decide to put on for that day, I always got a chuckle when our folks are standing next to a CALFIRE FF……Come on really…..
I have never ever seen the office clear out for a fire, I have seen folks step up and help…..U-Bet…..
It was never ever horrible, or if it was it did not last long….we were most always tight knit….esprit de corps…..some days we thought we could walk on water…..lol……
It’s just my opinion, Shot crews are the very best FF resource in the world……second to none…..of course I am biased..
Maybe the only local in the US with a year round fire season is so cal, dependent on the devil winds, I now live in VA and we can have a fire nearly any month of the year, does not mean we are year round fire season…..
All great comments, there is no right and no wrong…..Peace…..
We loved the heat smoke and flames . Friendships tempered in the battle . All in the beautiful wild . Floating down from the sky into a remote wilderness was the peace before the firestorm . I would do it all again about the same . Hard to live on past glory yet it will be alright .
I totally understand the natural reaction to claim that things were just as bad ‘back in the day,’ but the reality is different. Fires are much larger, (Dixie, Bootleg) burning with much more intensity (3am columns), and or workforce is in worse shape (5 day engines, IHCs unable to make T2 status) The purchasing power of your dollars was greater and your wages were generally above minimum wage by a solid amount – ~30% in my case.
Please don’t trot out nonsense regarding ‘uphill in the snow, both ways…’ it makes your arguments look comically out of touch. The older generation has much to share and educate people in the fire service on, but respectfully times have significantly changed.
How great you had it? It sounds abusive and terrible.
Honestly, when the whole office clears out to support wildland fire you realize that fire has become the only picture.
That’s a weird opinion.
I agree with that sentiment. Same memories. More intense fire seasons, yes. Longer fire seasons, it may seem that way. Yes, there are fires year round, but we’ve always had those. If you look at the last several seasons, it’s still the same, generally speaking. SW, 2 months, 1 month very busy. NW, same, maybe 1.5 months very busy. RM, same. GB, same. NR, same. SE, hit or miss. CA, 3-5 months, 2-3 months very busy. CA, being the wild card because of the Santa Anas, but they are hit or miss also.
Better pay is needed, but for the same or more work. Remember, most of the time is standing by, waiting for the next one.
Or, the big one, or a fire where you see flames, meaning a direct fire can sometimes be more challenging vs the anticipation of a fire coming over a ridge. I was on the Mud Lick Fire this summer, the crews spent much of the time on the Ridge Rd up on Williams Creek cutting 150’-300’ fire breaks because up Big Deer Creek where the lightning caused fire originated the terrain was inaccessible but for retardant and water drops. One fire I prefer not to experience again was like the Big Lake in AK in ‘96, running with flames licking your butt. We sure all have had our challenging fires and they won’t get easier.
A common theme in many fire related stories, More intense, more severe, longer seasons, burnt out FF’s etc….this season fell within the 10 yr average as far as acres burned, not real sure about property damaged.
It seams like we like to hype things up a bit to support the efforts to secure better everything for our FF’s…..
I completed 38 fire seasons, and most were long and difficult, even going back to the early 80’s, I recall a fire run that took the Laguna IHC away from our home unit for 30+ days, 60+ days straight no days off, no 2 to 1, I recall crewmembers sleep walking in the woods they were so burnt out….just sharing some old memories of how great we had it back in the day.
Let’s keep it real, and remember that every thing about this profession is a choice. I really hope that Fed FF’s realize better every thing in the near future, bottom line we are still resource agencies and FF is just one faucet of the big picture, be careful what you wish for, one day you may be wearing that nice pressed uniform with all the bling……Peace…..
Respectfully, fire isn’t a small piece of a larger management agency anymore. We represent a very significant part of the workforce, and anymore, all we really do these days is fire. The days of a forestry tech (fire) being a jack of all trades are coming to an end, I think, with the duration of fire seasons. Yes, lower than average acres burned, but a much more significant resource pull comparatively. Frankly, your depiction of old-school firefighting sounds terrible. I certainly don’t want to be at work for 60 days straight, I kind of like my family and friends to be honest…
Let’s keep it real Old DRHS. Times have changed. All we do in land management is fight fires, support fires and try to get our day jobs done in between. Time to change with the changes. What do you think it should look like?
Can we be professional with brass and uniforms? We already are.