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McCall Smoke Jumpers

50 images Created 22 Sep 2010

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  • Lane Lamoreaux, 27, of Flagstaff, Arizona, is a second-year smokejumper at the McCall, ID base and a former United States Marine.
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  • Brett Bittenbender walks through an open field on the United State's Department of Forestry land outside of McCall, ID prior to a training exercise for the crew.
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  • Smokejumpers at the base in McCall, ID practicing jumpint out of a 35-foot high tower and slide along a zip line.
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  • McCall's smokejumper crew discusses landing strategies after a live jump session near the base in McCall, ID.
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  • A smokejumper hangs from 'The Mutilator', a mechanized pulley system that lifts the trainee into the air and drops them approximately 35 feet to the ground at a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour.
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  • A rookie smoke jumper organizes himself after a tower jump at the McCall, ID smokejumper base.
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  • McCall Smokejumper Lane Lamoreaux prepares for his first jump out of an airplane during a training session prior to the 2010 fire season.
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  • It may look like a victory celebration, but rookie smokejumper Michael Kolb is actually being tested on the proper stance for exiting a plane during a training session at McCall Smokejumper Base in McCall, ID.
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  • A crew of veteran jumpers practice "Hit It" drills with training foreman Larry Wilson before boarding a Twin Otter plane for live proficiency jumps.
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  • Travis Dotson enters a Twin Otter plane for live proficiency jumps at the McCall Smokejumper base in McCall, ID.
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  • Laundry is another less-than-glamorous component of the smokejumper's profession, but is required to keep the operation running. Brett Bittenbender stands in the equipment room.
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  • A smokejumper at McCall Smokejumper Base in McCall, ID repackages his parachute after a practice jump.
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  • Each smokemjumper has their own mailbox, for correspondence from friends and family, as well as U.S. Department of Forestry information.
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  • Smokejumpers are required to sustain in harsh conditions with little food.
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  • The McCall Smoke Jumper crew uses "STEX," or Sand Table Exercises, to map out potential scenarios and re-enact instructive episodes from the past. In this picture, each red car represents an individual smokejumper, and the yarn delineates the bottom of a canyon.
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  • Smokejumpers at the McCall, ID smokejumper base perform last minute checks before they embark on a training exercise.
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  • Inside a Twin-otter plane used for smokejumpers at the McCall, ID smokejumper base.
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  • Twin-otter U.S. Forest Service fire plane used to transport smokejumpers throughout the region and the rest of the country.
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  • Inside the cockpit of a Twin-otter plane used to transport smokejumpers from McCall, ID to other fire regions throughout the western United States.
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  • A smokejumper lands with his parachute still billowing during a training exercise in an open field outside of McCall, ID.
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  • Veteran smoke jumper at McCall smokejumper base in McCall, ID.
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  • The reception desk at the McCall Smoke Jumper Base sits amongst mannequins displaying the difference between American and Russian smoke jumpers.
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  • An 'Ironman' poster sits taped to the wall of a smokejumper's locker at the McCall smokejumper base in McCall, ID.
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  • Rookie smokejumpers develop their abilities on the Let-Down Simulator in wet conditions at the McCall smokejumper base in McCall, ID.
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  • Smokejumper Brian Austin prepares for a training jump at McCall smokejumper base in McCall, ID.
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  • A smokejumper packs his emergency chute after a practice jump near the McCall smokejumper base in McCall, ID.
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  • A rookie smokejumper stands for a portrait at the McCall smokejumper base in McCall, ID.
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  • Smokejumper practice their technique on the 'let-down simulator' at the smokejumper base in McCall, ID in wet conditions.
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  • Smokejumper practice their technique on the 'let-down simulator' at the smokejumper base in McCall, ID in wet conditions.
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  • A rookie smokejumper at the McCall smokejumper base in McCall, ID on the obstacle course.
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  • A rookie smokejumper at the McCall smokejumper base in McCall, ID on the obstacle course.
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  • "Crawl like a worm!" barks veteran Travis Dotson, repeatedly, at rookie Andrew Harris as he scrambles under chicken wire on McCall's obstacle course. The US Forest Service lays out very demanding physical fitness requirements for its crew. All new recruits are required to pass a five-week training session that rivals a military boot camp.
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  • The chainsaw pictured is harmless (the blade is under a protective cover and the chain itself has been removed), but still keeps new recruits motivated during an end of the day obstacle course. "Run Ned, Run!" shouts veteran jumper Matt Carroll, egging on appropriately-named recruit Nick Hasty.
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  • Nick Hasty runs up the final hill of an obstacle course as part of his training at the McCall smokejumper base in McCall, ID.
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  • Frankie Romero lands in an open field near the McCall smokejumper base in McCall, ID while another smokejumper removes his gear in a simulation of what it would be like during an actual fire.
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  • A smokejumper is dropped from 'The Mutilator', a mechanized pulley system that pulls trainees at the McCall smokejumper base approximately 35 feet in the air, only to drop them at speeds up to 15 miles per hour. The system is designed to help smokejumper learn how to land in rough conditions during fire season.
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  • The final hill of the obstacle course at the McCall Smokejumper base in McCall, ID.
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  • "Let's go! You can do it! C'mon!" shouts a chorus of Neds (rookie smokejumpers) as Michael Kolb runs through the tires at the end of an obstacle course at the smokejumper based in McCall, ID.
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  • A twin-otter airplane passes overhead during a training exercise for the smokejumpers at the base in McCall, ID.
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  • A smokejumper rests after being dropped from 'The Mutilator', a mechanized pulley system that picks smokejumpers up off the ground and drops them repeatedly.
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  • Once all the McCall smokejumpers have landed on the ground, a twin-otter plane releases a box filled with the crew's food and extra supplies.
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  • The McCall smokejumper crew practices a ramp exercise, jumping off the low ramp and twisting their bodies to better absorb the impact of a parachute landing.
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  • Pete Dutchek, a veteran smokejumper, quietly picks up his pack and begins the short return hike back to his crew after getting pushed by the wind a few hundred yards away from his target zone. One of the biggest dangers for smokejumpers during fire season is mis-landing in a tree, but thankfully rigorous training helps ensure they are ready when the time comes.
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  • The McCall smokejumper crew practices a ramp exercise, jumping off the low ramp and twisting their bodies to better absorb the impact of a parachute landing.
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  • Forest Service smokejumpers throughout the United States have jumped with circular parachute canopies since 1939, although square canopies were developed in the 1960s and '70s and are currently used by smokejumpers who work for the Bureau of Land Management. Square-shaped canopies behave more like a wing, requiring forward speed in order to stay aloft. Circular canopies rely primarily on drag, making it easier for a jumper to drop straight down. There are pros and cons to both designs: While circular canopies can descend at a nearly vertical trajectory, they become difficult to control when the wind blows faster than 10 mph. The BLM's square models, sometimes called "ram-air" chutes because they behave like airfoils, remain maneuverable at twice that speed.
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  • Chris Niccoli guides a group of tourists through the training area at the McCall Smoke Jumper Base. In 2009, about 5,600 people visited the McCall Smokejumper Base, which offers several guided tours per week.
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  • Smokejumpers exit a twin-otter airplane during a practice jump outside of McCall, ID near the McCall Smokejumper Base.
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  • Smokejumpers check harnessing before doing jump tower training at the McCall Smokejumper base in McCall, ID.
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  • Frankie Romero, Base Manager at McCall Smokejumper Base in McCall, ID, watches a jumper as he exits the jump tower during a training session.
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  • Veterans Travis Dotson, Steve Beirman and Pete Dutchek lug their jump gear out of Bear Basin after a successful proficiency jump near the McCall Smokejumper base in McCall, ID.
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