Smokejumpers

Abstract Deanne Shulman discusses being the first female smokejumper at the McCall, Idaho base from 1981 until 1984. She talks about the difficulties she faced as a woman jumper, such as feeling like she needed to prove herself to her male colleagues. Shulman tells of the camaraderie of the jumpers regardless of sex, due in part to the physically demanding nature of the training. She shares experiences on fire jumps and describes how she fought to change the height and weight requirements for...

Abstract William Bolen describes being one of the first smokejumpers in Montana in 1940. He talks about being chosen from the Kootenai National Forest, where he was working as a smoke chaser, and coming to Seeley Lake with seven other men to start the smokejumper program. Bolen describes the training he received by instructors Chet Derry and Glenn Smith, as well as the three jumps he made before deciding not to be a smokejumper. He discusses the equipment that was used for that program, including...