Smokejumping was developed as a means of quickly reaching, parachuting to, and initial attacking fires in remote roadless areas. The primary mission of smokejumpers is firefighting. Smokejumpers may be delivered to a fire via helicopter, vehicles, and by foot. Smokejumpers are a national resource and occasionally used as a 20-person Type 1 Crew.
Region 1 maintains a force of approximately 80 smokejumpers in Missoula, Montana; 29 in Grangeville, Idaho; and 24 in West Yellowstone, Montana. Grangeville and West Yellowstone both operate as independent bases, however, training and out-of-Region fire dispatches are conducted from Missoula.
Smokejumpers are dispatched to fires on Forest Service land in Montana, Idaho, and North Dakota, state-owned Forests, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Land Management. Smokejumpers are often dispatched to other Regions to assist with fire suppression.
Early season dispatches are commonly to the desert southwest of New Mexico or north to Alaska.
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