If you can just give me info about my best options on how to become a smokejumper. Should I go to the military and get my jumps down first? Go to collage first and take classes on the sub. of firefighting. What should I do? I would appreciate your help if can can please respond to my answer thank you for your cooperation.

-- jeremy rey worthen (fudzz@aol.com), December 24, 1999

Answers

what to do

Hi Jeremy,

It's not at all necessary to have prior parachute experience to be qualified to become a smokejumper. I suspect smokejumper instructors actually prefer to work with untrained jumpers because they don't have to worry about making you "unlearn" anything. Smokejumping is highly specialized, so you'll learn what you need to know only by going through smokejumper training. That's not to say that sport or military jumping is a bad idea, it's just that it won't necessarily give you any special advantage over the competition when it comes hiring time. Your best advantage there is to have outstanding fire experience, preferably on a Hotshot crew.

dan

-- dan mccomb (dan@smokejumpers.com), December 26, 1999.