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Description of the first actual fire jump in the United States

by Rufus Robinson (Missoula '40)

On July 12, at 2:00 p.m., Merle Lundrigan asked me to go to a fire on the head of Martin Creek, Section 35, Township 31 North, Range 11 East. I started collecting my jumping suit, fire pack and equipment to take to the fire. Rest of crew helped haul all equipment out to the airport.

Dick Johnson arrived from Missoula at 3:05 p.m. with plane. One of the crew helped me dress and get into the harness of chute. At 3:21 we left the ground. Johnson headed the plane down river to gain elevation. Turned at Goat Mountain and headed back toward Bear Creek. Turned again and followed Ditch Creek, over top of Moose Ridge close to Wyles Peak lookout. Spotted fire on east slope of Martin Creek. Johnson circled fire at about 7,000 feet elevation. Fire looked to be about two and one-half acres in green timber fairly open. I asked Johnson to take plane up higher to around 7,600 feet. He circled over fire once more and spotted alder patch of about two acres, above fire, to jump into. Dropped burlap test chute at 3:55 p.m. Chute drifted down into Martin Creek, north and east of the fire.

I bailed out at 3:57 p.m. Wind had changed between time of dropping burlap test chute and when I jumped. I caught a down-draft and heavy ground wind, carrying me over alder patch half mile north. Landed in small greet tree, 25 feet tall. My feet were about two feet above ground. Unhooked harness and set up radio. Talked to ship at 4:03 p.m. Lundrigan reported Earl Dcooley had landed northwest of me in tree. Lundrigan agreed to hold up dropping of fire packs until I reached Cooley. I misunderstood location of Cooley, and after waiting 15 minutes, Lundrigan dropped fire packs near Colley.

We started on fire line at 4:45 p.m. Cooley started working around north side of fire, throwing dirt on hot spots and building some fire line. I took the south side, cooling down hot spots and building some fire line. Worked until 7:00 p.m. when I sent Cooley back to find the other fire pack. He met four-man maintenance crew 300 yards from where his chute was hung up in the tree. They said they would be down to help us early next morning. Cooley did not find fire pack so came back to fire at 9:00 p.m. We worked on fire line until 10:00 p.m., ate lunch and watched rest of the night for snags falling across fire line. Had coffee at 3:30 a.m. Started building more fire line at 4:00 a.m. Fire controlled at 10:00 a.m. Four- man crew took over at 10.00 a.m. Had lunch at 12:30 p.m.

Cooley and I started after chutes with one mule, at 2:30 p.m. Arrived back to fire at 6:30 p.m. We spent one hour looking for saw and climbers. Thought Lundrigan had dropped them although neither Cooley nor I saw them dropped. Maintenance crew found second fire pack on their way to fire.

Packer Howard Engle, Earl Cooley and I left for Moose Creek at 7:50 a.m. July 14. I arrived Moose Creek 3:10 p.m. Cooley and Engle stayed at Toney Point lookout over night.

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