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Description of the second actual fire jump in the United States

by Earl Cooley (Missoula '40)

On July 12, at 1:40 p.m. our project leader, Merle Lundrigan, was informed of a fire on the Nezperce Forest on which two of us jumpers were requested. Rufus Robinson and I were selected to go. The plan was ordered immediately after we received the fire call. While the plane was on its way from Missoula to Moose Creek Ranger Station the group had collectively gathered all necessary equipment including lunch from the cook house, fire packs, climbing spurs, saws, burlaps, suits, chutes, etc. We didn't put on our suits until the plane was on the field.

As soon as the ship arrived at the airport each man took an assigned job. One put the aerial on the plane, one put on the steps, others helped Rufus and me into our suits, while others were loading the material into the plane.

We were soon ready to take off for the location of the fire. Pilot Dick Johnson, Merle Lundrigan, Rufus Robinson and I left the airport at 3:211/2 p.m. We went up river to Ditch Creek, swing around south of Wiles Peak to the designated location of the fire, which was in the head of Martin Creek, Section 35, Township 31 North, Range 11 East, on the Nezperce Forest.

Rufus knew the country so he chose to go out first, consequently I was the second man out. Rufus threw the burlap out directly over a small elder patch about 300 yards from the fire on the uphill side. The burlap evidently hit two distinct currents of wind and was carried approximately one mile down the canyon from the spot. Dick circled the plane around the fire and Rufus made the correction for the burlap and informed Dick as to where he wished to make the jump. I believe Rufus was about 2200 feet above the timber when he took off. He made an excellent takeoff from the ship but ran into more drift than was expected and was carried beyond the spot a quarter mile or so. Rufus landed on the edge of a small clearing in a small tree.

As soon as I noticed Rufus standing on the ground by his chute, I decided to spot myself and bail out. At this point I should have thrown another burlap because I could not see exactly where Rufus was when he took off. To the contrary, I only roughly guessed allowing a little more for the drift. We hit two very bad air pockets before I was in position to jump, and I do not believe we were much over 1800 feet above the timber, nevertheless I was anxious to leave ship and get into action. At 4:01 I bailed out and jerked my rip-cord when I as clear of the plane.

I didn't make such a good take-off because I was beginning to turn over in the air when the chute opened. I think I received the hardest opening shock of any previous jump I had made. My risers were twisted above my head and it seemed some time before they started to unwind; but eventually they did unwind and I located my position in reference to landing.

I had drifted west of the spot, but was evidently coming down in line north and south. A stiff ground current caught me about 500 or 600 feet above the timber. I knew it was impossible to hit the spot under these conditions so I just turned my chute toward the fire and got well in my mind my directions and plans before I hit the timber. It seemed to me that I was traveling about 15 miles per hour when I went over the timber below me.

When I was about down, I could see that I was going to land in large timber by a small creek. I picked a large spruce tree about 120 feet high. The chute hung on the limbs about 10 feet from the top of the southeast side of the trees. I went through the branches on the side of the tree, breaking many of them. I noticed the chute on the side of the tree and didn't want to swing back because I thought there might be a possibility of the chute slipping off the limbs and going on down to the ground, so I grabbed the stub of a broken limb and climbed onto the trunk of the tree. I just climbed up the tree a few feet and unwrapped my risers from the harness.

Fortunately, the tree was easy to climb down and I did not need my rope to descend to the ground where I took off my suit and set up my radio. Due to some unknown condition I could not get a very good reception from the plane, but was able to contact Merle a time or two. Merle didn't get to tell me where he was going to drop our packs, but I kept watching every time the plane came within dropping distance from me. I caught a glimpse of the first fire pack through the timber but only knew the direction and approximate distance to the fire pack. The second pack was released from the plane almost directly over my head and came in about 100 feet from me. I took the latter pack, filled my water bag and canteen, put the burlap with my suit and equipment, and started for the fire which was about a quarter or a half mile east from where I landed.

I was about 200 yards from the fire when I met Rufus. We took the one fire pack and went down to the fire. The fire was burning very slowly and only had a few hot spots that could have been very dangerous. Rufus started around one side and I the other. We cooled down the hot spots, and trenched where they were the worst. We found a lot of dead line that we passed up.

About 8:30 I decided to go back to my chute and look for the other fire pack. I was following the small creek back when I heard a horse bell so obviously I went to see where they were. About 400 yards above my chute on the same creek I found a camp with four men. After a short conversation with them they informed me that they would be down on the fire early in the morning. Rufus and I worked the hot spots that night and until 10:00 o'clock the next day when these men arrived. Rufus and I had practically trenched the whole fire, which was about three acres, scattered over about five acres of ground.

We ate a lunch that these men brought down to us and were ready to turn the fire over to them about 10:00 o'clock. I remained on the fire while Rufus went up and set out a manta and streamer to locate the position for the plane which had been ordered to drop supplies and pumps. The plane did not come when we expected it so Rufus and I decided to retrieve our chutes from the trees and get them in camp ready to pack the next morning.

We took a mule and went after Rufus' chute first. We had to cut the tree down to get the chute because it was draped over the top of the tree. A small hole was torn in the apex of the chute. After returning to camp with Rufus' chute, we started to where my chute was hung in the trees. I followed, with the mule, the same trail back to the place where the maintenance crew was camped the night before. I knew exactly where the chute was from this point. I followed the small creek down to where I had blazed a couple of trees on the creek bank. The chute was only about 150 feet from this place.

The retrieving of the chute was apparently a big job since it was a good 85 or 90 feet up the tree to where the risers were attached. I took my 100-foot rope and climbed the tree. Rufus tied the Pulaski on the end of the rope. When I got up the tree to my chute, I pulled it up to me in this order. I tied one end to my risers and threw the other end down to Rufus. When Rufus got the rope he pulled on it and I chopped the limbs off in which my chute was tangled.

Rufus and I were both surprised at the ease with which we took the chute out of the tree. We spent a short time looking for the other tools which we were not sure had been dropped. I eventually came to the conclusion that the tools, which consisted of spurs and saw, had not been dropped. Due to the fact that the trail crew had found our other fire pack when they came down to the fire, we were relieved of our search for this pack.

We got back to camp with my chute about 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. By the time we ate supper it was nearly dark and we retired for the night. I dressed in my jumping suit and pulled a manta over me.

The next morning Rufus, the packer Howard Engle and I started out for Moose creek. We went down Martin Creek and cut across country to Moose Ridge. Rufus took a different trail and went on into Moose Creek. Howard and I went to Tony Point that evening. The next afternoon I brought the chutes down with a mule and horse that had been brought up from the station. At 4:00 p.m. July 15, I arrived back at the Moose Creek ranger station.

 

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