As smokejumpers, we take on one of the most technical and arduous positions in combating wildfires. Through the use of parachutes, we are dropped from planes into remote areas that would otherwise be difficult to access. Each step we take: from the time we step onto the plane and parachute to the ground, to fire suppression, to the time we arrive back the base, we take every precaution to stay saf
e and get home healthy from each and every assignment. With an attitude biased toward safety, our program has developed extensive training, 75 years in the making. Despite our every intention toward safety, our duties come with inherent risks and occasionally smokejumpers are injured in the line of duty. When one of our jumpers is hurt, the WCP compensates them a percentage of the base wage they were making. Unfortunately, this is drastically less than they would earn during even an average fire season. Being injured is a position none of us want to be in and a struggle none of us ever want to see our fellow jumpers endure. Being injured presents many challenges, but we believe that providing for yourself and your family should not be one of these challenges. There are several organizations designed to help in these situations. On the national scale, there is the Wildland Firefighter’s Foundation. WFF is a 501(c) 3 non-profit, organization that provides support to wildland firefighters and their families in the unfortunate instance of an injury or fatality. At our base in Redmond, OR we have the Redmond Smokejumper Welfare Fund. Year-round, our own 501(c) 3 non-profit organization raises money by selling Redmond Smokejumper merchandise to both jumpers and to the visitors we welcome to the base for tours. The money raised is used solely to provide financial support to injured smokejumpers. The smokejumper community is a family. We support each other through the good times and the bad. With a severe injury, when one of our smokejumpers is put out of work, it is common for each jumper at the base (and oftentimes at other bases) to donate for each fire they jump that season. In the unfortunate occasion when a jumper is hurt, each of these support systems is indispensable. However, more support is often needed. This Support Injured Smokejumpers page, as the name suggests, was created to support our injured jumpers in a time of need. The aim of this group is to raise awareness among the general public and to seek further support for our injured jumpers. Obviously, financial support is among the most helpful and effective ways we can help someone in this situation. But there is a lot more that can be done. Simply being aware of these occurrences and spreading the word is a good way to gain exposure and to find further support where, perhaps, we would not find it otherwise. We aim to empower anyone with a passion to help to get on board and help us take care of our injured smokejumpers.
