We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Square chute smokejumpers land in Alaska to fight a fire. Don used a circular shoot that served a similar purpose with a little less maneuverability. "The Black Spruce at the bottom of the pic was a tool we often used in Alsaka. When you landed you would select one about 8' tall and you delimit (Cut off all the limbs to where you have a big stick with a big swatter at the top that you can use to fight the fire). When the actual flame is extinguished you very seldom have it relight. First thing is to get the perimeter knocked down to where it doesn't spread. This is only in Alaska and only where you have black spruce," said Ranstrom. "On the Tundra you would use a shovel to knock down the flame."
These circle chutes are the kind that Ranstrom jumped into fires with as a smokejumper in the 60's and 70's.
This was a common look for a smokejumper in the 1960's and 70's. Don stated that the reserve chute was located on the front of the jumper, usually with a personal bag below it. The primary chute is the big bag located on the smokejumpers back. Don referenced a time when his gear weighed 155 pounds, Don himself weighed just 150 pounds.
Too many of us "Smokejumpers" are a summertime fire fighting crew that cash in during the fire season, but in reality they are a highly trained and elite firefighting unit that is actively engaged in rigorousness training, fitness and skilled in advanced fire fighting techniques. When not deployed to a fire they are in constant training at one of the facilities in the Western United States.
Montana is home to two Smokejumper Bases, one located in Missoula and the other in West Yellowstone. Smokejumpers deploy to the most severe fires usually located in rough wilderness terrain that requires them to jump in to secure their position on the ground. They can be deployed for days, weeks and even longer based on the severity of the fire.
Originally formed in 1940 the group has developed quit a reputation. In the early years and through the 1970's many of the firefighters were returning vets from action in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Many were students and teachers looking to fill their vacant summer schedules before eventually growing into the highly sophisticated group they are today.
While the early smokejumpers may not have been year around employees they were highly trained and the best of the best. One of those smokejumpers that were active in the late 1960's and early 1970's is retired Blaine County Attorney Don Ranstrom. In the following paragraphs Don talks about his time fighting fires as a smokejumper based out of Missoula, Fairbanks Alaska and Grangeville, Idaho.
Don Ranstrom grew up in Missoula and graduated from Missoula County High School in 1964. From there he went to the University of Montana and graduated in 1969 with an undergraduate degree in History, and later from Law School at the University of Montana in 1975.
"I was on a 'Hot Shot' crew in the summer of '65 and you get rated on your performance and I scored really well. They, the hot shot crew' turned the ratings over to the Forrest service in the spring of '66 Don was offered a spot to train as a smokejumper at the Missoula Smoke Jumper Base"
Don jumped out of the Missoula base for three years ('66, '67 & '68). "During that time we were always busy during the season and I got trips to Fairbanks Alaska, McCall Idaho and Redmond Oregon," stated Ranstrom.
Don had been in the eighth grade when he met his future wife Barb and the two been together ever since. The couple was married in September of 1968.
After Don finished winter quarter at the University of Montana he then flew to Fairbanks, Alaska on April 1st of 1969, "I thought it was April Fools because there was so much snow but with that winter sun it goes away so fast," commented Ranstrom.
"We did refresher training upon arrival, which includes three practice jumps and then myself and a fella named Cliff Hamilton jumped the first fire of the year that May. That fire was North of the Arctic Circle near the Ice Road Trucker route going to the North Slope. We suspected the fire was started by a trucker and it was surrounded by snow and was about 500 Acres in size," Rantrom explained.
"It was just the two of us on scene to fight it. We had it out in seven days but we were there nine days due to a storm and had to have additional food dropped in". Being on the ground for nine days with nothing but their gear left the pair drawing an inquisitive eye from the pilot when they were picked back up to return to base. "We stunk so bad it made the pilots eyes water so bad he made us put boots in the way of the door to ventilate the plane. Nine days fighting fire we got pretty rank."
Barb arrived in Alaska in June and the newlyweds rented a house with another couple. "Barb and I were in the basement and the other couple, they had two kids and lived in the upstairs portion of the house," said Ranstrom. For both Smokejumping was their primary source of income.
"Nowadays the people that jump are year around employees when I was in during the 60's and 70's most were students or people that had summers free like teachers," added Ranstrom.
Don was drafted into the United States Army in Alaska in 1970 the Alaska Bureau of Land Management wrote a letter requesting he remain in service through the severe fire season which was the worst on record up to that date.
Don returned to Montana in September of '69 to attend a friends wedding and was subsequently drafted again and was later inducted into the United States Army in October of '69 in Butte, Montana.
Ranstrom served 19 months and 26 days when he received an early discharge to return to Smokejumping. Following his discharge Don returned to McCall, Idaho in May of '71 and joined there smokejumping unit again going through the same refresher training as he did in Alaska a few years prior.
Ranstrom then jumped the next for seasons out of this base. In this time Don experienced some memorable Jumps.
"One of the things I was most pleased with was when I was at a satellite base in Grangeville, Idaho I was watching this guy pack shoots, he made a comment that I was doing the next one, so I packed a chute and the siren went off and he asked me if I wanted to jump this fire with the chute I just packed. Turns out the first fire I jump with a chute I packed was out of the Ford Tri-Motor Airplane, said a laughing Ranstrom. "It (The Ford Tri-Motor) has corrugated metal siding and looks like flying shop. It has incredible lift and short landing and takeoff capability."
"One kind of harry incident was where I landed in a dead snag, and I could here the dead tree cracking and popping and the spotter in the plane was watching and noticed that if it tipped over I would be underneath of it so he started planning a rescue. I made the smoothest let down I ever did and managed to get to the ground without the snag falling over," said Ranstrom. "There was a real pucker factor there and it felt good to be on the ground and I went to fighting fire immediately after the pilot dropped my firefighting equipment."
Another event that kind of stands out in my mind is when we jumped a fire in the Unitas Primitive area in Utah. Where I landed it was about 11,000 feet in elevation and I came down like a dart, not a lot of air at that altitude," said Ranstrom.
On the same forest in a different fire a number of smokejumpers had jumped a fire close to two lakes and because it was in a primitive area the crew had to get permission to use motorized equipment. Prior to their jump their had been a previous fire where it was not allowed. Don and his team was soon granted permission to use equipment.
Don then ran into a lady that had protested the smokejumping crew disrupting her wilderness experience. Don responded to her by stating she could continue on and see all the black burnt out area and how much she enjoyed that experience. Her companions eventually caught up with her and after some discussion, particularly their lack of good food led to Don calling in a fresh food drop that included steaks and potatoes and milk AKA "Beer". After the food drop the hikers changed their perspective of the smokejumpers had changed dramatically and by morning they thought we were the best thing ever.
In the eight years Don jumped he recorded 135 total jumps of which just over 100 were fire jumps. In Montana, Idaho, Oregon, California and Utah and it was the best job I ever had bar none..
