FALLING INTO FIRE Orange flames lick the treetops and smoke billows into the air Miles away a firefighter watches as an air tanker dumps red foam over the forest to slow the flames 4
A siren sounds and the firefighter pulls on her parachute helmet and other gear She checks that everything is on tight Then she boards a small airplane with other firefighters It is their turn to tackle the flames 5
Soon they are cruising above the fire A spotter gives the firefighter a signal She leaps from the plane Others follow The firefighters fall toward the flames Their parachutes open behind them and they drop into a thick mountain forest at the fire’s edge More parachutes land beside them carrying the firefighting tools they will need Without airplanes nobody could have reached this area to fight the dangerous blaze Did you know Skydiving firefighters are called smokejumpers The U S Forest Service first started using smokejumpers to fight wildfires in 1940 7
