Jason A. Ramos

This book is part memoir, part history of wildfires, and part smokejumper publicity. The author recounts his early experiences in California to his training as a smokejumper to his smoke jumping assignments in the Washington Cascades. He provides an account of both triumphs and tragedies in wildland firefighting history. It gives the background of smokejumping, dating back to 1939, and outlook for the future. It is a story of hard work, dedication, and comradeship.

Each summer, I am a first-hand observer of the results of wildfires – either from the smoky environment where we are encouraged to stay indoors or observing burning areas from a distance. So, I was interested to find out more about the ways these fires are managed and extinguished. This book provides a detailed description of the methods and gear used.

The strength of this book is the sheer amount of information conveyed in a relatively short number of pages. The style is direct and colloquial. Ramos expresses his opinions and ideas for improvements. It certainly fit the bill for what I had been seeking. I particularly enjoyed segment of past and personal photos.

3.5… (mais)

I really enjoyed this look at smokejumpers, the elite firefighters who parachute into the backcountry to fight wildland fires. Ramos has been a firefighter and smokejumper for around twenty years. In this memoir, he documents his own experiences, from working as a young firefighter in California to smokejumper training to lessons he's learned fighting fires; and he also intersperses his own experiences with the history of the U.S. smokejumpers.

I grew up in the Midwest, and I had never heard of smokejumpers until I learned about this memoir. This was a really interesting look at a profession I never knew existed; it's definitely not one that I'll do (it fits well in the "Becky reads about extreme sports/experiences" category of books I read), but learning about the dangers that wildland firefighters endure gave me a lot of respect for them and the work they do. It was definitely a sobering read for right now, as there are numerous fires in California and the West, and also because of Ramos' mentions of global warming and its many impacts on fires.… (mais)