This past summer, 71-year-old Ken Herrick relived the eight years he spent as a smoke jumper pilot. As a volunteer with Yellowstone Nature Connection (YNC), a 2012-founded nonprofit in the town of West Yellowstone, Montana, and housed in the original, early 1900s-built ranger cabins, Herrick’s “job” was to share with children, individuals, and families about the importance of protecting our nation’s wilderness.
He showed visitors films about smoke jumping training, allowed anyone interested to put on a smoke jumper suit, and offered youngsters an opportunity to receive junior smoke jumper wings. And when they found out that Herrick flew planes that actually carried smoke jumpers, eyes widened.
“It definitely was the most rewarding aspect of my career as a professional pilot,” said Herrick, who retired six years ago.
Although a full-time pilot for 40-plus years, Herrick flew his last “fire season” (typically May through September) as a smoke jumper pilot in West Yellowstone in 1984, opting for better financial security as a commercial pilot for the remainder of his career. He remembers the time fondly: “I just have so much respect and gratitude for smoke jumpers.”
In essence, smoke jumpers parachute into wilderness areas where a fire has been caused, most often because of a natural occurrence, such as a lightning strike. The areas are often highly remote and thus impossible to reach by vehicle, and hiking into the fire would take too long. Jumping into the fire area becomes the most efficient option. Once the firefighters are on the ground, equipment—such as a supply of chainsaws—is dropped by parachute.
Herrick, who currently resides in Phoenix with his wife, Anita Herrick, remembers determining his career choice at age 11.
“My father worked at Boeing in Seattle, Washington, and I just knew I wanted to be a pilot. So I got my first job in the field as a fuel pump line boy at Aero-Dyne flight school my senior year of high school.”
While he was in college at Washington State University, earning a degree in range management and forest economics, he also worked part-time at Aero-Dyne and obtained all his flight ratings for private, instrument, and commercial. Each rating requires numerous hours of training and flight time.
Herrick was in the right place at the right time when Aero-Dyne began a U.S. Forest Service (USFS) contract to fly piston-propelled DC3 aircraft to wildfire sites. He had to meet the safety and skill requirements necessary for low-level altitude flying. Only with the adequate licenses and flight hours completed was Herrick able to become a smoke jumper pilot.
“The lowest a pilot is supposed to fly is 500 feet above the ground and 200 feet above the tree top,” Herrick said. “Normally I was flying about 1,000 above the ground for the spotter to figure out where the smoke jumpers needed to go. Then I would climb higher for the safety of the jumpers to deploy their parachutes.
“I learned quickly that there’s nothing mundane about flying low where there is a fire. But I loved it ... the thrill of getting that close. As a pilot, you have to be sharp. Sometimes you can feel the fire’s heat when flying over. And smoke can really get your heart racing because of lower visibility. Smoke jumper pilots have to study the terrain, consider if other aircraft might be flying in the area (dropping fire retardant, for example), pay attention to wind speeds and visibility. Much goes into getting into a precise area where the firefighters can jump safely.”
Herrick became interested in volunteering with YNC after he visited West Yellowstone and met Jim Kitchen, a retired 25-year veteran smoke jumper who’s president of the nonprofit.
“Anyone who has done this job has an instant connection,” Herrick said.
Smoke jumpers typically number lower than 400 throughout the United States, and all are employed with the U.S. government and operate out of one of eight bases managed by both the Bureau of Land Management (Department of the Interior) and the USFS (Department of Agriculture).
“Most people doing smoke jumping started with rural fire programs and hot shot crews (firefighters who tackle the hottest aspects of forest fires),” Kitchen said. “And men and women have to be physically fit enough to carry out at least 110 pounds for at least three miles because the equipment is heavy.
“Most people don’t know this is a career that exists. And it’s not a career that one does for the money. It’s for the comradery, the travel, the outdoors, the physical challenge, and the difference you’re making.”
He said he never once regretted jumping out of a plane to fight a forest fire, and he’s thrilled when he meets jumpers and pilots, such as Herrick, to reminisce about various experiences.
Herrick hasn’t personally jumped out of a plane, but he never stopped being in awe of the men and women who did.
“People might think my job required bravery, but smoke jumping requires so much more bravery,” he said.
While Herrick hasn’t flown since retiring due to flying being an “expensive hobby,” he admits that he often misses piloting planes. However, volunteering at YNC enabled him to verbally take others with him into the cockpit and imagine the experience.
“God created so much for us, and most people don’t get to see what I’ve seen from the air,“ he said. ”But to help smoke jumpers provide an invaluable service, to save lives, homes, forests ... that’s the main reason I was a smoke jumper pilot.”
