It is my pleasure to introduce jason ramos as buyers are growing larger scarier and more deadly every year is the conditions of the developments that is designed to create a powder keg. This topic is poignant for us as we are expressing devastating wildfires. He spent almost 30 years of his life to the five pahang Service Beginning at 17 with a volunteer and then in southern california. And then with the North Cascade and replace those smoke jumping. Take a look a king carry more than its body weight. Going up steep terrain for miles as a mechanical engineer i resonate with that. Usa todays describes what he does of brains and brawn. To prepare cells manet day individual brought to you courtesy of though Harper Collins publishers. [applause] murphys law. Below what judge quick video not the full length you can watch it on a youtube it was done by a friend of mine air force special forces of the voice narrating the video. For four years ago at the base most of the time we are approached by a big Production Companies was a time we are reserved and quiet and in a quarter. How was that . Murphy law is always on time [laughter]. [laughter] it makes you wonder. It cannot get back out of that. Just go back. If it doesnt work pull up your phone you can watch it by yourself. [laughter] to deflect those the deform that protects from the heat. Mother nature herself with the unpredictable force. To provide the blessings of security and a host of other benefits to mankind fire at the all consuming dragon that takes lives. If you going to jump from a perfectly good airplane is one to see the flat ground it is another into mountainous terrain in the raging forest fire but that is what they do. Al was flown in the helicopter in 1982 when i got there the group of guys jumped in with the parachutes i thought that was unique. Is not a gender or body type with the motivation and the work ethic simic years after firefighting under their belts in 1994 it gave me the idea to be the smokejumper. It is like professional sports with the best athletes. Smokejumpers have the ultimate wildland firefighting experience there well versed and highly motivated and trained. I was the first and that started maya dirty and i pushed and pushed. Smoke jumping was readily accessible. He wanted to be a smoke jumper before he was a teenager. I had to brothers that jumped before i did. Use started at 19 years old. Watching my brothers and cousins going through training i was well versed on what i needed to do. Requires knowhow and physical stamina to be a smoke jumper. No experience necessary you have to have some type of wildland firefighting experience that equate at tusis and switches to three years. Actually contemplating trading as a wild land fire fighter. That depends of the batch of people but not everybody that tries will make it. It can change how they look. In essentially it is the way to find out how badly wanted. With that pushup guy with that provision of 30 or 40 years old. And then to be in good shape before they put the stamp of approval in the of wilderness some way. We have all these things you left the aircraft with. 210 pounds and 3 miles lead there really lucky. Then nobody wants to be there. Some folks on the for there fifth jump just decided it was not for that secretary is a mental and physical aspect and either or both you will be washed from the program spirit that is why it is between four and six weeks once we exit the aircraft it doesnt matter if you have a sore throat or your pet fish passed away you have to get the mission done. And since 1939 and all those jumpers 74. With that combination to become a conflagration before they could be reached then in 1940 came the smokejumpers. In almost today get off the ground. So we will stop that theyre prepared deal like that so far . [applause] you can imagine the work we had to get through to get the approval that was days of me polynya my hair. [laughter] we do work for the Forest Service there is a rule of how to blow your nose and how to eat your pen. But we work for the people of the United States. There wasnt a very good documentary about their. And rick stewart called me he gave me his background with the air force. And we made it happen you can go home to watch the rest of that. Is an amazing gentleman that broad as this. Any questions so far . There is so much of the program 1939 through now there is a lot of questions but so much information in one hour. Are there any smokejumpers in the audience are retired . [applause]. Very good bases in the United States with a triple digit temperatures was it easy for you . [laughter] i had a friend of mine who said if you get anything right now . If you could do training again . Your brain goes back to that. It all just depends how much you want to deal with. Weather is corridor basketball is so ingrained with that for a tourist six weeks i contest to every single day being a rookie i remember every day there was a traitor who would say give a round of applause you made it today you did she might not make it tomorrow. Have a good night. [laughter] we will keep it pg13. [laughter] but they may not be here the next day. You cannot guarantee that position it is a privilege not an honor youre not guaranteed to become the United States smokejumper. Then you take it minute by minute or day by day. And then we will see what happens tomorrow. Any questions before we move on that . There is a very dynamic member. Since 1939 we are still under 6,000 because share we were 5,800. I have a microphone. Now i can move. [laughter] stood to gentleman back there i can pull up my a database to see what your and what base and it tells me everything if they are legitimate. [laughter] not many are so we have the database to show the grand kids it is a proud day and. The nine bases were around day fluctuating number near 500. At our base ahead to pararescue, x rangers so they come and go throughout the season some, for their summer vacation. [laughter] they come back to duty. I schoolteachers love to come back. A new one is 64 he ran a mile and a half in just under nine minutes 30 seconds. They are very motivated and dont except anything else. And then to go out and do the polyps and not even sweat. Is specially how old he is. [laughter] they do have to pass the same physical fitness no handicapping that four or six weeks for gender or color or race. If you have the antennas coming out and you are purple you have the same test. The males and females we get to worse and people say are they a smoke jumper . Yes. How was your rookie training . A little physical endurance once you complete the program and uridine of how many people can go anywhere in the United States that is the major leagues there is no and liu mr. Paige and your shoelaces or did you take your lunch . So if you complete your program this satire the siren goes off to go anywhere in the United States that is interesting. California alaska montana and idaho and there are nine bases we can make a base anywhere in the United States you know, the Storm Chasers that is why we are if there is lightning we may preposition ted jump plane nor attend jumpers to sit there to help with the fires that they may cause. It is very dynamic very unique. During training then you go back to be Something Else. Even the fire service you may go one way when the lights turn off the lights back on then you are diverted to another call. And then turn around and fly somewhere else maybe it is a 10 minute flight that you were in another state. Could makes those deployment decisions . A question i dont like. [laughter] the program is designed to get them to the incident to put the fire out for the helicopter to find hikers and meet them to take the matter of the area because of the fire coming. That is hard to be dropped off the middle of nowhere with spoke with the gps is a working because the trees are so tall to find the trail and find three people in a very big area. And then to do the things that most dont want to do. So dispatch japans. Huckabee alaska flight so if that is not reported or that checklist balloted. In is very quick patent fans of where the call is coming from. What happens each year do you have to requalify after trading . We have to do a physical physical, a run lead to an after requalify recall if it but would why have an injury in 2013 i am not allowed jump to the breakin defier duty. So there is a protocol there is no special treatment if you can pass you cannot pass. No special treatment. The protocol for firefighters now is led a bird is a what is the Decision Making process to tell you go or no go for a fire . Some states have of let it burn policy or the no go checklist that is all preplanned with the states and the districts. So it depends on where that is that. We want Mother Nature to take its course to clean up that stuff that has been growing for years and years if it is property then know we will not let it burn. The mission and i just did to weeks ago after 14 days one was a Public Information officer and that is a hard job you can imagine. People coming up to yell at you. They dont have the right picture because you see the fire then you have to explain the hotshot crew we have lookouts and the helicopter a jumper here and all these people that is great so it is very dynamic what is happening but it is hard and it is just my opinion they cannot get to life and property to let nature take its course. There is so much debt growth than that is bad. Has anybody read the book yet . I called her and she gets very pest. [laughter] then you get a lot of crash that makes a lot of energy instead doesnt grow for a long time because it is so hot it is over 2,000 degrees rita wanted to get to that. I am curious when a fire starts in this state the sheriff could oversee its then how do you get in there quickly if it has Great Potential but not at the federal level . Talk about the command system hurricanes and floods and natural disasters that is the command system. Were very good and natural disasters not just fires fertilize the Forest Service here . We train from new york city and alaska and hawaii. Part of the incident command system. To around the world not just United States remember a few years back people were killed around christmas . That country hit the panic button and within a few years within a few hours we had bad commercial flights to israel. Some ambassadors did get there to help out that is how fast we can mobilize. That blows your mind. Thats stuff youre probable that faces a structure of what the gentleman just asked about. We do follow a very structured protocol that does work throughout the world. We train folks throughout the world. What are some of the principles or protocols that you use for every fire like you always take care of your buddies back, whatever . So good question. For me is watch over big cliffs. [laughter] serious question. Its so quick in that plane. We are all on one page from the time we take off, every jumper in that play is holding onto reserve because theres a red handle on that reserve. Thats a loaded gun. If i pop that reserve in the plane i could take down 12, 11 souls. Probably cant fly with the parachutes out. Have you ever stuck your hand in the highway, dont do it in 100 Miles Per Hour. Theres a huge lift, laundry list of things that we are doing from the sirens go off until the mission is over and it depends where you are on the plane. My hands are locked together and shes on my reserve. If i fall asleep my hands are on the reserve. Thats very important. If i come over and loose something and that thing pops, thats a very serious things. Yeah, we are doing a lot of things to watch each others backseat. Theres so many things that we are doing out there and youre close. Rooky brother and rooky sister. Thats your class number. I asked the gentleman in the back, 72, that means he completed rooky training in 1972. Mine is 99. So right now if something happened im probably going to steer twot two gentlemen in the back because theyre like family members. Im very close on that aspect of the jumper. I meet jumpers around the world and its a handshake and hug, and what not. I hope that answered your question beside big foot. You have special equipment for certain situations . When i will stand up in the beginning and taking all the stuff out of a small bag, you can see all the gear that i stuffed in the small bag sitting in the table. We had some very im going to have a little bit more gear than some jumpers because im a tech guy, so in my pack i have thermal imaging stuff. If there was a person standing here a few seconds ago, animals, heat, whatever i need to do, i can scan hillside if we are looking for someone. We did use it in the last mission. It got about 30milesperhour winds. Theres nothing out there. That whole area from here to here is clear. So those people are somewhere else. So i carry a lot of different gear because i like to work easier, not harder out there. So you guys with check out a lot of the gear here. It is very specialized today to tech styles, some of the gear that we are carrying, this is called the laser flair. This is a cool device here. This is not the stuff that you are seeing on the news pointing at aircraft. This is designed to point at an aircraft and i can signal a pilot or aircraft coming to me at 35 miles during high noon, daylight. At night i can go 30 miles, which is great because if i have a jumper thats busted up or to me and i can hear the guy about 10 Miles Per Hour and hes calling, i say, hold on. [laughter] thats what my company does. We test minimum of one year and this guy actually went through almost four years of testing before we got stamps of approval i have video of this thing at high noon at an airport about a mile. Thats important to me because if i need to talk to someone and they try to get a location of us and they cant find us, it just makes it harder. It makes the day a little harder for us. Work easier. This is some of the gear we have , impact, it actually gets hard. It protects my phone, some of my tech. If you take a hammer to it, it protects whatever is inside it. Cool technology thats coming out. Its been out for a while. This is like old technology. This is about three years old. We have small little saws, we have a solar system, so we jump now with, you know, cell towers are available and its sure nice to call another chief or dispatch center and give them whats going on, so i can power cell phone, head lamps, go pro cameras if they are filming. Six days and i didnt need to recharge for batteries. Taxpayers are paying for helicopters, a thousand it just depends on the helicopters. Its not cheap to fly batteries out to me, you know, and i dont like this. Its nonsense. The commander hes asking, why isnt he using any gear, hes a jumper. You dont want to know, hes fine. So first six and something days i didnt know any battery. I was charging everything by myself. So pretty cool. Theres some companies will be testing, did they make it here . I guess not. There they are. You can see some of the folks back there. I see tier 1 gear. I spend countless hours to find better stuff. Only one of those people exists and thats me, hopefully someone will come out and spot another one for my book because we need some more of those folks. I have a question, im close to [inaudible] [laughter] well, if you make a mistake youre going to be a little bit hot. [laughter] which has happened. Thats 46 weeks. You have to take 15 qualifying jumps now to become a smoke jumper, if youre messing up in 15 jumps, we can land, lets say this room was our jump spot, depending on the size of the fire i can land pretty close to the fires edge. If its an established fire thunder head, we are not anywhere near that thing. We have thermos. Youre at the mercy of Mother Nature. We would like to call flying to china, which is not fun. Now, the jump plane is flying away. Thats a day that kind of sucks. I remember i cant remember exactly but i remember a spot on the plane [laughter] hold what you have. You son of a [laughter] at that point you are looking at where youre supposed to land. But now youre up. 5800 feet up in the air. We had guys almost going ten minutes. I want to say it was eight and his arms actually got tired and the jump planes says oh, man, that was wrong, my arms were down. He got back to the base and we were debriefing, you can imagine. They are steerable. So think about it as a helicopter parachute. The other parachute, which is a planetype parachute. If you can imagine, what you guys see on tv and the movies, that would be the design of that, we are jumping the round parachute and we can steer them. We can land them pretty close. [inaudible] how do you keep up with each other . How do we keep up with each other . You land in the mountains in rough area, maybe the command center is down here, how do you find each other, how do you get out of there . Okay, i got your question. Usually theres not a command center there. We are the first ones there. We havent established it. Your jump partners, the person next to you, she will hand pretty close. You both have com. Lets say she was day dreaming and you dont see her anymore. Whats your name . Okay, and the jump plane and you know that she is alive in one piece. From there she will navigate to you and if shes stuck in a tree, shes going to take care of her system that you can repel out of a tree of 150 feet, batman suit and you can see and think of it as a soft armor suit. Think back in time. They copied a night suit. It works. Thats how we find each other. We are in communication. If radios dont work, youre going to everyone has different calls. You can always tell so and so is coming up because he has a different hoot than so and so. We will stay together. We are not getting lost. If youre getting lost at rooky training, youre not going to make the program. [laughter] weve had that. Why didnt you say anything. Please come up to the microphone to answer your question so cspan can get them. Sir, thank you. Sorry, im breaking the rules. I should be repeating it. Do you have a standard crew organization like a hotshot crew . Hes asking our chain of command. The city county firemen has a captain, lieutenant, engineer, a chief, all in a station. That kind of stuff. In a jumper world, i like to call the round table. We dont have the captains anymore, we dont do the chiefs anymore. We dont they dont wear much they wear red helmets and the reason why as we jump out we are all equal on the mission. The first jumper out of the door is the jumper in charge. He is the com