If his name seems familiar it is because on Wildfire Today we reprinted an opinion article he wrote that was published in The Oregonian, titled, A USFS firefighter in Oregon can be paid more at McDonalds. Ben was also a member of a group that traveled to Washington, D.C. in March where they met with White House officials about pay issues and passing the Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act(H.R. You just cant be productive as a human being in those conditions, Carle says. Please consider donating to help a firefighter and his family while they support each other on the road to recovery. Thanks to the stylish Smokejumpers logo, this pin looks great on a sport coat, jacket or even a cap. Then its crazy, he said. Rappellers from USFS John Day and Grande Ronde are staffing two fires. They also talked with Marty Walsh, the Secretary of Labor, who oversees the Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP), an agency that has been criticized for slow-walking or failing to appropriately process the claims and pay the medical bills of firefighters injured on the job. A group portrait of the Smokejumper crew for the Redmond Smokejumper Base. You just think that youre not going to hurt right so, Im kind of surprised, Elkind told NewsChannel 21 on Monday. Vinarge PRSN Redmond Smokejumpers Quarter Zip Longsleeve Shirt Size Men's XL. On his first jump, Carle had to climb 100 feet up a tree to get five gallons of drinking water. Big Reduction in Price for SJ DVD's Donated and shared. Redmond Smokejumpers Redmond Air Center 1740 SE Ochoco Way Redmond, OR 97756 (541) 504-7280. Earlier, aviation firefighting experiments had been conducted with air delivery of equipment and "water bombs". Then you start the descent. He was like, Whoa, thats crazy! And I was like, 'Yeah!' Keep it from spreading. Four of the fires are staffed with smokejumpers from BLM-Burns, USFS Redding and USFS Redmond smokejumpers. (TRAMPS) NSA Trails Restoration & Maintenance Project Specialists. Spokesman file photo Buy Now. Ben has been a Smokejumper for the US Forest Service based in Redmond, OR for nine years and worked in fire as a member of the Zig-Zag Hotshots before jumping. Ben Elkind has done a ton for all of us Federal Wildland Firefighters over the last year. In great used condition! [citation needed]. After observing smokejumper training methods at Seeley Lake in June 1940, then-Major William C. Lee of the U.S. Army went on to become a major general and establish the 101st Airborne Division.[3]. Donated and shared. A dark speck fell out of the plane as it swooped 1500 feet over Glaze Meadow, near Black Butte. BLM photo by Carrie Bilbao July 28, 2020. . Central Oregon Daily is a subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc., recognized as a Fortune 1000 2017 company. The USFS has seven jump bases (Winthrop, WA; Redmond, OR; Redding, CA; McCall, ID; Grangeville, ID; Missoula, MT; and West Yellowstone, MT). booster orders or relocation of smokejumper aircraft) without first directly contacting the pertinent smokejumper operations manager(s). The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion gained fame as the only entirely black airborne unit in United States Army history. Hes been a smokejumper for nine years and he was using a new style of parachute on this particular training jump near Black Butte. Starting at the heel of the fire, you separate black from green. 1964 crew. And then basically the last 20 feet, I just fell straight down.. But if one of them is injured, they not only lose their chance to fight fires for the summer, they also lose their income for that time period. | He has been a key player in getting legislation passed that may give many (hopefully all) of us a 50% pay raise. Unit (Boise National Forest), Grangeville Smokejumpers, Siskiyou Smokejumpers, Alaska Smokejumpers, Great Basin Smokejumpers, the Redmond . Sources: FAA, [1] airport website [2] Redmond Municipal Airport ( IATA: RDM, ICAO: KRDM, FAA LID: RDM) (Roberts Field) is in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. But not every burn is going to take 10 jumpers. Severe Weather The names of all of the crew members have been added below the portrait. The Redmond Smokejumpers first explored a rappelling program in 1972. with well-researched news and impactful stories on local events. Please refine your search. A smokejumper was seriously injured Sunday May 15 during a training parachute jump. Ben and his wife Amber have two boys, ages 4 and 1. It doesnt matter if the jumper behind you has been jumping for 20 years and youve been in the air for two. thats the plan," he said. Saws for wilderness areas. Please consider donating to help a firefighter and his family while they support each other on the road to recovery. Red hair. Tanker 163 at Redmond, June 13, 2016. Archives Redmond smokejumper Ben Elkind learned the pain of a hard landing and the financial fallout all at once last Sunday. Between 1983 and 1990, the number of smokejumpers in Region Six was established at 55, with 35 of these in Redmond and the remaining 20 in Winthrop. Keely Damara. Smokejumpers are specially trained wildland firefighters who provide an initial attack response on remote wildland fires. Despite the seemingly dangerous nature of the job, fatalities from jumping are infrequent, the best-known fatalities in the United States being those that occurred at the Mann Gulch fire in 1949 and the South Canyon Fire in 1994. The North Peace Smokejumpers in Fort Saint John, British Columbia. Filson Alaska the Alaska Smokejumpers in Fort Wainwright, Alaska. It began when one Redmond smokejumper, Dan Norskog, heard about local medical provider, St. Charles Health System, making a call out to the community to provide 10,000 masks for employees. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. // Home > The Filson Journal > Field Notes > The Life of a Smokejumper: Wait. Fishing the remote waters of Alaskas Alagnak River is a dream job for Russell Owen, but that dream has come at a cost. My left leg just kind of -- the femur head shot out through the socket, and the way it did that -- I dont want to say shattered, but it broke my pelvis into like six pieces in the back, Elkind said. . For info on print and digital advertising, 1 event, 4 articles. In subsequent years, the Ninemile Camp operation moved to Missoula, where it became the Missoula Smokejumper Base. I think were all hoping for some changes coming sooner than later.. During surgery at the hospital they found six fractures and placed three plates and 10 screws to repair . The fire with the greatest toll of smokejumper deaths was the Mann Gulch fire in 1949, which occurred north of Helena, Montana, at the Gates of the Mountains area along the Missouri River. Smokejumpers Exhibit Opening EXPLORE Learn about the evolution and role smokejumping has played in fighting forest fires for the last 70 years. Seven are operated by the United States Forest Service (USFS), and two are operated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Then you return to base where your names at the bottom of the jump list. Ive met with some legislative staff and I think theyre all pretty concerned about this stuff, he said. Theres always Spam. Front row (L-R): Tom Fitzpatrick, Kelly Esterbrook, Tim Lynch, Harley Jackson, Everett Young, Joe Brennan, Neal Schaeffer, Mike Jackson, Irene Saphra, Cuby Valdez. Carle is a member of the Redmond Smokejumpers in Redmond, Oregon. For more information, please contact Eastern Washington University Libraries, Archives & Special Collections at (509) 359-2475. Hang in there dude! The first official non-fire jump was made in the Nez Perce National Forest in the Northern Region (Region 1) in 1940 by John Furgurson and Lester Gohler. If theres any heat left, were gonna stand and were gonna take care of it, Carle says. Erik and Andrea Anderson greet us like old friends as we walk onto their dock stretching out into Westcott Bay off San Juan Island in Washington. The brew house, opened in 1996, won second place for "Best Bar / Brewpub" in the Source Weekly's 2018 Best of Redmond readers' poll and is a favorite among locals and visitors alike. Smokejumping -- United States, Smokejumpers -- United States -- Redmond (Or. West Yellowstone Smokejumpers WYIFC Box 610 West Yellowstone, MT 59758 (406) 646-7691. Front Row (L-R): (Rookies) Shane Taylor, Melissa Moore, Gabe Dommershausen, Josh Ross, Rubel Aguilar, David Neydlin, Luke Bromley, Douglas Thomas, Sam Johnson, Nick Foey. [4], The minimum required physical fitness standards for smokejumpers set by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group are: packout 110 pounds (50kg) for three miles (4.8km) within 90 minutes; run 1.5 miles (2.4km) in 11 or fewer minutes; 25 push-ups in 60 seconds; 45 sit-ups in 60 seconds; and seven pull-ups. The interviews were conducted from 1981 to 1983 by Nick Sundt, Charlie Bragdon, and Bruce Van Voorhis. Once youre in the plane, theres no going back, says Bill Selby, Carles boss and the base manager for the Redmond Smokejumpers. He doesnt think thats brave. From 8/24, 0800 to 8/25, 0800: 9,423 strikes in OR and 56 strikes in WA occurred and triggered the High Cascades Complex and Hancock Complex fires. Deschutes National Forest Public Affairs Officer Jean Nelson-Dean confirmed that "one of our smokejumpers experienced a hard landing on a proficiency jump" and had been hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.". Visit spotfireimages.com for more photos and videos. Forest service has some kinks to iron out but. They rig parachutes. Redmond, FS - RAC 11/09 @ 1019 : J-42 : B.M. Their number increased to 110 in 1944, and to 220 in 1945, as more equipment became available from the War Department. During surgery at the hospital they found six fractures and placed three plates and 10 screws to repair the damage. Deschutes National Forest Public Affairs Officer Jean Nelson-Dean confirmed that "one of our smokejumpers experienced a hard landing on a proficiency jump" and had been hospitalized with non-life . I feel really lucky, he said. NSA_CREWPICS Their job is to kill them before they become catastrophes. The pulaski is a single-bladed axe with a grub-hoe on the opposite side, and is, undoubtedly, the greatest fire handtool ever invented. Thats a stupid statement. The Smokejumper Project had become a permanent establishment of the USFS in 1944. The first fire jumps were made by Rufus Robinson and Earl Cooley at Rock Pillar near Marten Creek in the Nez Perce National Forest on July 12, 1940, out of Ninemile, followed shortly by a two-man fire jump out of Winthrop. Stationed at Pendleton Field, Oregon, with a detachment in Chico, California, 300 unit members participated in firefighting missions throughout the Pacific Northwest during the summer and fall of 1945, earning the nickname "Smoke Jumpers". But if teaching one of her own brothers isn't challenging About 500 training jumps were made by the first 70 CPS smokejumpers in 1943, who went on to fight 31 fires that first season. | Ive crashed really hard on both, been knocked out on both. Northwest the Redmond Smokejumpers in Redmond, Oregon. If you cant go out on fires, you just take an income hit, he said. As of July 20, the base had notched 829 jumps during 123 jump missions. NSA Online Store. Archives and Special Collections, Eastern Washington University Libraries. Driving from Bend to the smokejumper base in Redmond, Oregon, was like traveling back in time. 20-ounce beers are a mere $5 and their Eat 4 Cheap! Elkind said that almost 50 of his fellow smokejumpers have a meal train going for his family and many have volunteered to drive him to doctors appointments. Cascade West is a go-to for an everyman's happy hour, Anthony's at the Old Mill gets points for views, McMenamins Old St. Francis School offers variety on a single campus, Takeout Guide: Central Oregon Pickup & Delivery, 2023 But a GoFundMe set up by the Redmond Smokejumpers Welfare Organization had already raised nearly $40,000 as of Monday, more than Elkind would have made during the fire season. Total passengers 2018. Experienced smokejumpers do many proficiency jumps during this time of the year, to prepare for the upcoming fire season," she told NewsChannel 21 last week. The Hot Shot Burger on the menu hearkens back to the days when the Redmond Hotshots regularly frequented the pub, along with the Redmond Smokejumpers and other Forest Service employees. If the ground is hot, you turn it over and mix it with cool soil. All orders of $75 or more qualify for free economy shipping. Accessibility This disaster directly led to the establishment of modern safety standards used by all wildland firefighters. Were all hurting but I know he needs help. In 1942, permanent jump operations were established at Winthrop, Washington, and Ninemile Camp, an abandoned Civilian Conservation Corps camp (Camp Menard) a mile north of the Forest Service's Ninemile Remount Depot (pack mule) at Huson, Montana, about 30 miles (48km) northwest of Missoula. This shirt is no different. Daily News Updates Thank you, Murry, for your kind and informed response . And its awesome.. People love our t-shirts and brisk sales prove the designs we create are winners, year after year! If youre the first one out of the door, its your fire. The smokejumper fell for less than a second before her parachute Have a wildland fire news tip? The 555th made a total of 1,200 jumps to 36 fires, 19 from Pendleton and 17 from Chico. Back Row (L-R): Justin Cook, Jeremy Zemke, Matt Abell, Marcel Potvin, Ben Bell, Jarret Carle, Bill Selby, Gary Atteberry, Mike Leslie, Sean Wishart, Eliah Pedersen, Jeanine Faulkner, Kevin McCarthy, Jonathan Ugulano, Connor Allen, Arthur Cherry (rappeller), Eric Shilling (pilot), Ron Vail (pilot). The choice instrument the one everyone runs for after they hit the ground is the chainsaw. Tanker 44 at Redmond, June 13, 2016. NewsChannel 21 asked Elkind if he'll try to jump again next year. Fire jumps are such a precious thing to all of us, Carle says. Here is an excerpt from their description on GoFundMe: Ben has a long road to recovery and will be unable to work for a significant length of time and will be missing out on the overtime that so many wildland firefighters depend on to make a living. The digital images were donated to Eastern Washington University Libraries by the National Smokejumper Association. When theyre not in the air, smokejumpers manufacture and repair their own gear. | Pearson. And this is what we want to do.. Redmond Smokejumpers Redmond Air Center 1740 S.E. The base is near six national forests: Nez Perce/Clearwater, Sawtooth, the Boise, Payette, Salmon-Chalis, and Wallowa-Whitman.[2]. No promotional code needed. | After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire. Eastern Washington University has not been able to identify the copyright holder and considers this an orphan work. And then I ran into where I was running out of space, so then I basically just hit the full brakes on my parachute and the canopy collapsed. 'Communication, safety and precision were three things that were in high consistency that day'. In the air, you circle the fire and size it up. 5631). Carle is a smokejumper. Jump injuries are infrequent,[citation needed] and smokejumper personnel take deliberate precautions before deciding whether to jump a particular fire. Become a Source Insider to help get news and culture to Central Oregon. Ben Elkind's family. Smokejumpers: Firefighters from the Sky is an exhibit at the High Desert Museum exploring the history and the evolution of aerial firefighting techniques and technology. Most of the fires are small, usually started by lightning. His death is the first recorded smokejumper fatality during a fire jump. People keep asking if Im going to keep jumping, and I sure hope so, but it might be awhile, he said. Publish Date Wildland firefighter to Wildland firefighter I hope you have a good recovery from a first season Wildland firefighter to a 9 year vet Wildland firefighter. | Six foot five. Author Norman MacLean described the incident in his book Young Men and Fire (1992). This article was first published on Fire Aviation. The Redmond Air Center (RAC) is at Robert's Field Airport about two miles east of Redmond, Oregon (population 12,000+, elevation 3077 feet). Ben Elkind sustained a dislocated hip and pelvic fracture during a hard landing. The names of the crew members have been added below the portrait. The Pulaski and shovel hanging next to the propeller belongs to regular Ward Monroe, who retired from the Forest Service in '99. I think bravery is running into a house to save a child, you know? [citation needed] Many smokejumpers have previous experience as hotshots, who provide a strong foundation of wildland firefighting experience and physical conditioning. 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