During the fall of 1939 the Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, in Region 6. conducted an experimental parachute jumping project to determine under what conditions firemen or smokechasers trained as parachute jumpers could safely land in inaccessible mountainous areas. Field tests of parachutes and protective clothing were also made to determine what equipment was necessary to land safely in timber or other hazardous cover or terrain types, the purpose being to reduce travel time from the discovery of the forest fire to the arrival of the first man, in order that such fires may be extinguished while small. This report deals with the conduct and results of that project. Click to view complete 1939 report

1939 Report Slide show (click to activate slide show)