Wildland Firefighters on Rappel capable crews, come from all over the nation each spring to train at the National Rappel Program’s Rappel Academy at Salmon AirBase, in Salmon, Idaho.
Wildland fire aircraft play a critical role in supporting firefighters on wildland fires. Helicopters also deliver aerial crews called Rappellers to wildland fires. These are specially trained firefighters that rappel from helicopters in order to effectively and quickly respond to fires in remote terrain.
Rappellers may land near a wildfire but if there is no landing zone close by they can utilize their skills to rappel from the hoovering helicopter. Once on the ground, crews fight the fires using hand tools, chainsaws, and other firefighting tools.
Filmed and edited by Charity Parks.