All around the United States, there are large, difficult-to-reach regions of terrain that, in the case of an outbreak of fire, are often beyond the quick reach of ground-based firefighters.
When fire does break out in terrain like that--and is deemed worth fighting--the U.S. Forest Service may well send in teams of what are called Smokejumpers, groups of highly trained men and women who, when duty calls, load themselves into special airplanes and then jump in to fight the remote fires.
On his Road Trip 2009 project, CNET News reporter Daniel Terdiman visited with the Smokejumpers in Missoula, Montana, and got a chance to see, first hand, their planes, their equipment and their daily preparations.
This is a 1944 Douglas DC-3, one of the most iconic planes of all time. It is used by the U.S. Forest Service as a Smokejumper plane, and can hold a 20-person crew.
Click here for the entire Road Trip 2009 package.
Photo by Daniel Terdiman/CNET
